Pre Med Committees

I don't know if this is the standard but Georgetown gives several kinds of recommendation letters – don't recommend, recommend with reservations, recommend, and highly recommend. If you submit your materials to such a committee and they give you one of the three, is that letter automatically sent with your application? Do you have any control over this?
Have asked some people at Georgetown and have gotten different responses. Am not sure if I want to run that risk if it would be negative…

U of Houston has this program and my understanding is that you can decline to use the service if you don’t like their letter. I think it’s worth finding out what level of recommendation you will receive, as long as you have the choice to decline it.
I’ve heard that some med schools really frown on students who don’t use the service. It’s like saying, “I got a bad review.” On the other hand, I would be cautious of using anything less than a “recommend.” I guess that’s obvious! rolleyes.gif
At UH, the letters are based on our LOR’s and personal statement. If those aren’t strong enough to get me a recommendation from the advisory committee, I doubt I’ll stand a chance with the med schools anyway. I plan on using the same personal statement for the committee as the AMCAS application.
Theresa

QUOTE (TheresaW @ Mar 5 2003, 09:38 AM)
U of Houston has this program and my understanding is that you can decline to use the service if you don't like their letter. I think it's worth finding out what level of recommendation you will receive, as long as you have the choice to decline it.
I've heard that some med schools really frown on students who don't use the service. It's like saying, "I got a bad review." On the other hand, I would be cautious of using anything less than a "recommend." I guess that's obvious! rolleyes.gif
At UH, the letters are based on our LOR's and personal statement. If those aren't strong enough to get me a recommendation from the advisory committee, I doubt I'll stand a chance with the med schools anyway. I plan on using the same personal statement for the committee as the AMCAS application.
Theresa

Hi Folks,
Pre-med committee letters are optional if you are at the graduate level. They are a weeding element for undergrads but once you have graduated, unless your post-bacc program specifically provides this service, you are beyond the "committee letter" process. Since I became became a pre-med virtually overnight, I was well beyond the time frame set by GWU pre-med committee. When I approached them, for setting up some time for students who entered the pre-med process at a later time (read older here), they looked at my application and said that they don't handle graduate-level students. Unless you are completing your first degree, you are probably exempt from having a meaningless committee send a mediocre letter that will torpedo your application. Every medical school that I applied to, had the same idea too. Once you get beyond the traditional undergraduate level, these committee letters are meaningless.
Nat

Wow, that's a really interesting bit of info, Natalie. I'm a post-bacc, undergrad in 1991, but not a grad student. I wonder if I need to be jumping through these hoops.
Then again, the committee also provides the service of copying and mailing out your LOR's to AMCAS, TMDAS, and any schools that don't participate in a generalized app. service. I think that alone might be worth it. All my LOR writers just have to send one letter to the committee for me.
Theresa

I was a post-bacc also (grad from undergrad in 1995 and did a post-bacc program for a year in 2000) and different schools had different rules on what letters of recommendation that they required. One wanted LOR's from my original undergrad and/or work-place. Four only required the committee letter. And one accepted the committee letter but recommended letters from my undergrad and/or work-place.
If there are certain schools you plan on applying to (for instance, I knew I was only going to apply to certain number of schools in my area) then you might want to try their websites to see what their requirements are.
Hope this helps,
Tara

QUOTE (TheresaW @ Mar 7 2003, 12:53 AM)
Then again, the committee also provides the service of copying and mailing out your LOR's to AMCAS, TMDAS, and any schools that don't participate in a generalized app. service. I think that alone might be worth it. All my LOR writers just have to send one letter to the committee for me.
Theresa

Just to make sure there is no misunderstanding. Your rec letters do NOT go to AMCAS...they go to individual med schools after you have received a 2ndary application and a request for your rec letters. As you have read here, there is at least one commercial letter-sending service, but if you choose not to use it (it's my understanding that at this point in time, most applicants do not), just give your recommenders a stack of stamped envelopes addressed the schools you wish them to send your letter to.
Cheers,
Judy
QUOTE (TheresaW @ Mar 7 2003, 12:53 AM)
Then again, the committee also provides the service of copying and mailing out your LOR's to AMCAS, TMDAS, and any schools that don't participate in a generalized app. service. I think that alone might be worth it. All my LOR writers just have to send one letter to the committee for me.
Theresa

Just to make sure there is no misunderstanding. Your rec letters do NOT go to AMCAS...they go to individual med schools after you have received a 2ndary application and a request for your rec letters. As you have read here, there is at least one commercial letter-sending service, but if you choose not to use it (it's my understanding that at this point in time, most applicants do not), just give your recommenders a stack of stamped envelopes addressed the schools you wish them to send your letter to.
Cheers,
Judy