Accumulating Recommendation Letters

[Excelsius]

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Many of us do tasks over the years that end up being modified - either we change job positions, go to a new hospital to volunteer, or finish a class with a professor who knows us well. I am not familiar with all the functions of Interfolio, but would it be possible to basically ask every person to write you a recommendation letter after you finish a project with them (or a class) and send that letter to Interfolio to be used later? I imagine that over the course of a year or two one can accumulate close to 10 letters of recommendations and when the time comes to apply, there will be the luxury to select the best of these to send to medical schools and even use some for scholarships.

Does Interfolio (or any other service) work like that? Do they charge you for retaining the letters for a year or more? Do they make as many copies as you'd like?

One more thing: some of the people I know will write an open recommendation letter for me. I was thinking that it could be a good idea to pass these letters by the premed adviser and let her evaluate which letters are stronger or even how should the letters be modified to be stronger. I am talking about asking the recommenders to discuss a specific topic more in detail rather than bestow additional accolades for the sake of making the letter stronger.

 

[p30doc]

You can sign up for accounts for different lengths of time with interfolio, they will keep your documents until your account expires. So yes you can hoard LORs on there. They will send your documents what whatever address you tell them as many times as you like. You pay per delivery to an address.

 

[MassTransport]

It's a good idea. Interfolio will keep your letters for you, but be aware that you won't know what's in them unless the writer shows it to you. Make sure your writers know that the letter is for med school.

 

[unsung]

Many of us do tasks over the years that end up being modified - either we change job positions, go to a new hospital to volunteer, or finish a class with a professor who knows us well. I am not familiar with all the functions of Interfolio, but would it be possible to basically ask every person to write you a recommendation letter after you finish a project with them (or a class) and send that letter to Interfolio to be used later? I imagine that over the course of a year or two one can accumulate close to 10 letters of recommendations and when the time comes to apply, there will be the luxury to select the best of these to send to medical schools and even use some for scholarships.

Does Interfolio (or any other service) work like that? Do they charge you for retaining the letters for a year or more? Do they make as many copies as you'd like?

One more thing: some of the people I know will write an open recommendation letter for me. I was thinking that it could be a good idea to pass these letters by the premed adviser and let her evaluate which letters are stronger or even how should the letters be modified to be stronger. I am talking about asking the recommenders to discuss a specific topic more in detail rather than bestow additional accolades for the sake of making the letter stronger.

Sure. This is what Interfolio is for. I have some letters on there back several yrs from when I was applying for grad school. It's all good.

 

[cinematographie]

i never thought of this before! so, adcoms wouldn't mind what date it was written, as long as you have it?

 

[Alfred E Newman]

i never thought of this before! so, adcoms wouldn't mind what date it was written, as long as you have it?

Some schools don't accept letters more than 1 year old.