LOR Number and When to Send

[anestheticman]

---

Members do not see this ad.

OK so if I am getting 5-6 letters and only 2 are in right now, what is the best plan for submitting my applications?
Submit without any letters until I get some word from the Dean's office about how strong they are?

More importantly, how on Earth do I find out how many letters a program wants or will accept? I will just send 4 to each if I can.

 

[abefromann]

how do you know when the letters are "in", as you say?

 

[mlw03]

abe - many schools will let you call someone in student affairs and simply ask, "how many of my letters of rec have been turned into your office."

the the OP: go to the program's website. some don't say, some say 3, some say up to 4. i've been told that if a website says 3 and you submit 4 they see it as a sign that you either 1) don't care enough to do your homework on a program's requirements or 2) don't follow directions well.

 

[HiddenTruth]

I have a question on this note too. If I am expecting most of my letters (3) by the end of the 1st wk of september, is it worth it to hold off on the submission? Will my app even get reviewd without any letters, and is there any real advantage to submitting it sept 1st vs. sept 10th or something (arbitrary of course)? Thanks.

 

[DoctorWannaBe]

abe - many schools will let you call someone in student affairs and simply ask, "how many of my letters of rec have been turned into your office."

the the OP: go to the program's website. some don't say, some say 3, some say up to 4. i've been told that if a website says 3 and you submit 4 they see it as a sign that you either 1) don't care enough to do your homework on a program's requirements or 2) don't follow directions well.

Some of the programs I've looked at have different info on FREIDA and the program's website in regards to the number of LOR required. Is the program's website more accurate? I'd hate to be one of those who look like they can't follow directions!

 

[NotAProgDirector]

I sense panic in this thread.

First of all, no one is really going to care whether you submit 3 or 4 letters. Really.

I guess, if you're applying to the top plastics/ortho/rads/derm programs in the country and all of their applicants are 260+ on both steps and straight honors and have LOR's from God him/herself, well then maybe whether you sumitted 3 or 4 letters is going to matter. Else, not.

If you submit 5-6 letters, people will look at that as simply rude, indecisive, incompetent, or stupid. Take your pick.

So, my LOR advice is as follows:

1. If your medical school generates a Chairman's letter, that counts as one.
2. Ask for three letters at the end of your third year (four if no chairman's letter).
3. Of those 4 letters, you will only submit 3. You asked for an extra letter in Step 2 to deal with the idiot attending who never gets around to writing your letter.
4. You ask for a fourth year letter in Aug or Sept (July if you happen to get a Sub-I early), and add that to your application when it's ready.

Getting your app in anytime before Oct 15th is unlikely to cause you any problems. Most competitive programs will not review apps until after Nov 1st, and most non competitive programs will not care about your application date.