can you have too many letters of recommendation?

[quailman]

so ... i'll probably be turning in my application to UH around next week. 3.3 GPA and a 340 OAT. i feel like i have a ton of letters of recommendation. UH requires three professors ... so i have two from A&M and two from a community college where i took summer school. then i have one optometrist letter (who happens to be an adjunct professor at UH), one letter from a researcher i did research assistance for, and then one from the on-campus advisor from my main extracurricular activity.

that's seven letters.

is that too much? does it come across as desperate or is it good that that many can write for me? should i drop one of them?

thanks and gig 'em.

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[ariel winter]

i dont think there is such a thing as sending too many letters, as long as those who wrote them know you well and are able to write good, solid letters. personally, i sent 8 letters and they were all top-notch. you may want to drop a letter or two if you feel they may be very short and not really make a difference on the long run (ie: if the writer does not know you very well). i hope this helps! good luck!

so ... i'll probably be turning in my application to UH around next week. 3.3 GPA and a 340 OAT. i feel like i have a ton of letters of recommendation. UH requires three professors ... so i have two from A&M and two from a community college where i took summer school. then i have one optometrist letter (who happens to be an adjunct professor at UH), one letter from a researcher i did research assistance for, and then one from the on-campus advisor from my main extracurricular activity.

that's seven letters.

is that too much? does it come across as desperate or is it good that that many can write for me? should i drop one of them?

thanks and gig 'em.

 

[pre_opt_sku]

I don't think it will hurt, but there is a chance that the admissions committee won't even read all seven letters since they only asked for three. I sent the ammount of letters that each school required and felt that was definitely sufficient enough. You'll always have your essay/interview to let them get to know you better.

 

[sco1styear]

I'm going to stick with the advice I always give...
The schools didn't just come up with some arbitrary number of recommendation letters that they wanted you to send. They came up with their number because that was the number they deemed sufficient and that they could read in a timely manner. In many classes you get points deducted for having more words than was asked for, I can't imagine that the schools admissions committee would look favorably on an applicant not following its directions.

 

[HazelEyes34]

I'm going to stick with the advice I always give...
The schools didn't just come up with some arbitrary number of recommendation letters that they wanted you to send. They came up with their number because that was the number they deemed sufficient and that they could read in a timely manner. In many classes you get points deducted for having more words than was asked for, I can't imagine that the schools admissions committee would look favorably on an applicant not following its directions.

I have to agree with sco1styear...Our school (as most do) has a pre-health committee that writes rec. letters. They said if you do send a lot more than they ask for, it may noy be looked upon favorably. The school may question if it's to make up for something else you're lacking. My school is hugely geared towards med school, so they do have a lot of experience with this type of situation, but of course, this is a personal choice.

 

[3eb4me]

Schools send thank you letters to the recommendation letter writers. My optometrist got one. I doubt the admissions staff wants to send out twice as many thank you letters for your application.

 

[quailman]

I wouldn't mind dropping one of the letters ... it's just a matter of which one. The research and optometrist are golden. They want the professors. The extracurriculars guy would write something beautiful.

Whatever. I guess this isn't such a bad problem to have anyway.

 

[ariel winter]

yeah, i wouldn't lose sleep over it, hehe! good luck!

Whatever. I guess this isn't such a bad problem to have anyway.

 

[pre-O.D.]

I would not send more then they ask for. I actually called one of the schools and asked them that very question. They said that they spend lots of time looking at recs and if you send more then they want, they are likely to get annoyed. They are busy enough reading the required recs. If you have been able to read the recs, just send the ones that stand out.

 

[quailman]

Well ... they ask for three and "welcome more." So ... it's not like they ask for some and that's it. I called the admissions dean and he said I was ok. I still might drop one though.

 

[l2en]

SEVEN letters??? how on earth did you manage to get that many? I am having trouble even getting more than one! help please!!