LORs aren't allowed to be 1 year in advance.

[BennieBlanco]

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I met with a pre-health advisor today and she said NOT to get my LORs ready now for next year.

I send an LOR packet to a prof because the prof offered to write me an LOR unsolicited, so I figured NOW is better than a year from now since I am still fresh in her head. BUT then my advisor says to tell her to wait until next June (2010) when I am submitting my app.

Was that good advice?

 

[witness23]

you can tell that prof to upload it to interfolio

 

[FutureInternist]

Have the prof write one now & you can always ask later that they update it. This way atleast they will remember what they wrote & just have to change the date.

 

[physcigirl27]

I just asked my professor for one today because shes' gotten to know me and probably won't be coming back to teach next year at our school for personal reasons...Now I'm worried....

 

[mmmcdowe]

But did she say that she wouldn't accept it? Frankly, I agree with her. I waited until 6 months before to start collecting letters. Fresh is better. The adcom wants to know who you are and what you've done at the time of your applicaiton. Some of my most important experiences were in my junior year, and I would have hated not to have them for my writers to talk about. I agree though, just ask for an update in 6-9 months.

 

[nick_carraway]

I agree that most up-to-date is best, but whatcha gonna do. Just ask your professor to write the letter, but to save it on the computer until you need it later and to update the date or contents at that time.

 

[BennieBlanco]

I agree that most up-to-date is best, but whatcha gonna do. Just ask your professor to write the letter, but to save it on the computer until you need it later and to update the date or contents at that time.

I did purchase an interfolio account. I'm confused, should I ask her to send it in now (I already did) then also ask to save it on her computer and send the same one in next year?

Here is the thing, I won't see this prof any more because they don't teach higher level classes.

Or should I request not to send it in until next year right now?

 

[T15]

I say get the letter now, who knows what can happen in the next year, one of my professors passed away in the time between my taking a class with him and my applying to school. 2 of my three letters were about 3 years old and it didnt hurt me, at least I dont think so. Just make sure you have some a bit more recent.

 

[Kaustikos]

No No NO NO NO NO NO NO

Absolutely not

Get that letter when you can for SEVERAL reasons
1) Professor might not be there (I have had it happened to me and I thankfully got it taken care of before she retired)

2) Professors are busy and asking in advance is always a good thing. ESPECIALLY if you have a great relationship with him/her

3) Since when is waiting a good thing?👎

 

[Mattabet]

Agree with above, the pre-med advisor is wrong (gasp!)

Get that letter now, I'm not personally familiar with Interfolio, but I'm pretty sure you can send it now and they'll hold it until you need it, next year. If something big changes (in your favor) with the prof, you can always have him update later. But an unsolicited LoR is like a gold nugget falling in your lap, and your advisor is telling you to toss it away because the price of gold might be higher later.

 

[dw2158]

No No NO NO NO NO NO NO

Absolutely not

Get that letter when you can for SEVERAL reasons
1) Professor might not be there (I have had it happened to me and I thankfully got it taken care of before she retired)

2) Professors are busy and asking in advance is always a good thing. ESPECIALLY if you have a great relationship with him/her

3) Since when is waiting a good thing?👎

THIS. hardcore.

i'm taking two years off post-college. i collected my LORs during senior year, so they're a year old (submitted AMCAS today). every single person i've talked to (adcom member, pre-health advisor, etc) has told me i did the right thing. better to have the profs write about you while you're fresh in their minds. as long as the letter isn't like 7 years out of date by the time you apply you'll be FINE.

 

[theacks1]

If a health professions adviser tells you something that sounds stupid, you should ignore it. You'll find that you'll ignore a lot of what they say.

 

[mmmcdowe]

I agree that you should get it, but that doesn't mean you have to use it. If you have the option for them to update it, or to get fresher letters later, then I'd use those. However, if you are afraid of your professors dieing or intend to wait a while before medical school, better to have them than need them

 

[MadEvans]

Agree with above, the pre-med advisor is wrong (gasp!)

Has anyone EVER gone to an advisor and walked out thinking "Hey, I know something new"?

The only stories about advisors I have heard are that they:
-Are not helpful
-Have screwed up plans to graduate on time
-Would be jobless without the availability of the career "adviser"

Seriously guys, just get the most up to date course catalog and major info sheet and plan yourself.



