How many letters of rec is too many letters of rec?

[BeachBlondie]

I've been incredibly fortunate to have struck a chord with the surgeons I've worked with. I have worked myself ragged for their studies, crafted my own, and been present in all of their ORs for hours and hours and hours.

They all have different personalities, have worked with me in different facets, and ALL want to write letter of rec for me...... but there are 5 of them.

..... 5.... Orthopaedic .... Surgeons.

I'd love to include all of their feedback in my applications and, frankly, I'm honored to have their eager support. But I don't want to risk wearing the admissions committees out (I mean, would YOU want to read that many?)

If I have 2 academic letters, and 5 from surgeons.... is this excessive/will create diminishing returns?

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[ilovebiology]

Is there a way they could maybe combine them all into one, just like a committee letter? If so, I think that would be pretty cool. If not, I would stick to 5 total. I have read on several schools the limit of LOR being 5.

 

[BeachBlondie]

Is there a way they could maybe combine them all into one, just like a committee letter? If so, I think that would be pretty cool. If not, I would stick to 5 total. I have read on several schools the limit of LOR being 5.

They LIMIT TO FIVE?! D'oh! I thought it was 8, for some reason.... but 8 was something people seldom submitted.

 

[ilovebiology]

Hmmm...I could have sworn I have read the common amount being 5; however, those are the schools that I am interested in. I probably haven't researched enough schools to give you a definite answer of it being 5 across the board. Personally, I would stick to quality over quantity. I'm sure that you would get great letters from all of those docs, but since they are all the same specialist, I would suggest only using a few from them and if you wanted more than 5 (if you are allowed) get more letters from another source.

 

[BeachBlondie]

Hmmm...I could have sworn I have read the common amount being 5; however, those are the schools that I am interested in. I probably haven't researched enough schools to give you a definite answer of it being 5 across the board. Personally, I would stick to quality over quantity. I'm sure that you would get great letters from all of those docs, but since they are all the same specialist, I would suggest only using a few from them and if you wanted more than 5 (if you are allowed) get more letters from another source.

Well, I'm a California resident. And I'm assuming you are, too. What I will also assume is that you are applying in-house (as I will be). So, if you recall 5, then I will probably have to limit to 5!

 

[ilovebiology]

Yes and yes to both assumptions! haha and just like I stated previously, even if the limit exceeds 5, I suggest limiting to 5 just so the admission committee isn't overwhelmed.

 

[Ohyeah]

I think a number of schools require/request a letter from a non-science professor. I forgot the specifics to be honest, but double-check your target schools' websites. I had 2 science letters, 1 non-science, and a couple of letters from other experiences (5 total).

 

[huskydock]

Well, I'm a California resident. And I'm assuming you are, too. What I will also assume is that you are applying in-house (as I will be). So, if you recall 5, then I will probably have to limit to 5!

I'll confirm that the "unofficial" upper limit is 5 LORs. I mean, if the medical school doesn't specify, then you could send them all 8 letters, fine. How much would it really help you though? These people have thousands of applicants to go through. Ain't nobody got time to read 5+ letters of rec for one applicant. They'll probably just scan it and see that you're a "top student" and will "undoubtedly be a fine physician". You don't want to overwhelm the ADCOM. It'll be much better to get one extremely strong combined letter, signed by all five surgeons. That'll definitely stand out. All the surgeons in one unit/practice agree that you are a top notch student. That should be enough to give you an effective LOR.

 

[BeachBlondie]

I'll confirm that the "unofficial" upper limit is 5 LORs. I mean, if the medical school doesn't specify, then you could send them all 8 letters, fine. How much would it really help you though? These people have thousands of applicants to go through. Ain't nobody got time to read 5+ letters of rec for one applicant. They'll probably just scan it and see that you're a "top student" and will "undoubtedly be a fine physician". You don't want to overwhelm the ADCOM. It'll be much better to get one extremely strong combined letter, signed by all five surgeons. That'll definitely stand out. All the surgeons in one unit/practice agree that you are a top notch student. That should be enough to give you an effective LOR.

Completely agree. The only problem is that some of them have already written the letter up. And, one surgeon is in Denmark, one is in Sweden, two are in Boston, and one is in Fort Lauderdale.

But, I agree, the compound letter would have been stellar.

 

[nysegop]

4-5 is a good number, but keep in mind the pre-med committee will combine them into one letter.

 

[VictorAlpha]

I think I just gave the ADCOM like 7 or 8 letters. I knew they were all good so if they didn't read this one or that one; I didn't care too much. If you are in the same position I wouldn't worry so much about sending too many good letters. Can that actually turn to be a negative? I wouldn't think so. My thought process was the ADCOM member might be thinking "well they can't all be wrong about this guy...."

