submitted wrong letters

clover7 said:

I am applying to two specialties, and just realized that I submitted the wrong letters for my application to specialty x by putting in letters for specialty y instead. Now what? The letters have been downloaded by programs. Do I call the programs and ask them to shred those letters and download the correct ones? I am on the verge of tears over this. I know applying to two specialties is perceived negatively. I don't know if I should 'fess up, or if it's a lost cause at this point. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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I'm going to bookmark this post for the next time somebody naively asks "what could possibly go wrong with applying for two specialties."

Your choices (as you correctly perceive) are between bad and terrible. But the way I see it, if you contact the programs that go the wrong letters and let them know that they got incorrect letters and you would like the opportunity to send new letters, they can either say "sure, send them" in which case, no harm, hopefully no foul. Or they can say "no" at which point you should just withdraw your app. In this setting you're probably out a few interviews no matter what happens.

Or you can just withdraw your app to all those programs now and have no chance at any of them.

Note that you can't just send more letters. You can only send 4 letters to each program. The only way to send more letters would be to email/snail mail them. If your letters are waived and presumably confidential, that won't be easily possible.