When preparing to apply to medical school, there are lots of details to consider! One major area of the application that causes a lot of stress are the letters of recommendation. To make the process of deciding which letters to collect easier for you, I did the research! (Your welcome.)
As I mentioned in a previous blog post, most medical schools do not require a pre-health committee letter. The data verifies that statement, as you can see in the table below:
Over seventy percent of all allopathic medical schools located in the continental U.S. do not have a preference for the types of letters you submit. Seventeen percent of schools prefer the committee letter but do not require an explanation if you use individual letters. On the other hand, less than ten percent require a committee letter from your pre-health advising office, or an explanation is required if you do not have one. Less than one percent of schools do not indicate a preference on their website, and I could not reach them by phone.
The medical schools that require the pre-health committee letter include:
Albert Einstein
Loma Linda
Perelman
Rutgers New Jersey
Uniformed Services
University of Arkansas
University of Kentucky
University of Louisville
University of Maryland
University of Massachusetts
University of Texas SOM at San Antonio
University of Vermont
Virginia Commonwealth University
Weill Cornell
In my opinion, the pre-health committee letter simply serves as an additional hurdle for applicants to complete. Unless you are a resident of the state in which these schools are located (because you should apply to every medical school in your state) or have your heart set on applying to any of these schools, you may or may not want to spend the time, energy and nerves collecting a pre-health committee letter, depending on how complicated the process is on your particular campus. Some pre-health offices have an application and interview process that adds an additional layer of stress to students’ preparing to apply.
The schools that do not post that information on their website or did not respond to my calls include:
University of Texas at Austin
If you know whether or not this school requires or prefers a pre-health committee letter, please feel free to respond in the comments section of this post.
I hope this information is helpful and will make the process of preparing to apply to medical school less stressful. If you would like to work with me or one of my colleagues from Accepted you are welcome to contact us.
Alicia McNease Nimonkar is an Accepted advisor and editor specializing in healthcare admissions. Prior to joining Accepted, Alicia worked for five years as Student Advisor at UC Davis’ postbac program where she both evaluated applications and advised students applying successfully to med school and related programs. Want Alicia to help you get accepted to medical school? Click here to get in touch!
Related Resources:
• 3 Reasons to Start Your Med School Applications NOW
• Applying to Medical School Without a Committee Letter
• Navigate the Med School Maze: 12 Tips from Start to Acceptance
