The Committee Letter Application for the 2013-2014 application cycle is now available!
Please read the information and instructions contained in the paragraphs below BEFORE completing and submitting the Committee letter application. For your convenience, this information is being presented in the form of Frequently Asked Questions.
*A link to the application form is provided at the bottom of this page.
The Pre-Health Advising Office does not review/proofread personal statements for the Committee Letter. The purpose of submitting the personal statement as part of the Committee Letter application is for us to see the first draft.
Committee Letter and Letter Packet Application Process
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Committee Letter and How Do I Qualify for One?
Rather than sending all of the separate recommendation letters in a student's file, applicants 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.
What Is A Letter Packet?
For those students who have a file in the Pre-Health Professions Office but a) do not meet the minimum requirements for a Committee Letter (3.3 Science and Math GPA and 30 Credits in Science at Hunter); b) missed the deadline for the Committee Letter Application, or c) are applying to programs that do not require a Committee letter, 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.
Do I have to submit a different application for a Committee Letter or for a Letter Packet?
No, the application is exactly the same for both the Committee Letter and the Letter Packet.
Who should be applying for a Committee Letter?
Students applying to health professional schools during the 2013-2014 academic year for entry into health professional school in 2014.
What are the eligibility criteria to receive a committee letter?
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Be in good academic standing at Hunter College.
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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 2013 semester. Four (4) laboratory courses must be included in the 30 credits of math and science.
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Have an active file with the Pre-Health Advising Office to which you have contributed the following:
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At least one letter of recommendation from science faculty at Hunter College
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Evaluations (ideally greater than five)from courses completed at Hunter College.
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Recommendation letters from your employers, supervisors and/or mentors in clinical, research, and community service settings. At least one letter should be from a supervisor from a clinical setting related to the field in which you are applying. If you do not have a letter of recommendation from a supervisor in a clinical setting related to your interest, this could adversely affect your likelihoof of being accepted to a professional school.
What is the deadline to apply for a committee letter?
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Priority Deadline - March 15, 2013
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Final Submission Deadline - June 10, 2013
The official and firm deadline for receipt of ALL Committee Letter Applications for the coming application cycle is June 10, 2013. However, a priority deadline has been set for March 15, 2013. What this means is that those candidates who meet all the eligibility requirements and submit completed Committee Letter applications by the March 15 priority date will be processed and assigned to a Committee member first. All candidates who are eligible for a Committee Letter at the beginning of the spring 2013 semester are strongly urged to apply by the March 15 deadline.
What happens if I miss the deadline for the Committee Letter Application?
If you miss the deadline, you will NOT be eligible to receive a committee letter.
If you still intend to apply during the current cycle, you will instead be considered for a Letter Packet. Alternatively, you may be encouraged to apply in a subsequent year in order to have all of your documentation and other requirements completed in time to receive a Committee letter. The Committee letter deadline is established so that candidates' applications may be completed in a timely fashion. If you miss the Committee letter deadline, then your competitiveness as an applicant is likely to be compromised.
How does the Committee Letter process work?
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You submit your application to receive a committee letter.
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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. Candidates who do not qualify for the Committee letter will be informed if they have sufficient documentation to be eligible for a Letter Packet.
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Once you have been approved for a Committee letter, 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.
THESE 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.
How do I count NC or W grades when computing my GPA?
NC and W grades do not affect your GPA so you should ignore these grades when you are performing your GPA calculations.
Are there any additional requirements that I must fulfill before my Committee Letter can be submitted?
Before any applicant's Committee Letter can be submitted, scores from standardized tests such as the MCAT, DAT or GRE MUST be released or submitted to the Pre-Health Advising Office along with an electronic PDF file of the complete and final version of your professional school application that was submitted.
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.
- Evaluations can be written by Hunter College faculty and Laboratory or Recitation instructors (usually graduate teaching assistants), but letters of recommendation must be written by Hunter faculty.
- The number of evaluations will be considered in the context of 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.
LINK TO THE COMMITTEE LETTER APPLICATION
To apply for a Committee letter or a letter packet, please view and access the application form through the following link:
Re-Applicants
For those students who have received a Committee Letter within the past two years and are re-submitting applications for medical, dental, veterinary or optometry school, a Committee Letter Update is required. In order to receive an update, you must provide additional information through the Committee Letter Update Application, available through the following link: f
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