LOR hell

[SaintJude]

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Unfortunately, I didn't know of SDN until a few months ago so I knew nothing about Interfolio.

Last year I asked all my recommenders to send their recommendations to my school, b/c my school has a committee that writes a letter packet. So they apparently combine the packet and send it to my schools.

However they are not accepting letter requests until July.1. ?! Should I submit my individual letters into the AMCAS in June? Unfortunately, none of my letters included my AMCAS ID, so what should I do????

😕 Please someone help!

 

[235788]

Unfortunately, I didn't know of SDN until a few months ago so I knew nothing about Interfolio.

Last year I asked all my recommenders to send their recommendations to my school, b/c my school has a committee that writes a letter packet. So they apparently combine the packet and send it to my schools.

However they are not accepting letter requests until July.1. ?! Should I submit my individual letters into the AMCAS in June? Unfortunately, none of my letters included my AMCAS ID, so what should I do????

😕 Please someone help!

I went through teh same thing (well kinda)


My pre-med advisor was screwing me and not answering my emails about sending the letters in. So I emailed my letter writers explaining to them the situation and asked them to virtually upload their letter, including my amcas ID and on letterhead to the amcas site.

They all did it without a problem. Its very simple. You just create a form - send them the URL or something and the letter ID #. None of them had any issues.

 

[235788]

You don't need your LORs for AMCAS verification. Your application won't be reviewed without your committee letter, but it won't be held against you. You're only responsible for getting the materials that you control in as early as possible. LORs are not one of them. A mid to early July letter release won't be a hindrance to an early review of your application.

If you're still concerned, follow Holy FranZ's advice and get your recommenders to submit their letters directly to interfolio so you can forward them to AMCAS yourself:

doesn't interfolio cost money? I had them go directly to AMCAS through their FREE letter service.

 

[SaintJude]

Thanks. Get this: My school committee's website actually says:

*LETTERS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE BEFORE AUGUST 1**

Seriously??! So I should definetely submit my letters separetely for those schools who will consider without my commitee letter then, right?

 

[theWUbear]

People start getting interviews mid-July (early decision people late June). Your pre-med committee is negatively affecting your chances (there's no denying it), but it is also not the end of the world to not be among the earliest.

Bottom line: your pre-med committee hurts the chances of its applicants.

 

[SaintJude]

Care to disclose which school you attend?

I will once this process is over TO WARN OTHERS. I think I'll just opt to send individual letters and will not designate that I'm participating in the packet letter on AMCAS. Then when my committe letter comes in--in mid-f***** August--can I then just add that letter as an "update"?

Is this a good idea?

 

[SaintJude]

For interfolio, if the letter is electronic, does they still have to be on a letter head?

 

[theWUbear]

You might actually consider not using your committee. Late submission sounds like a valid reason not to use it. Just be sure to explain this succinctly and dispassionately in your application.

What OP needs to decide is whether or not August letters are late enough that interfolio+later committee letter + additional hassle is a better option for him. It might be a better option to have everything else in and be complete with letters ~August 7th.

OP: remember throughout all this to treat your committee with respect and not get irritated despite their shortcomings - they have all the power

 

[Cortisolic]

I'm in a similar boat, my school doesn't begin to review and write committee letters until July 1 and I've been told they ALWAYS get way behind and some don't get submitted until late August. (their method of keeping things "fair" is to draw names out of a hat to decide who gets looked at first)

I'm doing what FranZ suggested as well as emailing admissions for each of the schools explaining the situation and asking if they would be ok with individual letters in the interest of time. So far the responses have been really useful.

 

[SaintJude]

Oh my gosh, this story is getting funnier as it unfolds. Get this: The committe letter is already WRITTEN (b/c I had asked for it last year) !!

They just won't release until August. wonderful... WON-der-ful.

 

[SaintJude]

I'm doing what FranZ suggested as well as emailing admissions for each of the schools explaining the situation and asking if they would be ok with individual letters in the interest of time. So far the responses have been really useful.

What have some of the admission committee suggested? Do tell, please. B/c this is ridiculous.

 

[1289]

reading threads like this makes me SO happy my school doesn't have a committee.

 

[SnowyRox]

Our school's committee interviews throughout February & March (after having received the 6 LORs) and has the letters ready by the end of May.

I thought that was standard...

 

[hopeful22213]

I'm a non-trad and in a similar boat to the August 1 situation. I took my pre-reqs at a school that uses a committee letter, and because everyone has always suggested it looks bad to not have a com. letter from schools that use them, I've gone through the process. But it won't be available til August 1st!

As if the annoying hoops we're required to jump through just to get the committee letter aren't enough (multiple fees, so much essay writing, mock interviews, etc.) now it's going to delay my apps from being complete.

Especially because I was just a post-bacc student there I absolutely regret going through the process. I wish I'd just had my LORs sent to interfolio and controlled my own fate with respect to submission. Argh.

 

[SaintJude]

What OP needs to decide is whether or not August letters are late enough that interfolio+later committee letter + additional hassle is a better option for him. It might be a better option to have everything else in and be complete with letters ~August 7th.

