Committee Letter
Rather than sending all the recommendation letters in a file, students who qualify will receive one Committee Letter. Minimum qualifications for the Committee letter include a GPA of 3.3 or higher for at least 30 credits in science and mathematics courses taken at Hunter, appropriate extracurricular experiences in the field that a candidate plans to enter (medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, optometry, etc.), as well as course evaluations and letters of recommendation that comment on a candidate’s performance in both academic and clinical settings. Once these qualifications have been verified, a member of Hunter’s Pre-Health Committee will be assigned to interview each candidate and write the Committee letter. The Committee Letter incorporates all of the information in a student's file, and its narrative includes quotations from evaluations and letters of recommendation as well as impressions from the personal statement and the interview. At the discretion of the Pre-Health Committee, particularly strong and descriptive letters of recommendation may also be appended to the Committee letter in entirety.
Letter Packets
For those students who have a file in the Pre-Health Professions Office but do not meet the minimum requirements for a Committee Letter (3.3 Science and Math GPA and 30 Credits in Science at Hunter), or for those who missed the deadline for the Committee Letter Application, we can send out a letter packet. The letter packet consists of the Letters of Recommendation in your file with a brief cover letter. The Pre-Health Advising Office will examine your file and determine what letters are best to submit on your behalf. The application is the same for both the committee letter and the letter packet.
Committee Letter and Letter Packet Application Process
Students who wish to use this service for the upcoming 2013 application cycle MUST read the following instructions before applying. After you read the instructions please click here to apply. The supplemental form can be found here.
Re-Applicants
For those students who have received a Committee Letter within the past two years and are re-submitting applications for medical or dental school, a Committee Letter Update is required. Please fill out the Committee Letter Update form here:
This is not for students who received a Committee Letter but never applied.
2013 Application Cycle Committee Letter FAQs
Who needs a committee letter?
Students seeking a committee letter to apply to health professional schools during the 2012-2013 academic year for entry into health professional school in 2013.
What are the eligibility criteria to receive a committee letter?
- Be in good academic standing at Hunter College.
- Have completed a minimum of 30 credits in math and science at Hunter College, with a 3.3 GPA, by the end of the Spring 2012 semester. Four (4) laboratory courses must be included in the 30 credits of math and science.
- Have an active file with the Pre-Health Advising Office to which you have contributed the following:
- At least one letter of recommendation from science faculty at Hunter College
- Evaluations (ideally greater than five)from courses completed at Hunter College.
- Recommendation letters from your employers, supervisors and mentors in clinical, research, and community service settings
When is the deadline to apply for a committee letter?
You may submit your application to receive a committee letter any time between January 10, 2012 and 11:59 pm EST on June 10, 2012. Applications will become available online in Late December 2011.
What happens if I miss the June 10 deadline for Committee Letter
Application?
You will be ineligible to receive a committee letter and will instead be considered for a Letter Packet Option.
How does the Committee Letter process work?
- You submit your application to receive a committee letter.
- The Pre-Health Advising Office team will review your application to determine your eligibility for receiving a committee letter and will issue a formal approval. The approval process is expected to take up to 4 weeks.
- You will be directed to set up an interview with a member of the committee, who is pre-assigned to develop your committee letter. Please allow 6-8 weeks from the time of approval of your application to completion of your letter request.
THE REQUESTS ARE ADDRESSED ON A ROLLING BASIS (FIRST COME FIRST SERVED).
What can I do to facilitate the application processes?
In addition to addressing the academic eligibility criteria (credits/ good academic standing), you can work with our office closely to ensure that your file contains the items mentioned in the third item under eligibility criteria.
Important Notes:
- If you have the same instructor for more than one course, then only one evaluation or letter of recommendation is required. However, each of the courses that you completed with the instructor must be indicated in the letter or evaluation. In this case one letter or evaluation would count as written feedback for two courses.
- The number of evaluations will be considered in context with all the other items in your file. The goal is to have enough information in a file for a committee member to write a thorough, accurate, and comprehensive letter. This requirement not only helps the committee but benefits the student.
- The Committee Letter Application is used by the committee to learn more about your goals, accomplishments, and motivation. When you are ready to qualify for a Committee Letter, submit your application; this signifies to the Pre-Health Committee that you want to be considered for a letter that semester.
- The Committee Letter Application is electronic and can only be completed in one sitting (you cannot start it and then go back to it later). You may want to start by answering the questions in MS Word. Then, when you are ready to submit the packet, copy and paste the answers in the appropriate boxes.