Letters for fellowship

[peppy]

When applying to a fellowship that doesn't use ERAS, how do you handle letters of rec? Am I supposed to have my letter writers send out original letters to each program? Will I be dinged if I have the writer give me copies and send the letters myself (since I'm assuming they expect the letters to be confidential as they are for residency application)?
It seems like an imposition to have the letter writers send multiple copies of their letters.
How did others handle this?

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[mcl]

When applying to a fellowship that doesn't use ERAS, how do you handle letters of rec? Am I supposed to have my letter writers send out original letters to each program? Will I be dinged if I have the writer give me copies and send the letters myself (since I'm assuming they expect the letters to be confidential as they are for residency application)?
It seems like an imposition to have the letter writers send multiple copies of their letters.
How did others handle this?

In my life Pre-ERAS, the person requesting the letter would provide the program name, address, and PD's name for each program. The person writing the letter would dictate or email one letter that would go to all programs. I'd format the letter and do a mail merge, then print the envelope for each letter. It wasn't my most-fun task, but it wasn't difficult, either. Technology has probably advanced to make the process even easier now. Unless you are the first person in your program pursuing a non-ERAS fellowship, your letter writers (and their staff) probably have developed their own system. If you want to make a good impression, you could call your letter writers' admin offices to see how they prefer to manage requests for letters and what information they need from you. That's also a good time to slip in a polite reference to deadlines. Having a reasonable due-by date can help the administrator prioritize the task for the letter writer.

 

[pseudoknot]

I just had my program coordinator send them out. We shall see if this works.