LOR's - does VMCAS store them; can I reuse ones from last year?

[meadow36]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Or do I have to get all of my references to rewrite new LOR's?

 

[SillyFilly]

Redone. Nothing is saved year to year - PITA, even if you saved it, just to redo! 😛

 

[twelvetigers]

But I think it's technically allowed if your reccomendation people resubmit the same letter, or something mostly similar. I asked my people to save them because I kind of saw this coming... heh.

 

[NoleDevil]

I've been wondering the same thing. I think the best thing to do would be to contact each school you're applying to about it. I'm pretty sure I remember seeing on Tufts' application that you could use the same ones from the previous year (although their app isn't through VMCAS).

 

[projekt]

VMCAS purges your application, so you get to enjoy entering all of your information into their lousy application as many times as you apply. This alone makes the 4+ time applicant heroic in my opinion.

Hopefully, your references saved their letters. If they did not, you should ask them to save them the next time around. Not everyone gets in the first time.

Some references will add/modify the letter the second time, others will not. That's up to them. You may want a different mix of letters the second time, and you should probably have at least one more recent letter, to show progress.

 

[FlyOnTheWall]

Before you just copy and paste (or ask your letter writers to send again) consult with the schools you applied to and get feedback.

I can't stress the importance of file review/post mortem interviews enough. Many times there are things in personal statements or LOR's that could be improved upon.

If it didn't work this year.. don't assume it's as good as it can be.

 

[meadow36]

I am positive that my references were one of my strongest points, hence the question. I just hate to bug these busy people for another letter, but hopefully they saved the ones from last year and can just update them. One person I haven't talked to since last year.

Thanks for the info.

 

[projekt]

A word of advice for the future applicant: if your LORs are all paper, when you ask a busy veterinarian to send another next year, it's easy for them. If they have to go online again and re-enter everything into the form, it's hard.

I think if we make a conscious effort to always send paper LORs, VMCAS can be convinced to start saving the electronic ones from year to year.

 

[VAgirl]

A word of advice for the future applicant: if your LORs are all paper, when you ask a busy veterinarian to send another next year, it's easy for them. If they have to go online again and re-enter everything into the form, it's hard.

I think if we make a conscious effort to always send paper LORs, VMCAS can be convinced to start saving the electronic ones from year to year.

Yea, or we could all just be disqualified from the schools that require eLORs. That'd be bad. When they have rules, it helps to play by them. Especially when everyone else is.

 

[projekt]

Yea, or we could all just be disqualified from the schools that require eLORs. That'd be bad. When they have rules, it helps to play by them. Especially when everyone else is.

I don't understand you. Just because the schools require eLORs, it doesn't mean they have to be filled out online. You put them in the eLOR system and have the vet mail a letter to VMCAS.

Now, it's true that VMCAS sometimes has trouble associating those letters with the applicants, but that's another story.

Are there schools that will reject paper eLORs? I can't imagine that!

 

[VAgirl]

I don't understand you. Just because the schools require eLORs, it doesn't mean they have to be filled out online. You put them in the eLOR system and have the vet mail a letter to VMCAS.

Now, it's true that VMCAS sometimes has trouble associating those letters with the applicants, but that's another story.

Are there schools that will reject paper eLORs? I can't imagine that!

CSU and another school, I think UMinn or MSU(?) don't accept paper LORs. CSU was very upfront about it. The other school didn't display that piece of info as prominently, and there were some folks this year who applied with a paper LOR (even though their recommender was registered in VMCAS electronically) and the applicant was rejected because their LORs didn't conform to the school's requirement. I.e. because the letter wasn't submitted electronically.

 

[rustysmom]

Michigan State does not accept paper LORs - they only accept electronically submitted LORs. If you send a paper LOR to Michigan State (even if your reviewer is entered electronically on VMCAS), they will reject your application.

If I'm remembering correctly, Michigan State is also very upfront about the requirement for eLORs on their web site.

 

[projekt]

Okay, so not all schools play by the same rules. One of my LOR vets doesn't use computers, ever. It seems rather inconsiderate to force this vet to use a computer.