Does Holy Cross do Committee Letters & limit who gets them?

[mom2collegekids]

<p>Someone asked if Holy Cross prevented some kids from being "pre-med"....but I thought that perhaps HC limits who gets committee letters.</p>

<p>The question was asked because HC has a high acceptance rate (which might be because the limit who gets committee letters).</p>

[bluebayou]

<p>The short answer is ‘Yes, absolutely’. (I responded on the other thread.) </p>

<p>fwiw: kinda unwelcoming for a Jesuit institution, IMO. :)</p>

[mom2collegekids]

<p>I still don’t quite understand what HC is doing. Is it telling some incoming frosh that they can’t be pre-med?</p>

<p>Or…is it letting incoming students take pre-med pre-reqs but as the grades come in, at some point, some are told not to continue because they won’t get a Committee Letter?</p>

[bluebayou]

<p>HC has what they call a Health Professions Advisory Program. One is either “in” the Program or “out”. That “Program” leads to the Committee Letter. Anyone can take any premed prereq, but to have access to the advising and other offerings of the Program, which includes first dibs on registration for the premed prereqs, one needs to be “in.” Those high schoolers interested in premed mark it on their app and are considered for the Program along with their acceptance. Not all acceptees are immediately offered a spot in the Program. Students not matriculating “in” can apply later. Essentially, HC advisors decide who will receive a letter and in fact can apply to med school as a senior. I have no idea how HC treats any post-bacs or non-trads.</p>

<p>

Students are accepted to the program at the time of admission to the College…</p>

<p>A limited number of additional students can be accepted to the program during their first two years at the College.

</p>

<p>

Students not yet in the Holy Cross Health Professions Program can still take required premedical courses. They should, for example, enroll in an English or a calculus course. During sophomore year, they should register for basic science courses required by medical schools.</p>

<p>At the end of each spring semester, students can apply to the College’s Health Professions Advisor for entry into the Health Professions Program. During the past five years, the Health Professions Advisor has admitted many students to the Health Professions Program. Students are selected for entry into the program based on their performance in relevant premedical courses.

</p>

[mom2collegekids]

<p>* I have no idea how HC treats any post-bacs or non-trads.</p>

<p>*</p>

<p>I was wondering about that, too, since in its own PDF file it makes a point of saying how many people go out in the world first and then later apply to med school. So, some of those HC grads may not have ever been in their Pre-med programs. Do schools do C.L.'s for non-trads???</p>

[WayOutWestMom]

<p>My impression is yes, schools do committee letters for non-trads. I know D2’s school does for students up to 2 years post graduation.</p>

<p>And think about it, how else would a college know which of its students went to apply/attend medical school post graduation unless the students voluntarily notified the school (which…umm…not likely) or the college offered an inducement (committee letter) to the student?</p>

<p>And even non-trads must have at least 2 or 3 LORs from BCMP profs no matter how long they’ve been out of school as part of their med school application.</p>