Interfolio and LOE - Confused

[MrBeans]

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I've been reading a lot of good advice about using Interfolio for LOE handling, and I'm registering for an account for this next application cycle. I do have a couple of questions though:

1) Do I 'save' a completed Evaluators (LOE Matching Form) on AADSAS that accompanies the LOE saved in Interfolio (the form on AADSAS that has all the contact info for the LOE writer)? Print out the LOE Matching Form from AADSAS and upload it to Interfolio, and then send both documents together to AADSAS?

2) If I choose to send the LOE directly from Interfolio to schools and bypass AADSAS, do I have to send the LOE Matching Form from AADSAS with this letter to the schools? Is this a bad idea to send LOE like this? How would the schools pair up the LOE with my application?

Thanks for the help, I just get really confused with this sort of thing.

 

[psi169]

1) Do I 'save' a completed Evaluators (LOE Matching Form) on AADSAS that accompanies the LOE saved in Interfolio (the form on AADSAS that has all the contact info for the LOE writer)? Print out the LOE Matching Form from AADSAS and upload it to Interfolio, and then send both documents together to AADSAS?

For each of your LOE, their will be AADSAS forms that you would normally print out, fill out, and then send to AADSAS directly. When you use Interfolio, you print them out, fill them out, and then scan them into your Interfolio account. Interfolio has an option that is something like "AADSAS LOE matching form" so that you can save the document and title it so that you will know which LOE form goes to what prof.

2) If I choose to send the LOE directly from Interfolio to schools and bypass AADSAS, do I have to send the LOE Matching Form from AADSAS with this letter to the schools? Is this a bad idea to send LOE like this? How would the schools pair up the LOE with my application?

When you finally have your LOE matching for uploaded and your prof has uploaded your letter, you send them to AADSAS at the address that AADSAS gives. When you send stuff to be mailed, Interfolio asks you what you want to send. In an envelope, you would do "LOE from from Dr. Smith + Evaluation form for Dr. Smith." Interfolio mails them that way and AADSAS will receive the letter and matching form at the same time. Mine were uploaded pretty quickly, in a week I'd say. So, YES! Include the matching forms with their proper letter writers.

And you don't need to send 3 envelopes for 3 letters (that costs more). Mailing all 3 in 1 envelope will be fine; the real important factor is that the LOE and their forms all arrive at the same time.

I hope this answers your questions.

 

[MrBeans]

Thanks psi!

Just one more dumb question,

On AADSAS do I "save" a filled out LOE Matching Form on AADSAS, and THEN print it out and then upload it to Interfolio?

Or do I just fill the LOE Matching Form out on AADSAS, print it, up load it to Interfolio, and NOT save it on AADSAS?

Sorry for the dumb questions 😛

 

[psi169]

I could have missed something during my cycle, but I don't think their is a way to fill out the matching forms. I feel like they were PDF's that couldn't be filled out, but I could have missed something. Either way, me filling them out by hand and scanning them in didn't seem to be a big deal.

Maybe someone else can chime in on that.

 

[MrBeans]

I pulled this off the AADSAS website:

If the evaluator prefers to submit an LOE electronically:

• Applicant provides the evaluator's email address <--- Don't do this step, go through Interfolio!
  
• As soon as the evaluator's name and email address are provided, the evaluator receives an email from AADSAS directing him or her to the AADSAS Evaluators Portal
• The first time an evaluator enters the Evaluators Portal, the evaluator is asked to provide contact information
• The evaluator follows simple step-by-step instructions for submitting the LOE; AADSAS can accept electronic LOEs in these formats: Microsoft Word (.doc), Rich Text Format (.rtf), Portable Document Format (.pdf), and ASCII text (.txt)

If the evaluator prefers to submit a paper LOE:

• The applicant is prompted to print an LOE Matching Form that includes a special bar code <---- This must be the PDF form to upload to Interfolio that will be sent along side the LOE letter (make sure to send respective form with respective letter)!
  
• The applicant provides the LOE Matching Form to the evaluator, who attaches the form to his or her LOE and mails it to AADSAS at the address provided on the LOE Matching Form

I think this clears things up. Thanks for all your help, btw, psi! 🙂

 

[dentalWorks]

Can someone plz explain to me what "matching forms" are...I have a bunch of LORs in my interfolio

 

[psi169]

So when you start your AADSAS application, you have to fill out some info about the people that are going to be writing your letters of rec, just like you have to fill out all the colleges you went to. Just like a transcript matching form, there are LOE forms. As in transcripts, you print these off from AADSAS, fill out the rest of the info, and send them in with your letters. You have the option of sending them directly to AADSAS or to Interfolio and then having Interfolio send them to AADSAS.