What I did do though, for one anyway, is the committee letter thing. For a clinic that I volunteer at, I had a bunch of doctors that volunteer on a rotating basis co-sign the letter...so one letter with a bunch of signatures. This might be your best bet for the situation that you describe.

 

[Batman MD]

I submitted 6 letters and thing have turned out great for me so far.

 

[opo]

so when a school asks for 3 letters all from professors, is it okay to do the three letters and then maybe one from a physician and one from an employer? i just assumed that they would only take that number, but it sounds like you can send whatever you want to the school. would it be a mistake to replace one of the professor letters with one from say a physician if they as for a certain amount from professors?

 

[metview]

5 is pushing it, anything over 5 is superfluous.

 

[sinombre]

4-5 is a good number, but keep in mind the pre-med committee will combine them into one letter.

Not all schools have a pre-med committee.

The general formula is 2 science letters and 1 non-science letter (from professors who have actually taught you), and 2 miscellaneous letters. If I were you I would see if they'd be willing to do a joint letter. If not, I would probably only submit one and get the other letter from someone else you've worked with in another setting. If this is your only really significant EC, it would probably be fine to submit two ortho letters. But the point of getting another letter from somewhere else is that it makes your application more well-rounded. AMCAS lets you upload 10 letters total, but you probably shouldn't submit more than 5 letters to most schools (2 science, 1 non-science, 2 misc.). Some schools will say "you can submit as many as you want, but we'll pick 5 at random and can't promise that we'll read the others."

tl;dr - don't submit 5 ortho letters.

 

[sinombre]

so when a school asks for 3 letters all from professors, is it okay to do the three letters and then maybe one from a physician and one from an employer? i just assumed that they would only take that number, but it sounds like you can send whatever you want to the school. would it be a mistake to replace one of the professor letters with one from say a physician if they as for a certain amount from professors?

Some schools are fine with you sending the extra letters, some are not. The ones that aren't will usually make it pretty clear. I did have to call a few schools that I wasn't sure about last year though.

 

[BeachBlondie]

Not all schools have a pre-med committee.

The general formula is 2 science letters and 1 non-science letter (from professors who have actually taught you), and 2 miscellaneous letters. If I were you I would see if they'd be willing to do a joint letter. If not, I would probably only submit one and get the other letter from someone else you've worked with in another setting. If this is your only really significant EC, it would probably be fine to submit two ortho letters. But the point of getting another letter from somewhere else is that it makes your application more well-rounded. AMCAS lets you upload 10 letters total, but you probably shouldn't submit more than 5 letters to most schools (2 science, 1 non-science, 2 misc.). Some schools will say "you can submit as many as you want, but we'll pick 5 at random and can't promise that we'll read the others."

tl;dr - don't submit 5 ortho letters.

I would love to have them all compile their thoughts. But, as I stated before: one is at Hvidovre Hospital (Denmark), one is at Salhgrenska (Sweden), two are at Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston), and one is at Holy Cross Hospital (Fort Lauderdale)

...not too much of a chance that they can all sit down over a beer and sign it.

 

[sinombre]

I would love to have them all compile their thoughts. But, as I stated before: one is at Hvidovre Hospital (Denmark), one is at Salhgrenska (Sweden), two are at Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston), and one is at Holy Cross Hospital (Fort Lauderdale)

...not too much of a chance that they can all sit down over a beer and sign it.

In that case, I would pick one or two from whoever you have developed the strongest rapport(s) with. I think it's generally a good idea to give whoever reviews your app a well-rounded impression of who you are. Having several letters from different orthopedic surgeons you've worked with really won't accomplish that. Just my two cents.

 

[gyngyn]

3 letters in total is normal. 4 is acceptable. 5 begins to be tedious. More than that looks desperate.

 

[1cor1311]

I've been incredibly fortunate to have struck a chord with the surgeons I've worked with. I have worked myself ragged for their studies, crafted my own, and been present in all of their ORs for hours and hours and hours.

They all have different personalities, have worked with me in different facets, and ALL want to write letter of rec for me...... but there are 5 of them.

..... 5.... Orthopaedic .... Surgeons.

I'd love to include all of their feedback in my applications and, frankly, I'm honored to have their eager support. But I don't want to risk wearing the admissions committees out (I mean, would YOU want to read that many?)

If I have 2 academic letters, and 5 from surgeons.... is this excessive/will create diminishing returns?

5 "individual" letters from orthopedic surgeons would seem to be superfluous as mentioned. Be creative, see if there is a way to submit a committee type letter using all 5

 

[fayebym]

I suggest limiting to 5 just so the admission committee isn't overwhelmed.