Waiving the right to view letters does it matter?

[surgicel]

So for residency I have waived letters from the previous match and have the option of using those letters in this match and the option of waiving them or not. If I want to take a look at them and have them unwaived will the programs I'm applying to know this and does it make that much of a difference if they are waived vs. not? Even if they are strong letters?

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[killerleaf]

The people reading the letters do see if you have waived or not. The general feeling is that a letter writer is going to be less straight forward if they know the applicant is going to see it. Here, letters that have not been waived get put to one side and are not really considered.

 

[FutureInternist]

Waiving your right to see them doesn't mean that they can't still be shown to you

 

[RangerBob]

Waiving your right to see them doesn't mean that they can't still be shown to you

Agree--half my letter writers asked me to look over the letter and let me know if I liked them.

If I were an program directors, I'd consider it a little suspicious if you didn't waive your right to see the letter, and the letter would carry less, if any, weight. You shouldn't ask for a letter unless you know the person you're asking will write you a positive one, and half the time they'll still show it to you anyway.

 

[surgicel]

well I spoke the ERAS people and they mentioned the only way program directors know if its waived or not is if it was uploaded by the original author (writing the letter). They mentioned they don't report the actual waived status or so as mentioned by the applicant, that is only for the applicant to mention to the author writing the letter.

My letter was waived when it was first written for the match last year, But I can now reuse those letter and have the option of waiving it or not before reusing them , and so that's why I was asking about the waive status.

 

[FutureInternist]

Most writers know to state that the student has waived their right in the first 1-2 sentences

 

[NotAProgDirector]

There's something wrong with your options, I think? If you ask me for a letter of reference and waive your right to see it, then you can't see it. If you asked me last year and waived it, you still can't see it this year. ERAS should not show you letters that you've waived your right to see in the past. Waiving your rights to see the letter is a permanent choice.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Also, we absolutely can see if you waived your rights to your letters or not. When I mouse over the letter, the pop up clearly states the status of the letter.

 

[gutonc]

Also, we absolutely can see if you waived your rights to your letters or not. When I mouse over the letter, the pop up clearly states the status of the letter.

Not to mention the fact that every LOR I've ever read (admittedly a tiny fraction of those that aPD has read) include the following statement, "Applicant has waived her right to read this letter". If I don't see that, I'm suspicious.

 

[Raryn]

Not to mention the fact that every LOR I've ever read (admittedly a tiny fraction of those that aPD has read) include the following statement, "Applicant has waived her right to read this letter". If I don't see that, I'm suspicious.

Hmm, I waived all my rights to view my letters, but a couple of them have shown me a copy and I don't think it included language to that effect. I definitely checked the waived boxes on my ERAS though. Maybe because they don't write them as often as people at large academic instutitions. I have plenty of interviews so I doubt I was dinged for that, but still.