"(Johns Hopkins for example, and probably some of the ones you list) keep their med school acceptance rates high by using a highly competitive internal process to determine which students they will endorse as med school applicants - and students know that applying without that endorsement is more-or-less futile. "
I saw this post and another about a committee recommendation. How does this work? I was not premed, but it wasn’t like this or even that hard to “get in” when I went there, although it wasn’t the easiest environment.
It enables a university to publish a high medical school success rate for its undergraduates since minus the letter a student will likely not bother to apply to medical school.
So without the committee letter, is no one else allowed to write a recommendation? What is you are willing to go to dental or veterinary school? Can you then get a recommendation for that?
I’m not premed, but I’ve been around a lot of them and have a good sense of how this process works.
Any Hopkins undergrad can apply to have a HPC (health professions committee) letter for they’re application to med school or dental school. This is not a “recommendation letter” in the strictest sense of the term and doesn’t count towards the 3 rec letters required for med school apps. Having this letter means that you have completed the premed requirements and the HPC believes that you are a competent med school candidate.
You can certainly apply to med school without an HPC letter but, as I understand it, your chances decrease dramatically without it. Some schools may not accept your application without an HPC letter.
However, obtaining an HPC letter is not particularly competitive. If you complete your premed requirements with a reasonable GPA, don’t get into any major trouble, stay on the preprofessional office’s good side, and fill in the HPC letter application properly you should get your letter.