The benefit of Interfolio is you can have more than 4 letters stored. AADSAS only take 4 letters but between all of your schools, you might need 6. Interfolio will keep them confidential and you can send them where you need to from there. Also, once your letters are sent to AADSAS, they are GONE! Interfolio will store these letters for as long as your keep your membership, so handy in the unfortunate event of having to reapply.

 

[kapmann]

I'm definitely not telling you what to do, if you have a good system, work it baby! I do, however, personally enjoy NOT using interfolio. Coming from someone who applied twice, you can definitely manage all of that stuff on your own. If your profs want paper letters... collect them in a sealed envelope and ask for multiple copies. If they want to do it electronically, it takes them about 3 minutes to do and it couldn't be simpler from your end.

I just feel like interfolio is a middle man that you have to pay 30 bucks to for no real reason. For med schools, the way it's set up makes a little sense. Because dental schools don't widely use/require it, I'd rather pay 2 bucks for stamps and call it a day.

Again though, if you have everyone on interfolio and have a good way to do it, go nuts!

 

[dentalWorks]

So when you start your AADSAS application, you have to fill out some info about the people that are going to be writing your letters of rec, just like you have to fill out all the colleges you went to. Just like a transcript matching form, there are LOE forms. As in transcripts, you print these off from AADSAS, fill out the rest of the info, and send them in with your letters. You have the option of sending them directly to AADSAS or to Interfolio and then having Interfolio send them to AADSAS.

The benefit of Interfolio is you can have more than 4 letters stored. AADSAS only take 4 letters but between all of your schools, you might need 6. Interfolio will keep them confidential and you can send them where you need to from there. Also, once your letters are sent to AADSAS, they are GONE! Interfolio will store these letters for as long as your keep your membership, so handy in the unfortunate event of having to reapply.

ty for explaining it 🙂

Jesus everything about this process is a pain in the ass. GPA, DAT, ECs, shadowing, MORE ECs, VOLUNTEERING, personal statment, re-write personal statment cause first one sucks, requist LORs, wait, have LORs sent to interfolio, *sighhhhhhhh*.... I wish it was as easy as paying an online bill

 

[DividedByZero]

Hope you don't mind OP if I ask a quick question as it's kinda related to the discussion here.

My situation: I applied last year straight from undergrad using the committee letter system from their school and obviously didn't get in. Currently, I'm doing a masters program and am graduating this year and doing a brand new committee letter w/the school I'm doing my masters program at. Things are looking pretty bleak this cycle and am preparing for my THIRD cycle next year. I have been thinking about using interfolio and sending them my committee letter from undergrad, my committee letter from my masters program, plus a few more rec letters from my previous employer and possibly two more dentists. I am thinking about having interfolio going all voltron and consolidating them into a SUPER committee letter!

The big question: How many rec letters are too much? All these letters are pretty current and I obviously have no idea what's said in all of them so I can't pick and choose. I've had pretty good relationships with all the profs writing them and got all A's in those classes, etc.

Advice?

 

[kapmann]

Hope you don't mind OP if I ask a quick question as it's kinda related to the discussion here.

My situation: I applied last year straight from undergrad using the committee letter system from their school and obviously didn't get in. Currently, I'm doing a masters program and am graduating this year and doing a brand new committee letter w/the school I'm doing my masters program at. Things are looking pretty bleak this cycle and am preparing for my THIRD cycle next year. I have been thinking about using interfolio and sending them my committee letter from undergrad, my committee letter from my masters program, plus a few more rec letters from my previous employer and possibly two more dentists. I am thinking about having interfolio going all voltron and consolidating them into a SUPER committee letter!

The big question: How many rec letters are too much? All these letters are pretty current and I obviously have no idea what's said in all of them so I can't pick and choose. I've had pretty good relationships with all the profs writing them and got all A's in those classes, etc.

Advice?

I'd say theres absolutley no problem in sending 5-8 letters per school. 10s probably pushing it, but I sent between 5 and 7 to every school and they all commented on the quality and wide range of letters.

 

[dentalWorks]

Sorry, I have another question about these matching forms..

Is it possible for me to print out these matching forms, fill them up myself and send them directly to AADSAS in 1 envelope. And then I'll direct another envelope from interfolio to be sent out to AADSAS? So basically AADSAS is going to get 2 envelopes from me, one is matching forms and the other the actual LORs.... Is it possible for me to do this?

 

[kapmann]

Sorry, I have another question about these matching forms..

Is it possible for me to print out these matching forms, fill them up myself and send them directly to AADSAS in 1 envelope. And then I'll direct another envelope from interfolio to be sent out to AADSAS? So basically AADSAS is going to get 2 envelopes from me, one is matching forms and the other the actual LORs.... Is it possible for me to do this?

I think the idea is that they want the matching forms to come with the letters. That's why I think interfolio is more confusing than it's worth in this situation. I'm not sure how to go about doing it that way.

