COMMITTEE LETTERS
The pre-med committee file service enables qualified students to get a committee letter written for their professional school application.
The committee letter is a formal recommendation made by the Georgia State University Pre-Med Faculty Committee on an applicant’s behalf. Committee letters are the preferred choice of medical and dental schools and are accepted by other health professional schools.
The committee letter is written to highlight the student’s accomplishments, experiences, special interests and challenges and also outlines the overall preparation and motivation for a career in medicine.
Georgia State has been producing committee letters for more than 25 years. While a committee letter is not required, it is highly recommended for applicants. This service is open to current students, post-bac students and alumni that meet the committee’s requirements and are eligible to receive a committee letter from the College of Arts and Sciences, Office of Academic Assistance.
Purpose
In the application process to health professional programs, the committee letter serves many purposes, all of which are valuable to students.
This includes:
- To provide a clear narrative of the applicant’s qualifications
- To provide context that may address anomalies in the applicant’s candidacy
- To provide admissions committees with a more comprehensive understanding of the candidate in comparison with other Georgia State applicants
- Encourages you to get your recommendations early
- Summarizes who you are as an applicant and accomplishments that strengthen your candidacy as an applicant
- Provides admissions committees with an explanation of your overall circumstances
After the committee letter has been written, it is uploaded to the applicant’s application service, such as AMCAS, AACOMAS, AADSAS, TMDSAS, etc.
- Georgia State specific cover sheet with general information about the institution and the committee letter
- The committee letter
- Individual letters of recommendation
The AMCAS Letter Request is a document generated by your AMCAS application. It is required in order for us to upload your committee letter to AMCAS. Please note the following information needed for your letter request form:
- Primary Contact: Linda P. King
- Primary Contact’s Title: Premedical Program Manager
- Primary Contact’s Email: (your pre-med advisor’s)
- Primary Contact’s Phone: 404-413-5000
Requirements
Establishing a Committee Letter
A committee letter will be composed by the Premedical Faculty Advisory Committee after ALL items are submitted to the Office of Academic Assistance in the College of Arts and Sciences and all requirements are met.
Once students have met the requirements, the contents are sent over as a file to the committee. The estimated timeframe for the committee letter to be completed and uploaded is estimated at around three weeks.
Committee Letter Requirements:
An institutional (Georgia State) GPA of 3.2 or higher is required at the time of file completion to send file to the committee.
The following items (1-3) submitted together as one document:
- Identifies your intent and the letter writers that will be submitted recommendations on your behalf
- Pre-med File Information Packet
- Pre-med File Information Form
- Provides authorization to submit the committee letter on your behalf to the designated application services
- Outlines the committee’s policies that students need to agree to for services
- Science disciplines include Biology (BIOL); Biomedical Sciences (BMSC); Chemistry (CHEM); Computer Science/Data Science (CSC/DSCI); Mathematics (MATH); Neuroscience (NEUR); Physics (PHYS); Psychology (PSYC); Public Health (PH)
- Examples include an employment supervisor, a shadowed healthcare professional, a volunteer, a clinical experience supervisor and a Georgia State faculty member from a non-science area, etc
- Verified AMCAS Report for Allopathic Medical Schools
- Verified AACOMAS Report for Osteopathic Medical Schools*
- If applying to both AMCAS and AACOMAS, only the AMCAS is needed
- Verified AADSAS Report for Dental Schools
- For other professional schools, time-stamped submitted application
- For AMCAS, it is a form that will be produced when completing the application. Information on how to generate the form is provided below*
- For all other application services (AADSAS, AACOMAS, etc.), place the advisor’s contact information into the Letter Request form and an email will be sent to the advisor for committee letter upload
- In the Letters of Evaluation section of the AMCAS application, you will need to provide the following information to generate a Letter Request Form.
