Help with decisions

[ZeaL6]

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I know that most schools require 2-3 letters of recommendation, but at what point do they get annoyed? I can honestly say I think I can get 6-7 excellent letters, 2 from science faculty, 2 from non-science faculty, 1 from a neurosurgeon, 1 from my supervisor for supplemental instruction, and 1 from my supervisor when I interned at cardiac rehab.

My question is, if I send them all of these letters, will they even take time to read them? If they don't, which ones would be the most beneficial? I'd really like to send them all to give them a better perspective on who I am, but I don't want to overstep my bounds. Thanks for any advice!

 

[Doctor Strange]

My committee letter required the supporting letters of six other professors, so I had seven in total that were sent in one packet. I don't think it hurts as long as the letters are strong and not filler.

 

[NoControl1313]

I don't know anything about the committee letter/letter packet since my school did not have that service, but if you are talking about individual letters, each school pretty clearly states how many they want (at least in my opinion). Most say 2 - 3 are required, many allow additional letters but usually set a max number (ex: may require 3 but suggest up to 5 total). If they say only 2, only send 2. If a school is unclear, I would call them directly and clarify.

 

[ZeaL6]

I don't know anything about the committee letter/letter packet since my school did not have that service, but if you are talking about individual letters, each school pretty clearly states how many they want (at least in my opinion). Most say 2 - 3 are required, many allow additional letters but usually set a max number (ex: may require 3 but suggest up to 5 total). If they say only 2, only send 2. If a school is unclear, I would call them directly and clarify.

I'm a little confused about this statement because I thought your letters were submitted with your amcas app? Am I incorrect in this statement? If so, how do you send different amounts of letters to different schools?

 

[Doctor Strange]

I'm a little confused about this statement because I thought your letters were submitted with your amcas app? Am I incorrect in this statement? If so, how do you send different amounts of letters to different schools?

If I remember correctly, letters uploaded to AMCAS allow for them to be sent to specific schools of your choosing.

... or I could just be confusing this with something else... If so, correct me.

EDIT: Just checked my AMCAS. You choose where to send each letter listed on AMCAS.

 

[NoControl1313]

Yes. If you choose the individual letter option, once you have them uploaded to AMCAS you select which letters to send to which school.

 

[ZeaL6]

Which of my letters would you say are most beneficial? Since they're confidential, I have to assume everything equal, other than the obvious fact you need professor references.

 

[NoControl1313]

Which of my letters would you say are most beneficial? Since they're confidential, I have to assume everything equal, other than the obvious fact you need professor references.

I would say it doesn't hurt to have all of them. From my experience, most schools want at least one science faculty reference and at least one non-science reference (not necessarily a prof.). I chose my letters for each school based on their specific requirements, how many they would accept, which I felt were strongest, and which I felt aligned with the mission of the school best. I used a couple of my letters for almost every app and a couple only a 2 or 3 times. This is just from my experience, hope it helps.

 

[ZeaL6]

Thanks everyone! I just weren't so confidential so I could take a look and see which ones should go where. But that's just the game we play I guess