Does every LOR need to be dated?

[Aldlal]

So an MD I used to work for wrote me a LOR but emailed it to me directly instead of using Interfolio. I'm gonna ask him to upload it through there. I noticed the letter was signed and on letterhead but not dated. Does every LOR need a date? Worst case scenario if I have to reapply would not having a date on there be an advantage so it doesn't look as old?

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[PreMedicallyBlonde]

If you're going to ask him to upload it onto Interfolio, I'd also just see if he'd be willing to throw a date on there as well. I wouldn't think it'd be an issue - it'd take all of 30 seconds to locate the file, insert date, and save again.


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[Aldlal]

I see. I don't mind asking him. I was just wondering if not having one on there would be an advantage. I'll get it dated then. Do schools want a date on there so they have a reference point for what happened in the letter/how old it is?

 

[Astra]

So without a date, the letter is invalid or is it a preference? One of my Letter writers left the country for a month 🙁

@gonnif

 

[aldol16]

So without a date, the letter is invalid or is it a preference? One of my Letter writers left the country for a month 🙁

Well, since OP is in the unusual position of actually having the letter, he/she can easily ask for it to be dated. But it's not like they can punish you for not having a letter dated because it's not your fault - most applicants never see their letters and so have no way of knowing if they're dated. Anybody who wants to punish you for something you had no control over is compensating for something.

 

[Astra]

Applicants see this process thru applicants frame of reference, Adcoms see this thru thousand of applications that need to be reduced to several hundred interviews to a 100 or so matriculants. An undated letter is suspect as, unless it is specified within the the content, adcoms do not know when this was written, nor does is look professional. It may count against the applicant, whether he/she knows or not

Aw man. That really sucks as I can't contact the prof for over a month. How much will it count against me if one letter doesn't have a date on it? 🙁

 

[aldol16]

Applicants see this process thru applicants frame of reference, Adcoms see this thru thousand of applications that need to be reduced to several hundred interviews to a 100 or so matriculants. An undated letter is suspect as, unless it is specified within the the content, adcoms do not know when this was written, nor does is look professional. It may count against the applicant, whether he/she knows or not

Great, but this factoid is moot for all but the most neurotic pre-meds. The majority of normal people assume that their letters will have dates on them and if they don't, well, they wouldn't know and so there's nothing that can be done about it anyway. The only way to ensure that a date is on there is to ask the writer specifically to put a date on it and if any of my students asked that, I would find it extremely odd - because, again, it's assumed that on any letter, there will be a date. It's not my first time writing a letter. Just like how they can assume that I will use paragraphs and complete sentences.