Case Western, Hamilton, University of Rochester, RIT or UF for pre-med/music? ["about the same cost"]

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There a benefits and drawbacks to having a HP committee letter.

typically a HP committee will stratify the undergrad’s students into 4 categories: highly recommend, recommend, recommend with reservations, not recommend For students in the first two categories, the HP committee will highlight a student’s strengths in the letter and explain any issues/difficulties a student has had to overcome.

Benefits

  1. accepted by all med schools as fulfilling LOE requirements (which vary by med school)
  2. committee puts student’s achievement into context within their schools academics (like reporting only 5% of students got an A in Class Z taught by Professor Q)
  3. signals to uncompetitive applicants they probably shouldn’t apply, thus saving them the time, money and emotional roller coast of a cycle of med school applications. (A cycle of med school applications–even without interview travel-- will cost around $2000-$6000.)
  4. early dates set by the HP committee force a student to prepare their application and have there supporting documents collected in plenty of time for applying to med school on June 1 when AMCAS opens.

Drawbacks

  1. Students in the latter two categories cannot use the HP letter to apply to med since it will draw negative attention to their applications
  2. Students who apply from a school that offers a committee letter and don’t use it are asked to explain wy they don’t have a committee letter
  3. the lack of a HP letter can prevent some viable candidates from applying. Applicants who with a strong narrative for “why medicine?” and a well craft application list might well get accepted to a med school.

Schools without HP committees have benefits and drawbacks

Benefits

  1. No gatekeeping by HP committee. If a students wants to apply, then a student can apply.

Drawvacks

  1. the student has to be on top of their application and makes sure they fulfill the LOE requirements at each individual school (which are not the same everywhere and may require a student to obtain a half dozen different letters) If a student sends t too few LOEs to a med school, their file will be marked incomplete and will never get reviewed. If a student send too many, or the wrong type of letters, the student will get rejected for failing to follow directions.
  2. student has to obtain LOEs from at least 3 or more professors who may or may not send them to the right place in a timely fashion.
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