Adding LORs to already submitted apps in ERAS

[boobinski]

Is it possible to add an LOR to an already submitted application?

For example, if I submit everything on September 1st, but then get a stellar letter sometime before the November 1st deadline, is it possible to "add" that to the already submitted apps?

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[footcramp]

i think so.
follow up question, how many LORs is the max? i thought it was 3 but on ERAS i see 4 as the max.

 

[sequela]

i think so.
follow up question, how many LORs is the max? i thought it was 3 but on ERAS i see 4 as the max.

i asked eras this same question and this is what they said:

"Yes. You can submit and assign documents (personal statements, LoR letter writers) after you have certified your CAF. As long as you don't mind sending the supporting documents after your CAF has been submitted, this is fine.

You would simply make sure that the documents have been created under the "Documents" tab. Then access the programs you've applied to by clicking "Programs" and "Programs Applied To". There you can access the programs that you've applied to and assign any new documents that you've created. Once you save the page, you can check ADTS to view the status of your documents."

as far and the number of LORs, I have seen 4 as the max for eras (I read this somewhere but I can't remember where) but I believe that some programs may have a 3 LOR max-that is something you're gonna have to clear up with individual programs.

 

[gutonc]

I will add my nifty >4 letters/program trick here again. You can upload as many LORs to ERAS as you wish. I personally had 6 different ones up there, 3 clinical, 2 research and 1 *******, useless chairman's letter that IM programs insist on having. But I digress.

If you wish to transmit > 4 letters to a program, here's what you do. Go ahead and transmit 3 or 4, however many you want to a program. Then, when they've downloaded them (and ERAS will tell you when each program has downloaded each part of your app), go back in and change assignments to that particular program so that 1 or 2 of the letters you already sent (and which are now hard copies or local machine copies at each program) are no longer being sent and add 1 or 2 letters. Most of the time, these will get transmitted. I actually saw 5 letters in my file at 2 different interviews, a 3rd program interviewer asked me how I got 5 letters in my file and I checked in with 3 other programs to make sure they'd gotten my last transmitted LOR.

I found this out by a fluke. I waited and waited for one of my LOR writers to get it together and submit my letter and, by late October, it hadn't happened. So I panicked and transmitted a different (still good but not phenomenal) letter that I'd been saving in reserve. The next day, the phenomenal letter got uploaded to ERAS and I did the switch I described above. I can't say for sure that all my programs got it but enough of them (including my top 5 programs) did that I was happy with the outcome.

YMMV of course. I saw that some programs never dl'd the late letter at all and I didn't check with every program to see if they got all 5 letters.

Good luck,

BE (now PE)

 

[sdnetrocks]

So essentially one can do this, but runs the risk of the program not re-downloading the updated application?

I will add my nifty >4 letters/program trick here again. You can upload as many LORs to ERAS as you wish. I personally had 6 different ones up there, 3 clinical, 2 research and 1 *******, useless chairman's letter that IM programs insist on having. But I digress.

If you wish to transmit > 4 letters to a program, here's what you do. Go ahead and transmit 3 or 4, however many you want to a program. Then, when they've downloaded them (and ERAS will tell you when each program has downloaded each part of your app), go back in and change assignments to that particular program so that 1 or 2 of the letters you already sent (and which are now hard copies or local machine copies at each program) are no longer being sent and add 1 or 2 letters. Most of the time, these will get transmitted. I actually saw 5 letters in my file at 2 different interviews, a 3rd program interviewer asked me how I got 5 letters in my file and I checked in with 3 other programs to make sure they'd gotten my last transmitted LOR.

I found this out by a fluke. I waited and waited for one of my LOR writers to get it together and submit my letter and, by late October, it hadn't happened. So I panicked and transmitted a different (still good but not phenomenal) letter that I'd been saving in reserve. The next day, the phenomenal letter got uploaded to ERAS and I did the switch I described above. I can't say for sure that all my programs got it but enough of them (including my top 5 programs) did that I was happy with the outcome.

YMMV of course. I saw that some programs never dl'd the late letter at all and I didn't check with every program to see if they got all 5 letters.

Good luck,

BE (now PE)

 

[gutonc]

Yes, in a nutshell. You can always ask if it's really important. There were only 3 programs that I absolutely had to have get that other letter so I asked and they all had it.

BE (now PE)

 

[mzztiffany]

Hi I'm really worried that I won't get my last letter in. It's the best letter (from what I've heard) so far. I already chosen 4 for other programs and I see that they already uploaded them. Would I be able to have the 5th on uploaded as well using this trick???

 

[hot sauce]

In general I would avoid sending programs more than 4 letters with this trick. Programs have lots of applications to go through and they don't want to be reading tons of letters from you.

Now if you have a 5th letter that is way better you might consider canceling another letter but I would only do it if I thought the 5th was a lot better and one of the others was weak.