*~*~*~*Official Letters of Recommendation Questions Thread 2016-2017*~*~*~*

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gonnif said:
Address of college along with their department

https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/faq/amcas-faq/
Can I change my letter information after it is submitted to AMCAS?
You may add a new letter after your application has been submitted, but you cannot delete or change existing letter entries.

However, your letter writer can update the actual letter document linked to a letter entry by uploading a new version of the letter using the same Letter ID number as the original entry. Medical schools will be able to review the most recent version of the letter. These updates may be necessary if your letter writer needs to make a change to your letter, or if the original letter was not signed or on official letterhead. Do not make a new letter entry in your application for an updated letter.
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My school or any of the schools I have taken classes at have a general address. Should I pick something like the registrar's office?
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gonnif said:
for? each professor will have a specific address else use the general address listed on school's web page
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Yeah some of my schools don't have a general address, so I'm wondering if something like the registrar's office address will suffice. And if I do this then all my professors from that school will have the same address.
 
Hey guys I have a question about MD vs. DO letter of recommendations. I work as a medical scribe with a DO emergency medicine physician and he wrote me a great letter of recommendation. Would it be beneficial to submit this same letter to allopathic schools despite his credentials? I'm about to submit my application in the next few days and I'm stuck with what to do. My academic advisor said it could be beneficial but it could also be detrimental ... not very helpful.
 
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Here is my situation: My pre health adivising committee is putting together a letter packet for me. I designated this letter packet, which will include ~5 various letters on my AMCAS to be sent to all the schools I applied to. Amcas sent me an email, saying that my letter packet was recieved, but the advising office hasn't sent my letter packet in. I found out thatone my letter writers SUBMITTED his single letter somehow as the letter packet. Short story: my letter packet is now only one letter. Can i delete this old letter entry and make a new one? My app has been verified already.
 
do letters of rec need to be dated??

one of my professors said he doesnt date the letters but he explain clearly when I took his class, is that acceptable?
 
Can I add a LOR to a school on AMCAS if it isn't received yet, or should I wait to add it until it's received?
 
How long does it typically take for AMCAS to send LORs to a school? My letters were received on AMCAS several days ago and I assigned them to each school, but my schools have not yet received them
 
My angst is so high rn my committee letter hasn't been uploaded by my school yet SOS
 
I have a physician's personal email address, and used that for amcas. I later find out she has a business email. So, do I really need to ask her to resubmit it? Do med schools look at their email or just the letter. I think her business email will be on the letter.
 
As a reapplicant, will the LORs that I submitted to a school last cycle be visible to adcomms this cycle?
How are adcomms able to tell if a reapplicant has submitted the same or new letters?
 
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One of my schools says it needs a letter of rec from my major's department. I majored in biology, but I don't have a letter from a biology professor. However, I do have one from a chemistry professor, and the course I took with this professor was required for my major/degree. Do you think this would work?
 
Sorry if this has already been asked:

How long does it typically take for schools to receive letters once they've been assigned? It has been over a week since I assigned letters to some schools and they've yet to receive them. Thank you!
 
I have a question for all the people out there that know what theyre doing on the AMCAS app. I have a committee letter from my undergraduate that is a compilation of evaluation forms I gave out to many of my professors. Should I just send that in or should I also add a letter from my former employer, a doctor I shadowed, and a professor I did research with?
 
For the non-science letter, one of my extracurricular advisers is a non-science professor at the school but I haven't taken a class with them. Would this letter fulfill that requirement? Are there any schools out there that absolutely require the non-science letter be from a professor who taught your class?
 
I am getting a letter from a former supervisor from a campus job. This person no longer works at the institution where I worked under them. Should I list my supervisor as "affiliated with an institution" in my letter entry?
 
I was wondering how I would go about submitting an extra letter of recommendation following submission of my secondary. I've recently started a shadowing opportunity that I intend on getting a letter from in the next couple of weeks that I'd like so send to schools. I asked my undergraduate institution and they said they couldn't send more letters to different schools. Anyone have any idea what I should do?
 
gonnif said:
No, it may not fulfill a non-science at many schools as you need someone you took a class with. You need to check specifically at each school you are planning to apply to whether it will fulfill there specific requirements
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Thank you for taking the time to reply! How do adcoms confirm whether the letter fulfills the requirement or not? Do they assume from the context of the letter? I'm asking because one of my science letters is a professor who I took a class with but then worked with extensively on a club they oversee. I am not sure if they will talk about my classroom accomplishments (I just took their class and did well, but that's it and I honestly doubt they still remember that I was in their class at this point!) since I have 3.5 years of club activity with them after that one class and have worked with them personally over hundreds of hours. Will my letter not count as meeting the requirement?
 
