Couple Letter of Recommendation Questions

[premedstudent145231]

I told my letters packet compiler that I'd have 4 professors submitting letters. The 4th is dragging their feet while the other 3 are ready to go.

I looked through MSAR and found 2 schools at which it might be a problem for me to just drop the 4th writer:

Oakland states this: "If your premedical advising office provides a committee letter compiling feedback from multiple sources, this letter will count as two of your three required letters of recommendation". So, I'm thinking for Oakland it would be good for me to ask my packet compiler to submit without my 4th professor, then ask my professor to submit directly to amcas, and hope they eventually actually do it. Does that sound right?

Quinnipiac requires 4 letters minimum. Would the above strategy be acceptable for this school, or will it look bad to have 3 professors in my packet and the 4th just submitting individually?

I'm then planning on not using the 4th professor at any of my other schools since I'm guessing their letter will be rushed. I don't expect any of my LoRs to be great, but I would hope the others at least took their time.

Neither of these schools are my top choice, but I did already get secondaries from them and would like to apply.

Thank you

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[deleted1064759]

I think that could work. You would just have to have two separate packets uploaded to AMCAS. One packet with all 4, and the other with 3. And then also upload your individual letter.

 

[premedstudent145231]

So try to get my packet compiler to submit twice? Once now and once after the 4th letter comes in? I feel like they are not going to do that, but I could try. The option I was wondering about was just having a 3 letter packet and then 1 individual letter. I would only use the individual at these 2 schools and then just the packet at all the rest.

 

[deleted1064759]

So try to get my packet compiler to submit twice? Once now and once after the 4th letter comes in? I feel like they are not going to do that, but I could try. The option I was wondering about was just having a 3 letter packet and then 1 individual letter. I would only use the individual at these 2 schools and then just the packet at all the rest.

Yes, I think that is your only choice unless you just have the packet be 3 letters and submit the 4th one as an additional one. Many schools consider the packet as 1 letter.

 

[premedstudent145231]

Sorry, isn't that the same as what I suggested? Just submitting the letters packet now with 3 letters and having the 4th uploaded individually?

 

[DoctorWhere]

It won't look bad to have an additional letter outside of your packet. Don't overthink it.

 

[deleted1064759]

Sorry, isn't that the same as what I suggested? Just submitting the letters packet now with 3 letters and having the 4th uploaded individually?

Yeah, you should be fine doing that.

 

[premedstudent145231]

Thank you gonnif. I suspected that my packet might satisfy the letters requirement despite having only 3 letters contained (less than the individual requirement of 4), but wasn't sure. Looks like I only have to worry about Oakland (what an unusual requirement). Thanks everyone.

 

[premedstudent145231]

I've run into a big of a snag on this. I went ahead and asked my packet coordinator to submit without the 4th professor. Now, I'm intending to create a letter entry for the 4th professor and send it to her so I can maybe eventually applying to Oakland. Are schools going to be waiting for that letter to come in even if I don't assign it to them? I've googled around and saw one poster claim that all schools will wait for each letter entry to either be marked as "no longer sending" or have the letter come in. I'm not even intending to send this 4th letter any of my schools except Oakland, so I don't need it hindering me.