Seijou Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Hey all, I know that the committee letter is not offered by all schools, and therefore I assume that PA programs will not hold it against a person if he/she does not have a committee letter. However, I am wondering to what extent the letter can actually boost an application. The process for my particular school is a bit grueling, but an absolute privilege, and I am hoping to take part in all that it has to offer. I am wondering - What do you guys think about the committee letter? Has any school commented on your letter? Have any of gone through this process (mine includes three interviews by health professionals/PAs, and writing a 10-page autobiography for my advisor)? Has your application been delayed at all (since the committee packet is sent by regular mail to CASPA instead of being e-submitted)? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterallsummer Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Oh god. Never heard of this for any of the schools I applied to. We just do 3 letter of recommendations. I am sure a lot of schools will really not take the time to go over that. Maybe you can submit one without the 10 page bio as a LOR? All they want in terms of bio is your personal statement which can only be a page or two long. The rule of thumb for applications is this: unless they ask for it, don't send it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seijou Posted December 31, 2011 Author Share Posted December 31, 2011 Oh god. Never heard of this for any of the schools I applied to. We just do 3 letter of recommendations. I am sure a lot of schools will really not take the time to go over that. Maybe you can submit one without the 10 page bio as a LOR? All they want in terms of bio is your personal statement which can only be a page or two long. The rule of thumb for applications is this: unless they ask for it, don't send it. Actually, the autobiography is not for the PA schools - It is for my advisor. The purpose for it, along with the interviews/evaluations from PA professionals are meant to help my advisor write my committee letter. The letter, as I understand, is a summary of all of these efforts and is my school's endorsement of my candidacy and the entire packet they send counts as one letter of recommendation, however it's not a walk in the park nor something that they hand out, it's something you have to work for and earn. And it's a chance to give more perspective on your character beyond a personal statement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterallsummer Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Aah I see. The only problem with this my friend, is that 99% of schools want your LORs sent through CASPA, which as a standardized thing for the authors (plus a questioner). Can you check with the schools you want to apply to and make sure they are ok with getting one of the LORs in this form? Or would the person/committee writing the letter for you be willing to submit it through CASPA if you needed them to? It sounds like a good deal which you have spent a lot of time on. I would just make sure you have all your bases covered to be safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seijou Posted December 31, 2011 Author Share Posted December 31, 2011 Aah I see. The only problem with this my friend, is that 99% of schools want your LORs sent through CASPA, which as a standardized thing for the authors (plus a questioner). Can you check with the schools you want to apply to and make sure they are ok with getting one of the LORs in this form? Or would the person/committee writing the letter for you be willing to submit it through CASPA if you needed them to? It sounds like a good deal which you have spent a lot of time on. I would just make sure you have all your bases covered to be safe. Ah, thanks for bringing that up. I think the committee packet is sent to CASPA instead of the directly to the schools (that would make sense, after all!), but it still has to be in submitted by mail instead of an e-submit. I'm just dubious of anything sent by snail mail now-a-days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterallsummer Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 Yes but CASPA can receive LORs via snail mail, so it sounds like it should be fine. You may want to open a CASPA app, IDK if they have to mail something to the writer first or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackjacks Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Committee letters are more common for medical school and I would worry that it would make PA programs concerned that you are only applying to PA school as a med school backup. I would make it very clear to the PA programs that you only want to be a PA (if this is the case). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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