Hello, I am a predental student who will be applying to dental schools this year. I was greatly surprised by the input in this thread, and wanted to ask a general questions about how much the medical/dental school LOR requirement affects the acceptance chance.
If a school requires 1bio and 1chemistry teacher letter, would they consider my application if I have 2 chemistry letters? (Maryland)
If a school requires 3 science letters, will they not consider my application if I have 2 science letters? (Columbia)

Thank you so much in advance!!
Already benefitted a lot by reading the previous posts :)
 
I submitted my AMCAS application along with 5 letters of recommendation. On 2 of my letters not associated with the college that I attend, I accidentally left the institution blank where I should have put the hospitals where they work. I can no longer edit the submissions. What should I do?
 
Deleted since I found a previous thread! Sorry for repeating questions
 
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I start shadowing a DO tomorrow and I have no prior connections with him. My application was also verified today. How many hours should I complete with him before I ask him for a letter, also assuming he agrees, when should I aim to have the letter on my application by? I haven't gotten any secondaries yet but I've been told that all letters need to be in by the time secondaries are submitted. thoughts?
 
I'm not sure if this has been answered elsewhere in the thread; if it has, I apologize in advance.

I have 6 letters of recommendation right now, all from providers I worked under in an ER as a scribe for over a year (3 PA, one of whom is the head of the PAs, and 3 MD).

1. Should I prioritize seniority of letter (MD>head PA>PA)? I've read different posts on this: some saying that the MD is going to hold more weight and you should go with theirs, while others say only the strength of the letter matters.

2. These are all people I've worked with closely in the past ~year and it's hard for me to determine which ones are going to write the strongest letters. I will be an underdog while applying and want to ensure I build the strongest application I can with what I have. For this reason, I'd like to screen the letters I include based on their strength. I've read many things on this:
a. you can't read the letters and shouldn't
b. you can read the letters with their permission, but this will negatively impact how committees look at the letters and thus you shouldn't
c. you should read the letters if you can because other people do, thus not screening them will put you at a disadvantage
d. some undergrads have premed advisors from committees that can screen your letters for you and you should take advantage of this (my uni doesn't have a committee, nor premed advisors, but if this is true then wouldn't it be okay for me to have a third party I don't know personally do this for me?)
e. letters of recommendation often make little impact on the overall application process and you shouldn't even sweat it

Thank you in advance, I am new to this application process!
 
gonnif said:
Why? Why are you doing this so late? Unless this letter is solely needed for DO shadowing requirement, then dont bother getting a letter at all. If you are using it for fulfilling the DO requirement, then do a few days, get a letter and its done.
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I don't think I need the letter for any of the schools I'm applying to but I do already have an MD letter. I just wanted to be able to reference real experience with a DO in any secondaries or interviews. Just thought it would be helpful and I enjoy shadowing.
 
A DO LOR will not add anything to an app for an MD school. It's great for DO schools, but the DO cycle is longer.

For MD schools, clinician LORs are treated as fluff.

LORS that are submitted without your giving up the right to see them are discounted. You don't get to vet your LORs in this process.
 
One of my LOR writers is a physician who's hospital was recently bought out. He told me that his old letterhead was all shredded and doesn't know when the new one will be coming in. Meanwhile, all of my other letter are in and secondaries are complete. I don't want this to hold up my application but I know submitting it without official letterhead is not really significant. Any suggestions?
 
Goro said:
A DO LOR will not add anything to an app for an MD school. It's great for DO schools, but the DO cycle is longer.
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I would only be using it for my DO app. Would it be worth adding even after I have already submitted some secondaries? Everything else about my app is complete so once I add that entry into my application it will be the only part of my application not complete. Just not sure if schools would look at it if I already submitted my secondary. Thanks!
 
gonnif said:
it wont help much, if at all and can be seen as perhaps last minute attempts to fix other weak parts of app. Most shadowing letters have little to no impact.
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alright, I'm thinking I won't bother him by asking him for a letter but I am enjoying the shadowing experience so I should have a lot to talk about if they ask. The rest of my app is fairly strong so I don't think I really need this one letter. thanks for the advice!
 
My DO colleagues on the Adcom tend to be very favorable if these LORs are good ones.

