Interfolio LOR Questions

[didymus]

*I have looked through threads that may be related, but haven't found any discussion on situations similar to mine*

I have several questions related to the Interfolio LOR service:

I won't be applying until later in 2014 (September-ish), yet I have two professors from this semester that I want to write letters for me while my performance is still fresh in their minds. That said, since the application services are not yet open for 2014, I am unable to sign-up and receive an AMCAS/AACOMAS # associated with my profile to be included with the letters.

If I am planning on using Interfolio to get the letters within the next couple of weeks, once writers submit the LOR via Interfolio, am I able to add my id # at a later date? I read a thread from 2004 where several responses indicated that the id # wasn't crucial, but the more recent info I've read from AMCAS and even specific schools seems to suggest that the # is important.

Next, how do LOR's meet specific letter requirements that may differ among schools--such as questions that are unique to each school's LOR form? If the letter writers provide me with one "general" letter each, what's the best way to approach this?

Finally, due to waiver of access requirements, how do the letters appear on Interfolio? Are they listed in a link form that is forwarded to, and only accessible by, each school?

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[desdes]

I had some professors write my LOR and will save them on interfolio with dosier for the next cycle, this way I will have them when needed. What service are you using?

 

[didymus]

I had some professors write my LOR and will save them on interfolio with dosier for the next cycle, this way I will have them when needed. What service are you using?

I signed up for Interfolio.

Did those professors fill out the AMCAS form, a form from a specific school, or did they follow a set of guidelines from somewhere and just submit it electronically via the Letter Writer link on Interfolio?

 

[desdes]

Well I paid for Dosier on interfolio to be able to save them, the professors sent the lor directly to interfolio and then I will use them next year. Once you have the LOR you can go on AMCAS and request a letter id then go back to interfolio and send directly to AMCAS

 

[didymus]

What template did the profs use for the letter, if any?

*EDIT* I do have the dossier service with Interfolio. That's what I'll use per your recommendation.

 

[desdes]

That I am not sure I just asked for a LOR and let them decide.

 

[didymus]

That I am not sure I just asked for a LOR and let them decide.

Confusion about the format for the letter is what comprises the bulk of my uncertainty. Looking at the info on the websites of my school list, some of them ask for different information--or they phrase their questions quite differently--on the LOR form. I have reviewed the AMCAS guidelines, but even those are different than, say, what KUMC requests from letter writers. I thought part of the benefit of the electronic letter was overcoming the need to ask for several different letters from each writer, but seeing this makes me unsure.

 

[desdes]

I agree, I would hope that if it is a professor who really knows you they will do a LOR that a school wants. I would just ask for a LOR explain you want to apply to medical school and they should know exactly what to say. From what I have heard from other students they just requested a basic LOR after explaining the reason.

 

[didymus]

I agree, I would hope that if it is a professor who really knows you they will do a LOR that a school wants. I would just ask for a LOR explain you want to apply to medical school and they should know exactly what to say. From what I have heard from other students they just requested a basic LOR after explaining the reason.

I greatly appreciate your input. If anyone else has anything to add, it would be appreciated, as well.

 

[desdes]

You are welcome and I hope you get some more information.

 

[kraskadva]

You could ask for the general LOR now, and have that stored in Interfolio- and I've heard (though not tried it) that you can append the AMCAS letter ID # when you send it from Interfolio to AMCAS).
Down the road, if you find you need a tailored letter, you could go back to the professors and ask them to write a specific one. All the professors I know save any letters they write for several years, just for their own records, so if they're fuzzy on details at that point they can go back and see what they wrote originally before tailoring it, which is easier than starting from scratch. If they're willing to write one for you now, they'd probably be willing to update it for you down the road.

 

[TeddyBoomBoom]

*I have looked through threads that may be related, but haven't found any discussion on situations similar to mine*

I have several questions related to the Interfolio LOR service:

I won't be applying until later in 2014 (September-ish), yet I have two professors from this semester that I want to write letters for me while my performance is still fresh in their minds. That said, since the application services are not yet open for 2014, I am unable to sign-up and receive an AMCAS/AACOMAS # associated with my profile to be included with the letters.

If I am planning on using Interfolio to get the letters within the next couple of weeks, once writers submit the LOR via Interfolio, am I able to add my id # at a later date? I read a thread from 2004 where several responses indicated that the id # wasn't crucial, but the more recent info I've read from AMCAS and even specific schools seems to suggest that the # is important.

Next, how do LOR's meet specific letter requirements that may differ among schools--such as questions that are unique to each school's LOR form? If the letter writers provide me with one "general" letter each, what's the best way to approach this?

Finally, due to waiver of access requirements, how do the letters appear on Interfolio? Are they listed in a link form that is forwarded to, and only accessible by, each school?

Some schools are REALLY goofy about having the letters personally signed. For this reason, I gave each of my letter-writers a SASE to interfolio, which they used to mail in paper copies. Now, I can have interfolio forward my letters to anyone, though I can not read them myself. And yes, you can add the AACOMAS/AMCAS ID later.

 

[didymus]

Some schools are REALLY goofy about having the letters personally signed. For this reason, I gave each of my letter-writers a SASE to interfolio, which they used to mail in paper copies. Now, I can have interfolio forward my letters to anyone, though I can not read them myself. And yes, you can add the AACOMAS/AMCAS ID later.

You're saying that Interfolio actually took hardcopy LOR's from your writers, and then made electronic versions of them? Or Interfolio makes official copies of the original letters and mails them to schools?

 

[TeddyBoomBoom]

You're saying that Interfolio actually took hardcopy LOR's from your writers, and then made electronic versions of them? Or Interfolio makes official copies of the original letters and mails them to schools?

Yep, I had my writers (the docs anyways) snail mail hardcopies to interfolio, which then scanned them and sent them electronically to the schools. It was easy for my writers, which was my first priority. And it side stepped the issue of "electronic signatures."

 

[didymus]

Yep, I had my writers (the docs anyways) snail mail hardcopies to interfolio, which then scanned them and sent them electronically to the schools. It was easy for my writers, which was my first priority. And it side stepped the issue of "electronic signatures."

Nice! This is good to know.