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Committee Letter

The 2024 Committee Letter application opens on January 29, 2024. 

Start Your Online Application

Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) offers an optional committee letter for LMU students and alumni who are applying to medical or dental school.

Receiving a committee letter does not guarantee admission to medical or dental school. However, many medical and dental schools do expect students to have a committee letter written if this service is available at their undergraduate institution.

The LMU Committee Letter may include:

  • Academic information/highlights 
  • Biographical information 
  • Passion for medicine or dentistry 
  • Professional competencies 
  • Research 
  • Personal Attributes
  • Unique challenges/adversities that you have had to overcome
  • Top quotes from individual letters of recommendation that are attached to the committee letter 

Do I qualify for a committee letter? 

You qualify if you: 

  • Completed the majority of the pre-medical or pre-dental coursework at LMU (this includes undergraduates, post-bacs, and alumni) 
  • Are applying to medical/dental school during the same calendar year that you are requesting a committee letter 
  • Will receive at least one letter of recommendation from an LMU science faculty member 
  • Comply with all committee letter deadlines 

As part of the committee letter service, students will receive feedback on their application to medical or dental school. In addition, students will do a mock interview with an LMU faculty member, and be evaluated on the strengths and weaknesses of their responses.

*Committee letters are requested during the calendar year that the student is applying to medical or dental school*

The 2024 committee letter application will close on Friday, April 5, 2024, by 11:59 p.m. 

Committee Letter Process

The Committee Letter process is intended to provide LMU students with a thorough assessment and guidance when applying to medical and dental school. It is much more than just requesting a committee letter. You will be provided with feedback on your entire application. The committee letter application will open in mid-January. We'll update here and include the committee application once it goes live.

Step 1. Pre-Health Committee Letter Application

A complete Pre-Health Committee Letter Application will include:

  • Application
  • GPA Table 2024
  • Resume (see CPD's resume guide)
  • Autobiography
  • Unofficial Transcripts (upload as one document). Official transcripts may be requested on an individual basis.
  • Names of individuals who will write your letters of recommendation (only names).

Step 2. Meeting with the Director of Health Professions Advising

  • Students that submit an application are required to have an individual meeting with the Director of Health Professions Advising--once an application is submitted, the Health Professions Advising office will contact the applicant about setting up a meeting.

Step 3. Letters of Recommendation

  • Remind letter writers to type, date, and sign the letter and put it on official letterhead.
  • The minimum number of letters required is 3 and the maximum number is 6. Two letters must be from faculty who have taught you in the sciences. One non-science academic letter is recommended. Dental students should have a dentist write a letter of recommendation.
  • The deadline for letters of recommendation is June 1.

Step 4. Mock Interview (Interviews will take place between May and August)

  • Students will be instructed as to how and when to schedule your mock interview with a faculty member (you will be provided with the faculty contact information); it is your responsibility to set up an agreed time and date for your interview.
  • Interviews will be conducted either in person or via Zoom.
  • The notes from the interviewer will be sent to the Director of Health Professions Advising.

Step 5. Drafting and Finalizing the Committee Letter

Once the Director of Health Professions Advising receives the mock interview notes, she will begin drafting the committee letter. It will be finalized and submitted to AMCAS / AACOMAS / TMDSAS / AADSAS once the following information has been received by the Health Professions Advising office (email the info to prehealth@lmu.edu):

  • Unofficial transcript with spring grades (if applicable)
  • MCAT or DAT scores
  • All letters of recommendation are in your Interfolio account
  • Draft of AMCAS/AACOMAS/TMDSAS/AADSAS application has been reviewed and approved by the Health Professions Advising office. Send the completed yet un-submitted application to prehealth@lmu.edu. Courtney Klipp needs to be listed as the committee letter writer.
  • Application has been submitted to AMCAS/AACOMAS/TMDSAS/AADSAS

*The Committee Letter is kept on file for 5 years.

Step 6. Release of Your Common Application (Dental and Medical School application) (optional)

Students have the option to release their application(s) to the Director of Health Professions Advising. We request that students release their information as it allows the HPA staff to maintain statistics and further improve services offered to LMU students.

Deadline

The deadline to request a committee letter is Friday, April 5, 2024, by 11:59 p.m. Note that we do not accept late applications.

Important Notes

  • We have a very high volume of students that request committee letters each year. June and July are the busiest months. Please understand that we are unable to expedite our process. We want all of our LMU applicants to have the best possible letters, and they take time to write.
  • After the application is submitted to AMCAS/AACOMAS/TMDSAS/AADSAS, it will go through the grade verification process before it is viewed by medical/dental schools. This can take up to 4-6 weeks. The committee letter does not need to be completed when the application is submitted.
  • Students retaking the MCAT should list the date of the upcoming exam on the AMCAS application. If this is not done then the application will be reviewed with the old score(s). We recommend that students planning to retake the exam send in the application for verification on or near the exam date. The verification process should be completed around the time the new scores are available.

Committee Letter 2024 Information Packet

Are you a Committee Letter Reapplicant? Please see attached.

 

Questions? Email us at prehealth@lmu.edu.