The letter of recommendation written by the Bates Medical Studies Committee is called a composite or committee letter. The letter is referred to as “composite” because it incorporates information from several different sources.

Purpose of the Committee Letter

• To provide a clear narrative of the applicant’s candidacy
• To address anomalies in the applicant’s candidacy within context
• To give admissions committees a clearer understanding of the candidate in the context of other Bates applicants

Eligibility for a Committee Letter

In order to be eligible for a Committee Letter, applicants must submit several documents to The Bates Center for Purposeful Work as outlined in our Application Timeline.

Please note that while there are no GPA or MCAT cut-offs to receive a composite letter of recommendation, we strongly encourage students to engage in the committee letter of recommendation process when they feel confident that they are a competitive applicant. A Committee Letter will provide an honest evaluation of academic performance and readiness for the rigors of medical or dental school, in addition to knowledge of the profession.

Timing and Content of Committee Letters

Prior to your Committee interview, we request that you submit several documents to our Committee such as your transcripts and letters of recommendation. This information, in addition to your interview, will help us gain a more complete understanding of you as an applicant, and to write the strongest and most comprehensive Committee Letter possible.

After a time-intensive process of writing and editing, the final draft of the Committee Letter will be ready for submission to the applicant’s designated application service. The packet of materials sent by us include:

• Medical Studies Committee cover letter
• Medical Studies Committee (composite) Letter
• Individual letters of recommendation