- Letter Type: Committee Letter
- Primary Contact: Linda P. King
- Primary Contact’s Title: Pre-Medical Program Manager
- Primary Contact’s Email: (insert your pre-med advisor’s email)
- Primary Contact’s Phone: 404-413-5000
- Once you have submitted the following information: a Letter Request Form (PDF) is generated for your letter authors with your information such as AAMC and Letter ID to allow letter submission. This document must be submitted to our office.
- Transcripts of undergraduate coursework and degree earned if the undergraduate coursework was not completed at Georgia State
To ensure your Pre-Med file is complete, refer to the check-list below:
*Note: Your Pre-Med will not be sent to the Pre-Med Faculty Committee until it is complete.
If you would like to update your file for a different admission cycle, please fill out the form below:
Letters of Recommendation
Tips for Securing Recommendation Letters
Building relationships with your professors, supervisors, mentors and others not only aids you academically, but they can also provide a recommendation letter on your behalf.
- Attend Office Hours
- Allows to ask questions about the course content
- Able to introduce yourself and establish a connection with a professor
- Get connected to other campus community members and resources
- Take Multiple Classes with the Same Professor
- Teaching style works with your learning style
- Build more in-depth connections with the professor and course material
- Allows to get back in touch with the professor if the connection was lost
- Letter author is able to see growth in you as a student throughout your academic journey
- Keep in Contact
- Send updates on your academic and pre-health professions journey
- Do what feels right and the type of relationship you have built with professors, supervisors, mentors and others
- Identify Your Recommenders
- Current professors you study under, doctors and other professions that you volunteer or shadow with the best choices
- Strong recommendation letters come from people who know and can speak to your character, traits and talents
- Start Early
- Ask for letters well in advance of deadlines
- As you complete science courses, request a letter immediately
- Best letters are written immediately after you have taken the course
- Making the Formal Ask
- Many professors and professionals are commonly asked to provide recommendation letters and are familiar with the request
- Courtesy goes a long way in these interactions. A thank you note at the end of the process is highly encouraged
- Provide a copy of your resume or personal statement to give letter writers more context and remind them what all you have achieved
- Inform them as to which program(s) you’re applying to and why
Georgia State Letters of Recommendation Submission Requirements
- All recommendation letters (Georgia State and non-Georgia State) must be on a company/organization letterhead.
- In lieu of a letterhead, letters must be formally written in a business-style, professional format (includes date, inside address, salutation, body, and closing).
- All letters must be signed by the letter author, whether handwritten or electronically.
- Do not address letters to a specific school because they will be sent to multiple institutions. For example, instead of writing, “Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University,” letter authors should write, “Admissions Committee" or "Selections Committee."
- Submit the faculty cover sheet or FERPA form attached to your letter, as applicable.
- Letter writers can hand-deliver their letters to our front office (3rd Floor, 25 Park Place).
- Students can hand-deliver letters to our front office as long as it is enclosed in a sealed envelope and signed by the author on the envelope seal.
- Letter writers can submit their letters electronically by [insert process]
- Letters can be mailed to the following address:
Georgia State University
CAS, Office of Academic Assistance
ATTN: Pre-Med Faculty Advisory Committee
P.O. Box 4100
Atlanta, GA 30302-4100
Contact Us
CAS Office of Academic Assistance
Our office provides pre-medical advisement for third-year, senior and post-baccalaureate students.
First-year and second-year students seeking pre-medical advisement receive support from the University Advisement Center.
Pre-Medical Advisement
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday
8:30 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Pre-Medical Advisors
- All Post-Bacc Students: Lisa Shepard - [email protected]
- Last Names A-M: Donald "Beau" Harper - [email protected]
- Last Names N-Z: Natalie Everett - [email protected]
- Program Manager: Linda King - [email protected]
Our Office Address
25 Park Place, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30303
University Advisement Center
First-year through second-year students seeking pre-medical advisement receive support from the University Advisement Center.
25 Park Place, Suite 400
Atlanta, GA 30303