GBCrzzyy said:
I would only be using it for my DO app. Would it be worth adding even after I have already submitted some secondaries? Everything else about my app is complete so once I add that entry into my application it will be the only part of my application not complete. Just not sure if schools would look at it if I already submitted my secondary. Thanks!
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If a professor sends me a letter of recommendation and asks me to upload it for them, how do I do that via Interfolio? Do I just send the letter request email to myself? Can admission committees see that, and would it look suspicious?
 
gonnif said:
you are treading on dangerous ground by doing this. while there isnt an technical "legal" issue for doing this, it can raise an eyebrow if/when there is any verfication, particularly ar pre-matriculation.
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How so? The contact info of the professor is listed on the letter, and I had no input into the actual writing/content of the letter, and they would confirm this if contacted.
 
ChipofFools said:
How so? The contact info of the professor is listed on the letter, and I had no input into the actual writing/content of the letter, and they would confirm this if contacted.
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to my knowledge, it is just sketchy all around if the letter isn't confidential - meaning you can read it. the writer may not be totally honest if they know that it will be read by the student, the student may have had input in the letter, etc. Not saying that you have done this, just that despite what your writer may say if contacted, they really have no way of knowing. It just makes them more comfortable if you don't have access to the letter contents.
 
A few questions if anyone can help me out:

1) I've read about using older LORs but I'm a nontraditional student and it's been 4 years since undergrad. I have an LOR that I got from a science professor 2 years ago, and then I moved and decided to wait a year to establish residency. That professor is no longer with the school and I don't know anyone well enough to find out where they went to, especially since I'm in another state. Should I go with what I have? I've already waived my right to read it on Interfolio so I don't even know if it's actually dated.

2) With that being said, I did a post-bac program in between in which we had multiple professors for each course. The program was associated with a medical school and would have professors from the SOM come in for 2 weeks and teach their associated specialty. I know I should have gotten a LOR back then but I moved right away so it completely left me. Should I try to get an LOR from this program even though I didn't even get the chance to actually get to know my professors? It's now been 2 years since.

3) As an additional LOR, I've been getting to know/work with someone on an admission committee. Is it appropriate to ask for an LOR from them if I'm applying to that school? I don't want to ask if it's not appropriate.
 
Another question here - sorry if it has already been asked! My letter from my school's committee went out about a week ago, and some schools have received it while others have not. Is this normal? Any idea why some schools still have me marked as "missing letter"? Thanks!

P.S. I checked and made sure that every school was assigned this letter, so that's not the issue :/
 
How long does it generally take for letters to show up in the portals for different med schools? For Michigan they are there the instant I send them out from AMCAS, but NYU, Boston, and others are taking several days..............
 
When schools ask for you to write down information regarding 3 letters of recommendation on their secondary will they read the other LOR's that you have sent to the school?
 
If AMCAS has received a letter I no longer wish to be sent to schools (it is not assigned anywhere), what should I do?
 
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010011 said:
If AMCAS has received a letter I no longer wish to be sent to schools (it is not assigned anywhere), what should I do?
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Wondering this too. I followed the instructions as per their instruction manual, but it doesn't show up. Perhaps because it's already been sent to schools.

Normally, you'd go to the Letter of Evaluations page > scroll to your LoE > click "details" > unmark schools
 
gonnif said:
If you have a letter that has been uploaded to AMCAS, has never been assigned to schools, and you dont want it to be assigned, then you do nothing. Are you sure it wasnt assigned?
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It was definitely assigned and sent. The secondary for Medical College of Wisconsin, for instance, states the letter is "under review". I don't know what the reason is. I'm not sure why it would be problematic. I asked him if he had a signature and letterhead to which he said yes.

It makes it sound like I'm under investigation. I'm not sure why I am nervous since I didn't write the letter and the letter is legitimate.

Any idea what it could be?
 
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gonnif said:
I am wholly confused.

1) A professor you asked to write a letter has not yet uploaded to AMCAS or Interfolio?? Or has it been uploaded to AMCAS?
2) You had or had not assigned the letter from AMCAS to MCW?
2) You have completed and submitted a secondary to MCW and it says under review?
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I apologize for the confusion. I'll try to clear up my inquiry.

I had shadowed a physician for 60+ hours so I asked him for a letter of recommendation. Long story short, he didn't know how to upload it to interfolio so I gave him the mailing address to AMCAS letter service. The LoR was received (saw it on AMCAS + received an email).

About a week or so later, I assigned this letter to many schools (I understand shadowing letters are okay letters, but I had already fulfilled many of the requirements).

