Mission of the PreMedical Advisory Committee

To inform students about getting into medical school we hold group meetings (one in the fall and one in the spring) a year and go over what students need to be doing to get into medical school.  We often have these meetings coupled with a visit from any one of the following: representatives of medical schools, former students now attending medical school, Army representatives talking about their scholarship program (and often supplying food!).

To advise students we serve as PreMed advisors.  Students are assigned PreMed advisors in the fall of the sophomore year.  Freshman who have questions should attend the group meetings; if they still have questions, contact us directly.  As long as students have attended the group meetings, there isn’t very much advising that has to be done, but if you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask a PreMed Advisory Committee member. 

We answer questions at the group meetings (the group sessions are particularly helpful because others often ask questions that you haven't thought about), and by answering emails and when students stop by to visit.

To write letters of recommendation, we do required PreMed Mock interviews with premed students on Study Day in May of their junior year.  An email will be sent in late April to the PreHealth email list regarding the Study Day Mock Interviews.  Following the interview, we draft a `composite' letter utilizing about five individual letters of recommendation that students have solicited.   These individual letters of recommendation generally come from faculty, but may also come from employers, coaches, and others that know applicants well.   A letter from a PreMed advisor or advisory committee is not essential for students applying to medical schools; most medical schools allow students to apply without one. But it is the normal procedure and the one that all medical schools prefer.  The interview that we have with students not only allows us to get to know students a bit better before writing on their behalf, but we also use the opportunity to make sure that students understand the process of applying to medical school.  And we also try to simulate, in a small way, the types of questions that students will face when interviewing at medical schools.   One member of the committee will draft the composite letter and it is then reviewed and edited by the entire committee. We prefer to write these letters in the summer after interviewing students, and students should plan to have their individual letters of recommendation available by August at the latest (see timeline).