Applying to Dental School

• A common application submitted through AADSAS or TMDSAS
• A personal statement
• Transcripts from all post-secondary institutions
• DAT Scores
• Letters of recommendation (required) and a Committee Letter (preferred)
• Supplemental Materials - individual schools require supplemental materials and each school determines what, when, and how to submit them.
  
  A Committee Letter is a letter authored by a pre-health committee or pre-health advisor and intended to represent your institution’s evaluation of you. Although not required for admission to medical or dental school, schools value a Committee Letter and they expect to receive one from Hamilton College. At Hamilton, the Committee Letter is a composite letter that includes:

• a two-page narrative letter written by the health professions advisor with input from the Health Professions Advisory Committee

your letters of recommendation (LOR's)

The Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) will prepare a Committee Letter for all students who apply to medical/dental/vet school as long as they have taken at least four semesters of science at Hamilton and follow the process for obtaining a Committee Letter. Candidates are not pre-screened and there is no minimum GPA required for consideration by the HPAC.

Alumni of Hamilton College who decide to pursue medical or dental school after graduation may also get assistance from the Health Professions Advisor and, if they have completed half of the required science classes at Hamilton, they may also request a Committee Letter. 

In order to receive a Committee Letter, candidate files must be completed by May 1 of the application year. A completed file consists of a self assessment, work and activities sheet, personal statement draft, resume, a 1 hour interview, and all letters of recommendation. 

Role of HPAC

• The Health Professions Advisory Committee meets to evaluate candidates for medical/dental/vet school. Members review candidate materials and, using a rating rubric, evaluate a candidate's readiness and suitability to form a tentative rating. Materials reviewed include all of the above plus notes from your Interview for Committee Letter with the Health Professions Advisor. MCAT scores are not considered in the ratings.

• Criteria on the rating rubric for medical/dental school include:

  • Academics

  • Research (if applicable)

  • Health Related Experiences

  • Service Experience

  • Community Engagement

  • Leadership
    
    At the meeting, the committee will briefly discuss each candidate, identifying highlights and key experiences, and will provide a rating  for each of the above categories. The HPAC assesses the extent to which candidates have demonstrated ability within each of the above areas. Finally, committee members vote on how strongly to recommend the candidate, as follows:

  • Enthusiastically recommend

  • Strongly recommends

  • Recommend with Confidence

  • Recommend 

  • Recommend with Reservation

  • For your Consideration

Following the HPAC candidate review meeting, the health professions advisor will draft a Committee Letter, a 2/3 page executive summary of your experiences/strengths which is intended to paint a positive portrait of your personal characteristics that will distinguish you from other candidates with similar credentials. Members of HPAC then provide editorial feedback before the letter is finalized and uploaded to the appropriate application service.

Current HPAC members

Max Majireck, Chemistry
Brian Collett, Physics
Wei-Jen Chang, Biology
Chinthaka Kuruwita, Mathematics
Courtney Hance, Health Professions Advisor & Chair of the Committee

The first documents required for obtaining a Committee Letter are due on December 1st (20 months in advance of matriculation.) Please follow the timeline for applying to medical/dental school if you wish to obtain a Committee Letter.

The ADEA AADSAS application typically opens in mid-May to early June. Information about the components of the application and a link for creating an account can be found on the ADEA AADSAS web site. Detailed instructions for completing the application are found within the application itself. The ASDA also offers tips on completing the application.