Graduating soon and taking 2 years off; can I just collect all my letters of rec now?

[pnw256]

I'm planning on going to a bible school for 2 years after graduating next spring. Would it be a good idea to gather recs soon and use those to apply 2 years down the road? Does optomcas allow that?

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[kh93]

You can only open optomcas for the cycle you are applying. With the letters of rec they must submit them through optomcas, so I don't think there's really a way to get them 2 years ahead!

 

[SunA21]

You can only open optomcas for the cycle you are applying. With the letters of rec they must submit them through optomcas, so I don't think there's really a way to get them 2 years ahead!

I think the question is more, is it a good idea to get recs now rather than later, and I think the answer is definitely YES. It seems much harder to get recs after you've been out of school for a while unless you've kept in really good touch with the people you want recs from. There was a thread somewhere else on the forum about someone who's having trouble getting recs because he's been out of school for a while. kh93 is right that you can't submit the letters now for a future cycle, but you can ask your recommenders to keep them on file and submit them when your cycle arrives.

I think it's best to contact admissions departments at the schools you're interested in and ask how they would want you to proceed. They'll probably tell you to pick out your recommenders now, tell those recommenders why you want a letter from them specifically, and also explain why you're interested in going to bible school first, instead of directly to optometry school.