 

[TerpFan]

I used Interfolio for this past cycle and this is how I did it and it all worked out fine:

1. Had my professors/Dentist send their LOE for me to Interfolio

2. On AADSAS, chose the paper LOE option

3. Saved the matching form PDF on my computer and uploaded them to Interfolio (you don't need to fill them out, AADSAS just wants that barcode type thing on it to be with the actual letter so its easier for them to process.)

4. Sent all four of the letters PLUS all four of the matching forms from Interfolio to AADSAS (since AADSAS is already taking so much $$$ from us to send stuff to schools, I might as well use them rather than having Interfolio send it to 10-15 schools and pay even more)

It might seem complicated but it wasn't at all and now as I get ready to reapply, I don't need to hunt down professors from undergrad since I already have their LOE saved at Interfolio.

Hope this helped. Good luck!

Sorry, I have another question about these matching forms..

Is it possible for me to print out these matching forms, fill them up myself and send them directly to AADSAS in 1 envelope. And then I'll direct another envelope from interfolio to be sent out to AADSAS? So basically AADSAS is going to get 2 envelopes from me, one is matching forms and the other the actual LORs.... Is it possible for me to do this?

That totally defeats the purpose of having the matching forms. AADSAS wants the forms WITH the letters so that its easier for them to process.

 

[TerpFan]

Oh yea just to clarify...you can send all four of the LOE plus the matching forms to go as one packet to AADSAS from Interfolio so there is no worry about one letter getting lost or something like that.

 

[dentalWorks]

I used Interfolio for this past cycle and this is how I did it and it all worked out fine:

1. Had my professors/Dentist send their LOE for me to Interfolio

2. On AADSAS, chose the paper LOE option

3. Saved the matching form PDF on my computer and uploaded them to Interfolio (you don't need to fill them out, AADSAS just wants that barcode type thing on it to be with the actual letter so its easier for them to process.)

4. Sent all four of the letters PLUS all four of the matching forms from Interfolio to AADSAS (since AADSAS is already taking so much $$$ from us to send stuff to schools, I might as well use them rather than having Interfolio send it to 10-15 schools and pay even more)

It might seem complicated but it wasn't at all and now as I get ready to reapply, I don't need to hunt down professors from undergrad since I already have their LOE saved at Interfolio.

Hope this helped. Good luck!

Ty so much, that clairified everything. Ur 3rd step from above, how did you upload the PDFs into interfolio? Did you basically requrst a LOR to yourself 4 times and each time you sent in 1 PDF at a time?

 

[TerpFan]

Ty so much, that clairified everything. Ur 3rd step from above, how did you upload the PDFs into interfolio? Did you basically requrst a LOR to yourself 4 times and each time you sent in 1 PDF at a time?

When you put in to AADSAS that you will be requesting a paper LOE from a professor/dentist they give you a PDF file of the matching form that you can download (so IF you were actually going to ask your prof to write a paper LOE then you would print that matching form out and give it to them to attach it to their LOE). So you basically just save the PDF on your computer, and upload it to Interfolio. It gives you the option of uploading things to your account and "AADSAS Letter of Evaluation Matching Form" is one of them.

Word of advice: (I wish I had known this last year) If you are applying this June, and are def going to be using Interfolio then I would probably open an account and get working on getting the LOEs on file there. That way, as soon as AADSAS opens, you can just download matching forms, upload them to Interfolio and have it all on its way to AADSAS (literally within a few minutes of AADSAS opening if you want.) Its much easier to get professors to write LOE right now than chase them all over campus during finals or when the seem to disappear over the summer.

Hope this helps!

 

[dentalWorks]

When you put in to AADSAS that you will be requesting a paper LOE from a professor/dentist they give you a PDF file of the matching form that you can download (so IF you were actually going to ask your prof to write a paper LOE then you would print that matching form out and give it to them to attach it to their LOE). So you basically just save the PDF on your computer, and upload it to Interfolio. It gives you the option of uploading things to your account and "AADSAS Letter of Evaluation Matching Form" is one of them.

Word of advice: (I wish I had known this last year) If you are applying this June, and are def going to be using Interfolio then I would probably open an account and get working on getting the LOEs on file there. That way, as soon as AADSAS opens, you can just download matching forms, upload them to Interfolio and have it all on its way to AADSAS (literally within a few minutes of AADSAS opening if you want.) Its much easier to get professors to write LOE right now than chase them all over campus during finals or when the seem to disappear over the summer.

Hope this helps!

Again, thank you TerpFan 🙂
And yeh, I have been collecting LORs for the past 2 years. All thier recommendations are already saved in my account. I guess the only thing for me now is to get those matching forms downloaded from AADSAS when the cycle opens up (I think thats June 3rd)