Self directed post bac program

Hello All,


I am currently going back to school to complete my premed requirements. Because I will pay for my own education; I will be taking my course work at a Community College.


My concern is how will I get letters of recommendations for medical school if the community college does not have a premed advisor???


I would like to go back to The Ohio State University to take my course work but I am a single parent and paying for education for 2 children…Financially, It would be a strain on household budget to go to OSU to complete course work.


Please advise…


Thank you


Lillian

I’m also doing a DIY post-bac and plan to get letters from three professors (Gen Chem, Physics, and O-Chem).


I’m also going outside school for letters such as my volunteer coordinator at the hospital, a client of mine, and a former manager at a previous job.


Will you be able to do something along those lines?

I’m in the last two semesters of pre-reqs (org 1 and 2). I have asked my professors for LOR’s in the prior classes (chem 1/2, bio 1/2, physics 1/2), and except for 1 professor, all have written LOR’s on my behalf and then submitted them to the online database, www.interfolio.com. I provided to each professor a statement of my goals, a resume, a short review of my observations during the course (about the content and my own methods, not a critique of the teaching methods), the required interfolio.com cover letter, and a pre-paid addressed envelope to interfolio. All the professor had to do was review any provided documents that he chose, write the letter, and drop the envelope in a mailbox.


Great to hear that you are moving forward with your goals!



Lillian-


Are you wanting to go to OSU for medical school? If so, I highly recommend that you try to take as many courses as possible at OSU. Ohio State is getting more and more competitive to get into and I really do believe you would be at a competitive advantage with CC pre-reqs unless you absolutely blow the MCAT out of the water. If you absolutely cannot afford OSU for the pre-reqs, then you should still take a couple of upper level courses at OSU or another 4 year institution.

I graduated from college in 2006 and completed several of my premed requirements there (calculus, inorganic chem, and biology).


I am now in a Ph.D. program in history and have been taking my remaining premed courses as I would like to apply to medical school after earning my Ph.D. So, I have organic chemistry and physics left.


It appears that I cannot get a committee letter of support, as my classes have been split between two school. Does this create a major issue for my chances of getting in? Is there something I should do to help my case/situation?


Thanks so much!!


Matt

  • history Said:


It appears that I cannot get a committee letter of support, as my classes have been split between two school. Does this create a major issue for my chances of getting in? Is there something I should do to help my case/situation?



Is this an assumption or have you approached either your original UG institution or your current "pre-req" school committees and explain your situation?

Also, there are several methods that AAMC has for having LOR's submitted directly as part of your AMCAS application.

Link to AMACS Letters FAQ

There is current discussion on this issue going on in a different thread and I am merging this posting into it

You do not HAVE to have a committee letter. There are many schools that do not do committee letters (Ohio State was one of them back when I was doing my pre-reqs). As far as I am aware, most medical schools that request a committee letter will take individual letters if you don’t have a committee letter. Where this causes concern is if you go to a school that offers a committee letter and you don’t use that option.


You might check with both of your schools and see if either of them do a committee letter. If so, then you could ask if it would be possible to have info from your other school sent to one and have a letter with information from both schools combined in to one.

  • Emergency! Said:
You do not HAVE to have a committee letter. There are many schools that do not do committee letters (Ohio State was one of them back when I was doing my pre-reqs). As far as I am aware, most medical schools that request a committee letter will take individual letters if you don't have a committee letter. Where this causes concern is if you go to a school that offers a committee letter and you don't use that option.

You might check with both of your schools and see if either of them do a committee letter. If so, then you could ask if it would be possible to have info from your other school sent to one and have a letter with information from both schools combined in to one.



AMCAS (MD) and AACOMAS (DO) both have formal programs for LORs to be submitted directly as part of each organization's primary application.

My speculation (note it is speculation) that a traditional undergrad or someone who is coming from their directly from their primary undergraduate institution into the medical school application process who does not have a committee letter might raise a mild to medium negative flag. However a non-trad with a varied prep background who has no committee letter will raise nothing more than a momentary "what do we have hear, ah 4 LORs directly submitted" and no impact upon admissions prospects will be felt.

One more note, I have dealt with students who were years out of their primary UG institution but were able to go back as alumni and use the premed advising and get an committee letter that included original work and new work.