The COPA Committee Letter
The Committee on Prehealth Advising (COPA), made up of MIT faculty and prehealth staff, can write a committee letter to accompany your application to medical school.
Why Get a Committee Letter?
These letters strengthen your application, give a comprehensive view of you as an applicant, and highlight important material from your letters of recommendation.
Committee letters are based on:
- An interview with members of the Committee on Prehealth Advising
- Academic performance (transcripts and exam scores)
- Letters of Recommendation
- Extracurricular involvement, community service, and volunteer work
- Exploration of medicine, through shadowing or other activities
All of your letters of recommendation including your COPA letter are sent on your behalf to the schools you select in AMCAS.
How to Get a Committee Letter
Current MIT students, graduate students with MIT undergraduate degrees, and alumni can request a committee letter. The timeframe for requesting a committee letter for a fall 2026 entry to medical/health profession school is February 10th to February 14th 2025. The deadline is February 14th at 5:00 pm EST.
Here’s what to do to get a letter.
- Meet with prehealth advising first for a COPA enrollment appointment.
- Make sure you meet the deadline for requesting a letter.
- Submit the COPA letter request form to Prehealth Advising. (This form will automatically direct you to the payment form.)
- Submit a $100 annual credential service fee with your letter request form. (If you are part of the Fee Assistance Program through AMCAS, please do not submit this form and instead email prehealth@mit.edu with documentation of your FAP participation.)