How to submit 5th letter of recommendation?

[RamsFan1991]

Hi everyone!

I'm going to give a brief explanation of my situation.

So the four people writing my letters of recommendation are:

1. Chairman of Pharmacology and Toxicology who I did research for, for 2 years
2. Vice Chair of Pharmacology and Toxicology who was my actual advisor for those 2 years
3. Dentist who I have shadowed with the most
4. Bacteriology professor who ACTUALLY taught me.

However I am looking through the requirements of LoR from different schools and some require TWO professors who have taught you. So my Human Evolution professor has written me one but she is wondering how she can submit her evaluation online since she is in South Africa right now. I dont want to remove either Chairman or Vice-Chair of Pharmacology's letters because their names hold huge weight for my application and for what they have to say about me personally.

What do I do in this situation? A lot of these schools' websites say DO NOT submit these letters directly to admissions. I am applying to close to 15 schools so this is insane if I have to call up each and every one. Thanks guys :\

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[distressstudent]

Take out letter one or two; aren't they basically for the same thing? Substitute it with the human evolution professor instead. Following instructions is always better than just being purposefully disobedient. I doubt they will let you submit your 5th letter after taking out no.1 or no. 2 though because it is redundant.

 

[RamsFan1991]

Both Chair and Vice Chair not only look good on my application but they know my work ethic, my passion to succeed, and overall who I am as a person better than any professor who has taught me. I would be shooting myself in the foot if I removed either of them. Technically, both of them are science professors who may not have taught me in a classroom but taught me the importance of the biomedical sciences and techniques behind research. Also, both of them are Professor and Chairman and the other is Professor and Vice Chair. Will that suffice?

 

[Glimmer1991]

Some schools will let you send extra letters directly to them. Some won't. You can only ask.

 

[Illfavor]

Call all 15 schools. Yes, this takes time and planning, but if it's bothering you there is nothing we can say that will fix that.

 

[threemileisle]

Call all 15 schools. Yes, this takes time and planning, but if it's bothering you there is nothing we can say that will fix that.

Agree with above. What's so insane about contacting 15 schools when it's something you deem to be important? Put your head down and get to work. It's a small time investment in the grand scheme of things.

Curious though, do you have a pre-health professions office on campus? Might be too late, but one option would be to inquire with them to see if they're willing to submit a committee packet on your behalf. A committee packet can hold 1Mb worth of letters, which should be more than enough to fit all of yours. As a bonus, when submitting committee packets, you're also allowed to add one additional letter on AADSAS.

 

[toothshine]

Some schools will let you send extra letters directly to them. Some won't. You can only ask.

Agreed. Definitely call and ask. They'll most likely be happy to have you send a letter directly to them.

 

[Glimmer1991]

Agreed. Definitely call and ask. They'll most likely be happy to have you send a letter directly to them.

Make sure you check websites first, though. Some schools strictly say that you cannot send extra letters, and you might send a bad impression if you call and ask!

 

[toothshine]

Make sure you check websites first, though. Some schools strictly say that you cannot send extra letters, and you might send a bad impression if you call and ask!

Actually, I would call and ask them anyway - depending on the situation, you might be surprised. For example, one of my letters of rec is from a specialist because I worked with him as a dental assistant, and that was my fourth letter of rec. Tufts usually doesn't allow for additional letters to be sent, but because they require one from a general dentist, I called to see what they advised - and they said in my case, it would be okay to send the general dentist LOR directly to the school.

(I guess just make it clear that you've read the website and you understand their policies, so they know you're not making an uninformed call.)