Many of my applications are being "held up" because of LoRs. I found this odd, so I went onto my AMCAS application. All of the letters are marked as "received" at AMCAS. Further, all of the letters that I sent to school are an "unclickable" check mark (meaning they have been sent). At this point, I had no idea what letter it was. I assumed it was my committee letter since it is the most "convoluted" letter. Delving deeper, I went on schools' secondary applications to find that it was the LoR from the physician.

I used MCW as an example because 1) I can explicitly see that it has not been received, and 2) It says right next to the letter, "UNDER REVIEW".

At other schools where I assigned this letter (AMC, Rush, etc.), I can see that my letter requirement is unfulfilled. Thus, my application is NOT complete despite doing all of the necessary steps. This, again, leads me to assume that the problem lies in the physician LoR.

At this point, I'm just a bit confused why the letter is problematic. Most (95%) of the schools do not even need the LoR as it was purely supplemental.
 
gonnif said:
1) call AMCAS and insure that this paper letter was appropriately received, processed, and sent to assigned schools. Ask in they see that the uploaded letter is clear and readable
2) call each school and ask what is the problem with the letter? It have gotten mangled in the AMCAS upload process and, while the "file" was transmitted to the schools, it may not be in a completely readable format to them. Ask in they see that the uploaded letter is clear and readable (I had applicant with this issue several years ago)
3) If you assigned an extra letter to the school, many will wait for that to clear before reviewing. This is the issue with doing more than required and, except for perhaps Rush, a physician letter is not that important and usually has little impact on an adcom
4) You may have to send a note to each school to withdraw the letter
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1) I plan on calling AMCAS at 9:01 tomorrow.
2) Depending on what AMCAS says, I also planned on calling each school to figure out what to do next. I've heard of cases where schools received blank files. As you said, the file may be there, but the data is lost/corrupt.
3) That's what I assumed. They expect it, so they wait for the LoR. For Rush, they require 3 and ONLY 3. Paraphrasing: academic, personal, "in-depth perspective as an individual". The physician letter was to discuss my personal characteristics.
4) I don't mind sending a note, but would this be able to be done over the phone? I'm sure it depends on the school.

Thank you very much for the information.
 
My PI and I got along quite well before, but after I slowed down my research schedule a bit for MCAT studying, she started implying that I needed to work harder, etc. I am back to being in the lab for a huge part of each day now, but am trying to create methods to obtain preliminary data. As an undergrad, it's been really hard to be as effective as I think she wants me to be (I sometimes feel like she treats me like a grad student as she has very high expectations of me), and she has started to get annoyed with not having results quickly enough. I have been in this lab for a long time and put in a lot of effort here, but am worried about my LOR... I'm planning to apply to some research-heavy schools (top 20) because I really do enjoy research, but I don't know if I should ask her for a letter anymore... There are no post-docs to help write, and the grad students have not been here long.

What should I do? Please help! Thanks!
 
Apologies if this is a repeated question but does anyone know the procedure to re-submitting a letter? (basically what happened is that one of my writers forgot to write her letter on letterhead)

My original thought process was to just redeliver the letter to AMCAS via interfolio but I just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing!
 
gonnif said:
Have you simply tried a reasonable search online for the professor? he/she may not be that hard to find and ask to update the letter


Was there an advisor or coordinating for the program that may be able to speak of your overall success and having been taught by multiple SOMs profesors?


Interesting question. In an ideal world, if they wrote you a letter, they may need recuse themselves from consideration on your application. Or simply would recuse themselves from writing a letter. However, a letter from them to another school presents no issue. May I suggest you discuss the issue with the person, and if they feel uncomfortable with writing a letter that will go to their own school, they may be fine with having it sent other schools
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Hey! Thanks for the advice. As far as my search goes I honestly can't find that professor anywhere. I also wouldn't doubt that she's no longer a professor as the last time we spoke she didn't seem too excited about the changes going on at the school and was moving into a new phase in her life. We did have a program coordinator so I've emailed her and am waiting to hear back, hopefully she might be able to help. In reference to that final concern I thought it might be a touchy subject but the other day she openly offered to write me a letter. I didn't want to ask what that would do as far as my consideration for the school but I imagine this can't be the first time anyone on the committee has written a LOR so I'm guessing she just won't be a reader/interviewer? I don't know. However she iss one of the few people I've actually gone into the OR with so I'm going to take the offer. Thanks for all of your help!
 
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