As of Summer 2024, we are discontinuing our Committee Letter process.

    The last group of students eligible to engage in our Committee Letter process are those in the 2023-2024 cohort of our Post-Baccalaureate Health Professions program.

    Future students will complete an updated Pre-Application Process that has been designed to meet the following objectives:

    • To provide students with externally-imposed deadlines that are designed to keep students on track with completing each step of the process of applying to professional school
    • To provide 1:1 feedback and coaching on written application materials (personal statement, experience descriptions, and essays for supplemental applications)  
    • To offer a comprehensive review of each student's application profile and written application materials to provide each student with an overall evaluation of the current strength their candidacy, along with guidance on any additional activities to seek out prior to and during the application year
    • To help students prepare to succeed in professional school interviews.

    Information for students who remain eligible to engage in our Committee Letter process

    What is a Committee Letter Packet?

    A Committee Letter of Evaluation provides a comprehensive review of your pre-health preparation. The committee letter will differ from your traditional letters of recommendation in that it provides a summary of many of the meaningful experiences that have:

    • Informed your decision to pursue a career in healthcare, and
    • Fostered the development of the personal strengths that you can offer as a future clinician.

    As part of the Committee Letter Process, we will ask you to complete extensive written reflection exercises as well as to meet with your committee for an interview so that we can learn about your most meaningful experiences and how they have shaped your values, interests, strengths, and goals. In turn, we will use that information to write your committee letter.

    We see ourselves as your advocate, so our committee letters are written with a positive tone. That said, the schools expect us to provide an honest evaluation, so we are ethically bound to highlight your strengths while also acknowledging any areas of your preparation that still could use some further development. In contrast, traditional letters of recommendation (LORs) focus solely on sharing first-hand anecdotes that exemplify the strengths you expressed in the context in which you interacted with the letter author.

    Admissions committees are interested in reading both types of letters, so you also need to identify two to four individuals (consisting of professors, instructors, and supervisors from paid or volunteer positions) who can write traditional letters of recommendation for you. The specific required assortment of letter writers is listed on the Committee Letter Request Form.

    • If you are applying to medical, dental, or podiatry programs, we will create a committee letter packet for you, which will consist of the committee letter plus three to four traditional letters of recommendation. An advantage to applying with a committee letter packet is that it usually exempts you from having to meet the LOR assortment requirements that the schools set for those who apply without a committee letter packet. (But be sure to check on the specific requirements at each of your schools!)
    • If you are applying to veterinary or optometry programs, most schools will accept a pre-health advisor letter along with two to three traditional letters. These programs require the authors of your traditional letters to upload their letters directly to your common application.
    Why is a Committee Letter Useful?

    The Committee Letter serves two main purposes:

    1. It introduces you to the admissions committees and it reviews your preparation and accomplishments. Note that committee letters are expected to provide an honest and comprehensive evaluation that includes discussion of both strengths and weaknesses; without both elements, professional schools would stop paying attention to committee letters. For this reason, it is important to request your committee letter in an application year in which you are a truly strong candidate. 
    2. As useful as the Committee Letter itself is, the process is at least equally important because it encourages you to begin working on application materials early, gives you opportunities to assess your readiness for application, and provides you with feedback any improvements to make before applying. Participants in our Committee Letter Process consistently produce high-quality application materials and report that they feel well-prepared for professional school interviews.

     

    Who Serves on the Committee?

    Your Pre-Health Advisory Committee will be assigned to you. The Chair of your Committee will be our Post-Baccalaureate Health Professions program director, Dr. Elisa Cripps. You will have two other members assigned to your committee, chosen from a group of faculty, administrators, and other advisors from across the university who have volunteered to participate because they enjoy working with and supporting our pre-health students.

    I believe I am eligible to participate. Where can I find more details on engaging in the process?

    Eligibility Standards

    Academic Requirements

    • You must be a current or former member of CU Boulder's Post-Baccalaureate Health Professions Cohort program, in the 2023-2024 cohort or earlier.
    • You must complete all of the courses included in the cohort program at CU Boulder, prior to submitting your common application to professional school.
    • You must have completed you must have completed at least nine (9) credit hours of math/science courses within the two years immediately prior to submitting your professional school application, including at least three (3) credit hours at CU Boulder.
      (For example, students submitting professional school applications in Summer 2024 must have taken these courses during or after Summer 2022.)
    • You must meet the GPA criteria listed on p. 4 of the Committee Letter Registration Form, posted in the Committee Letter Canvas course. To review the GPA criteria, please self-enroll in the Committee Letter Canvas course and navigate to the "Eligibility" section.

    Required Assortment of Letters of Recommendation To Be Included In Your Committee Letter Packet

    • If you are applying to medical or dental school, you must obtain three to four letters of recommendation from professors or supervisors to be included in your committee letter packet.
      Required assortment:
      1. Letter written by a current or former CU Boulder BCP faculty member who has taught you in a graded lecture or seminar course.
        Eligible departments: BCHM, CHEM, EBIO, IPHY, MCDB, NRSC, and PHYS.
      2. Letter from a current or former faculty member from any department who has taught you in a graded lecture or seminar course at any college or university.
      3. Letter from a clinical/research/work/volunteer supervisor or additional faculty member.
        1. If you are applying to dental programs, this letter must be written by a supervising dentist.
        2. If you are applying to medical school, we strongly recommend a letter written by a former work supervisor if you previously were working full-time.
      4. [Optional] Letter from an additional clinical/research/work/volunteer supervisor (or, rarely, an additional faculty member). 
        • If you are applying to medical school, we strongly recommend a letter written by a supervising clinician unless you have been deeply engaged in research and are seeking a letter from a research mentor instead.

    Logistical Requirements

    • An itemized list of steps and deadlines for the Committee Letter process is posted on the Dates and Deadlines tab on the Committee Letter Application Form Google Sheet. (The master copy of the sheet is View Only; save your own personal copy for your use.)
      • Penalty for a single missed deadline: You will be moved to the back of the next queue (either the queue to pick your interview date or the letter-writing queue).
      • More than one missed deadline: Elimination from this year's Committee Letter Process.
    • You must register for the committee letter process in the fall semester of the academic year immediately prior to submitting your professional school application. Your registration is only good for one application cycle. You cannot start the process late in a given year.
    • You must have a Committee Letter interview in the year in which you apply. If you do not complete the process in a given year, then you must start the process over from the start in a future year.
    How do I access the Committee Letter Canvas course?

    We administer the Committee Letter process through Canvas; in that course, you will find detailed eligibility requirements, all required documents, and step-by-step instructions.
    If you are a former student who received a Committee Letter within the past two years and are considering the possibility of requesting a Committee Letter Update, please self-enroll in our Canvas course and navigate to the "Requesting an Update" section.

    Please Note: You only get one Committee Letter. You need to make it count. Using your Committee Letter in a year in which you are not yet a strong applicant is a poor strategy. A Committee Letter is not something that helps prop up a weak application, but it can help a strong applicant be noticed. Those who must reapply to professional school after asking for a Committee Letter in a prior application year may have the option to ask us to submit a one-page update to their original committee letter, but it is best to go through the application process just once, when you are a strong applicant. If you are a former student who received a Committee Letter within the past two years and are considering the possibility of requesting a Committee Letter Update, please self-enroll in our Canvas course and navigate to the "Requesting an Update" section.