# of Letters to Have

[Numba1Plumma]

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Typically, what is an appropriate number of letters to have? I know the minimum is 2 science and 1 non-science, but what is the upper limit for most of the medical schools? Of course, one should consider only the letters that are actually good, and not the junkosupremo, but hypothetically, if you can get 6 good letters, should you or do most schools set some sort of limit? Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

 

[hopki099]

It varies from school to school. Some will specifically set limits, like Rush (2), while others, like Minnesota will require 3 from just about anyone. Madison wants 4 (3 academic, one non-academic), and most of the schools I am applying to allow you to send up to 5 letters total. 5 is usually a reasonable amount to have, but who knows if ADCOMs will actually read all of them.

I have found it pretty helpful to just save all the admission office #s on my phone for quick, school-specific questions like these.

 

[DaisyBuchanan]

Paraphrasing from my pre-med advisor:

"Have 5 letters. The max we accept here is 6 for the letter packets we process, but 5 is best. Don't send 10 letters to schools, you'll come across as annoying and a kiss-up. If you don't have 5 quality letters, send as many as you can. If you aren't sure a person will write a good letter for you, it's best to just not have it in your packet."

 

[alwaysaangel]

Typically, what is an appropriate number of letters to have? I know the minimum is 2 science and 1 non-science, but what is the upper limit for most of the medical schools? Of course, one should consider only the letters that are actually good, and not the junkosupremo, but hypothetically, if you can get 6 good letters, should you or do most schools set some sort of limit? Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

How do letters work for you? Do you have a letter service at your college? A committee letter? Or are you just using interfolio?

I'm going to assume since you're asking your school doesn't have any sort of service and you will be sending the letters on your own and not in a packet sent from the school.

If thats the case then 6 is the most I ever saw allowed, most schools allowed fewer.

I had 6 letters when I applied. And what I sent to schools depended on the school. Only 2 accepted all 6. Most wanted 3-4.

 

[runrunrudolph1]

my pre-med advisor told me that anything over 5 looks too desperate, like you are overcompensating for something. so you are safe between 3-5

 

[Numba1Plumma]

The biology department at my school doesn't send out committee letters; you have to request the letters from individual professors. The reasoning behind this method is that the professors can write you a much more personalized letter.

 

[Rawls87]

I kept six to be safe. But DO NOT submit more letters than a school asks for. One bad letter can tank your application!

Send out the ones that glow to the ad-coms.

 

[Rawls87]

Btw:

I had 2 sci, 1 non-sci, 1 research, 1 volunteer, 1 clinical

 

[Movado1]

I just sent my committee packet (which required a minimum of 6 letters. 3 science, 2 non science, and 1 volunteering). They also wanted verification of volunteer hours (basically a letter saying xx completed y hours). On top of that I had a couple letters from doctors I've shadowed. Starting to rethink whether that will help or hurt me. Is it possible to only send part of a committee packet? Otherwise I don't think I had another choice.