Oh, and by the way. I got one of my letters of rec during my sophomore year.

 

[dw2158]

I agree that you should get it, but that doesn't mean you have to use it. If you have the option for them to update it, or to get fresher letters later, then I'd use those. However, if you are afraid of your professors dieing or intend to wait a while before medical school, better to have them than need them

i disagree. you don't need ALL of your letters to be from immediately before you submit. it is much better to have them written when the writers know and remember you. don't leave a huge gap of time with no letters, obviously, but having some or even most be a year or two old along with at least one very recent one is more than fine.

 

[pietachok]

I can confirm that I had LOR's as many as 5 years old. Only 2 LOR's were from the year I applied, and they were from my employers/MD's. No school complained about when the LOR's were written. It wouldn't make sense.

If a long time had elapsed since you went to school and you had done something significant and relevant to your app (let's say you worked for 3 years in healthcare), it would be weird and glaring that you didn't have an LOR from that job...but other than that, there is no reason to get them right before apps. I suppose it also looks good to have LOR's from more advanced courses from later in college for the same reason, but it is certainly not imperative and a stronger but older LOR will always be better than a weaker but newer LOR.

 

[flip26]

Get the letters when you can - strike while that iron is hot. It makes no sense to wait...too many things can go haywire in this process, and the weakest link for applicants is the LOR writer - I am still waiting on 2 freaking letters even though I requested them months ago, well before the rush, but the point is these are letters from people who could have written them a year ago if I had only bothered to ask...fortunately I have 2 key letters in Interfolio from writers who were on the ball...nonetheless, it is June, and "2 down, 2 to go" is a bad place to be...

 

[Kaustikos]

Get the letters when you can - strike while that iron is hot. It makes no sense to wait...too many things can go haywire in this process, and the weakest link for applicants is the LOR writer - I am still waiting on 2 freaking letters even though I requested them months ago, well before the rush, but the point is these are letters from people who could have written them a year ago if I had only bothered to ask...fortunately I have 2 key letters in Interfolio from writers who were on the ball...nonetheless, it is June, and "2 down, 2 to go" is a bad place to be...

realistically, you have until the end of June/early July before you actually need them. I understand the frustration and I would press them on as well. If they still don't have it by mid-late June, then I would threaten them....

 

[flip26]

realistically, you have until the end of June/early July before you actually need them. I understand the frustration and I would press them on as well. If they still don't have it by mid-late June, then I would threaten them....

I rattled their cages this morning, sending them my final PS, which I noted was submitted with my app yesterday...one already wrote back to say no later than middle of next week...I am not in panic mode, but mid month that may be another matter...

Really I am kicking myself for not asking for these letters a year ago, when that iron was hot...

 

[Kaustikos]

I rattled their cages this morning, sending them my final PS, which I noted was submitted with my app yesterday...one already wrote back to say no later than middle of next week...I am not in panic mode, but mid month that may be another matter...

Really I am kicking myself for not asking for these letters a year ago, when that iron was hot...

Hence why we both say that you'd have to be an idiot if you didn't ask for letters at the earliest. Advisors need to get with the times/program and Universities hiring these people need to reevaluate the credentials required to become one. I've seen pre-meds on this forum with better advice than advisors.

 

[flip26]

Hence why we both say that you'd have to be an idiot if you didn't ask for letters at the earliest. Advisors need to get with the times/program and Universities hiring these people need to reevaluate the credentials required to become one. I've seen pre-meds on this forum with better advice than advisors.

Exactly.

I am always willing to share my insights, some of them gained the hard way. Get those letters early - get an Interfolio account for long term storage. The only remaining glitch, other than some processing problem at AMCAS, are the letters I am waiting on...

I have never even once talked to my college pre med advisor about any kind of "advice." Only for deadlines, etc. I could not care less what his/her opinion is on anything related to this process.

 

[BennieBlanco]

Thanks guys! I am grateful for and appreciate the help.

It seems like the consensus in here is to get the letter a year early if you can (it may even be preferred to have it earlier).

When I told my advisor that I had requested the letter 1 year in advance she immediately said it was bad. A flag went off in my mind, why would it be bad if I'm fresh in the prof's mind? A year from now the prof will forget half the stuff that happened!

This site is great to bounce ideas off of soldiers in the battlefield rather than the academics who are well versed in THEORY.

Cheers.