OP: remember throughout all this to treat your committee with respect and not get irritated despite their shortcomings - they have all the power

I mean, yes, you're right. At the end of the day, I do really appreciate that the committee sat together to write a letter. But this doesn't change the fact their timing is delaying my application. I honestly think that most of them sitting on the committee don't even realize that this is hurting our chances

One last question: Does the committee send the packet via mail to AMCAS? Is that how it's processed?

 

[Beekachu]

I definitely understand your frustration with having a committee LOR hold up the processing of your application, but being complete ~the first week of August (or really in August at all) is far from being "late". It might even be on the early side of the average. So chill out.

The rule of thumb that I've heard floating around here (although I didn't quite follow it) is to have everything complete and received by all schools before Labor Day.

 

[dadaism]

If it's going to delay your application then just go with individual letters. I went to a college which did offer a committee letter, but I chose not to use it. From what I can tell, no school faulted me for it since I interviewed and received acceptance to several top programs.

 

[SaintJude]

I definitely understand your frustration with having a committee LOR hold up the processing of your application, but being complete ~the first week of August (or really in August at all) is far from being "late". It might even be on the early side of the average. So chill out.

The rule of thumb that I've heard floating around here (although I didn't quite follow it) is to have everything complete and received by all schools before Labor Day.

Normally, I wouldn't reply but I don't want your comment to mislead other young'uns in the future who may go through the same things. Hopefully this will be a cautionary tale for others.

Beekachu, you submitted your AMCAS in August 1 and got verified in September ?! That's late. Imagine my app being verified in October with stats not nearly as good as yours (you had a 39 MCAT! and a 3.95 gpa) And who knows you may have been accepted (yup, some deans of admissions have told me it's very possibe) to more schools had you submitted June...you'll never know...

 

[Arbor Vitae]

Oh my gosh, this story is getting funnier as it unfolds. Get this: The committe letter is already WRITTEN (b/c I had asked for it last year) !!

They just won't release until August. wonderful... WON-der-ful.

Mine is doing the exact same thing to me. So I had all my letters uploaded directly to AMCAS. I feel that these committees are secretly giving their favorites preferential treatment and sending them out first or earlier. What do you guys think? Why do they do it this way?

 

[tak08810]

I'm in the same boat, my school's pre-med committee doesn't even begin reviewing until July. I don't really know what to do though, and my school is prestigious enough I assume it knows what they're doing. It seems the norm for committees to do this, so I assume it's not a big deal.

If you send your recommendations individually to the schools, wouldn't they wait until they get the committee letter anyways before making a decision? Would that actually help?

Edit: Wait from everything I've heard and read it's apparently a bad idea to NOT use a committee letter if it's not available. Is there any evidence to the contrary?

 

[Arbor Vitae]

I'm in the same boat, my school's pre-med committee doesn't even begin reviewing until July. I don't really know what to do though, and my school is prestigious enough I assume it knows what they're doing. It seems the norm for committees to do this, so I assume it's not a big deal.

If you send your recommendations individually to the schools, wouldn't they wait until they get the committee letter anyways before making a decision? Would that actually help?

Not if you don't assign the letter to schools before AMCAS receives it. Then the schools won't even know it's coming.

 

[tak08810]

Not if you don't assign the letter to schools before AMCAS receives it. Then the schools won't even know it's coming.

Okay so you're basically advising to forgo the committee entirely.

I think I'd rather take the risk of being a month "late" with my LORs than having to explain why I didn't get a pre-med committee letter...

 

[Arbor Vitae]

Okay so you're basically advising to forgo the committee entirely.

I think I'd rather take the risk of being a month "late" with my LORs than having to explain why I didn't get a pre-med committee letter...

No, I'm advising you to not assign your committee letter to any schools on AMCAS until after AMCAS receives it. You can send in all your other letters instead of having a packet, and wait until AMCAS receives your committee letter to assign it to schools.

If the schools have a problem and contact you for not having a committee letter before this, which I doubt they well, then you can explain your reasoning.

This way they at least won't put off reviewing your file while waiting for a committee letter.

 

[JCTWP46]

It does, but I'd just suggest using interfolio (or a similar service) so you have the letters preserved for the future (i.e. in the worst case scenario of reapplication). For me, (a reapplicant) the peace of mind knowing I have those letters saved is worth $20 price tag.

Is it okay to use letters from the previous year's cycle for a reapplication cycle?

First time applicant here, just curious.

 

[serendipity007]

No, I'm advising you to not assign your committee letter to any schools on AMCAS until after AMCAS receives it. You can send in all your other letters instead of having a packet, and wait until AMCAS receives your committee letter to assign it to schools.

If the schools have a problem and contact you for not having a committee letter before this, which I doubt they well, then you can explain your reasoning.

This way they at least won't put off reviewing your file while waiting for a committee letter.

Thought I would mildly revive this thread. So, my school also has a committee and they claim to submit their letter in August 😱 I am not applying till next year and I have already heard of enough committee letter horror stories to make me wary of it.

I like MuAgonist's advice. Does anyone else want to chime in? Thanks!

 

[Praefectus]

Could you un-assign and then re-assign your letters after a day or two in order to make your application complete?

 

[Haislip]

Don't sweat it. You can only play the cards you are dealt the best you can