~*~*~*~*~* Offical Letters of Evaluation Questions Thread 2022-2023 *~*~*~*~*~

[chilly_md]

Disclaimer: This post was not written by me, it has been passed down through the ages over a campfire.

This thread is for 2022-2023 applicants (those who will be entering medical school in 2023) to ask questions about letters of recommendation.

Any separate threads in Pre-Allo dealing with this topic will be merged into this thread.

Before asking a question, PLEASE READ THE FAQ, both here in this thread AND on the AMCAS website! It is quite possible that your question will have already been answered. If you think that you have a different take on a question in the FAQ, acknowledge this in your question; everyone in pre-allo will be much more likely to help you out if they think you've done due diligence.

LINK TO LAST YEAR'S THREAD

Also, each thread has a search function. Please use it before asking your question by clicking the "Search this Thread" button near the top of the page.

This thread is brought to you by the Pre-Allopathic Volunteer Staff. Ask away, and good luck!!


Frequently Asked Questions

1. What kinds of letters do I need to apply to medical school?
For most schools, you need a MINIMUM of two letters from science professors, and 1 letter from a non-science professor. If you have done research, a letter from your PI is also recommended, especially at research-intensive schools. (If you know of any exceptions to this rule, feel free to post in this thread with citations and I will add them). Other letters that may be helpful: a letter from an employer who knows your skills well, a letter from a physician you shadowed/worked with who knows your skills well, a letter from a volunteer coordinator who knows your skills well. The key is that the letters be exceptional. A detailed letter that can give clear examples of why you are an excellent candidate for medical school will generally trump a tepid letter from a famous person. Every school is different. Please check each school's individual letter requirements by visiting their website.A copy of an XLS spreadsheet from 2010 is attached to this post. The accuracy of this spreadsheet is unknown so be sure to check individual school websites! Keep in mind that a committee letter usually overrides any specific school requirements listed on the spreadsheet.

1a. But doesn't every school have different letter requirements?
Yes, they do. Do your homework, buy an MSAR (I hear from this thread that the way to go is to buy online access because the hard copy is not as useful:http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=811023), and look at the school websites. Also, AMCAS has a link to every school; use it and figure out what you need for the schools you're applying to. https://www.aamc.org/students/applyi...ating_schools/You can get a rough idea from the attached XLS spreadsheet but check school websites to confirm.
1b. But do I really really have to get X type of letter? (2 non-science, 1 science, a letter from my PI)
The short answer: yes. The long answer: Maybe...it depends on the school. No one on SDN can answer this for you. But the general rule in medical school admissions is do what you are told. Get the two science letters. If you can't...call the schools you're applying to and see if they will make an exception. But be aware that the answer may be no.

2. I am a non-traditional student and have been out of school for awhile. Can I get around the letter requirements?
The simple answer is probably no. If you are a non-traditional student, this doesn't mean that you have an easier time getting into medical school; the same hoops still need to be jumped through. Being out of school for awhile is likely a problem in itself; schools want to see recent evidence that you can handle the coursework necessary to get through medical school. Take some classes, form relationships, and get the letters you need to. If you must, you can contact each school individually to see if they would be ok with you submitting alternate letters, but be aware that the answer may be "no".

3. My school has a medical school admissions committee, and they produce a committee letter. But the letter won't be released until really LATE! (August, September, October). Can I just skip the committee and collect my own letters?
The general wisdom on this topic is that if your school has a committee, USE IT! If you don't, you will be asked why and will need a very good reason. You are circumventing the committee at your own risk.

4. How/when can I submit letters of req to AMCAS?
Once the application opens in May, you may begin submitting letters to AMCAS. Before you can mail a letter in, you must "create' the letter in your AMCAS application. This involves you telling AMCAS who the letter writer is and naming the letter in AMCAS. AMCAS will then give this letter an ID number. It is important for you to give your letter writer both your AMCAS ID number and the Letter ID number to avoid any snafus with lost letters. Your letter writer can then mail the letter into AMCAS with these two pieces of information, and the letter will be uploaded to your file and will be available to assign to any school you wish. I am told that while AMCAS will accept documents without your AMCAS ID on them, you MUST have the Letter ID or AMCAS will not accept it. I don't have firsthand knowledge of whether or not this is true.

You can create and submit letters at any time, including after you submit your application and after you are verified. This is one of the few parts of the application you can edit after submission.

5. Do I have to know which letters are going to which school when I first submit my AMCAS application?
NO! You can submit your application without assigning letters. Again, this is one of the few parts of the application that can be altered later. HOWEVER, once you assign a letter to a school, you CANNOT un-assign it. If the letter is present in AMCAS, and you assign it to a school, it WILL go to that school. However, if you "create" the letter in AMCAS, assign it to a school, but your letter writer never sends the letter in, you can notify AMCAS (and the school, through the AMCAS application) that the letter will no longer be sent.

6. How many schools use the AMCAS Letter service?
This year, it looks like all but 4 schools that participate in AMCAS are participating in the letter service. Those non-participating schools are:
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center School of Medicinein Shreveport
Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans
Universidad Central Del Caribe
University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine.

The participating schools can be found here: https://www.aamc.org/students/applyi...ating_schools/

7. Is it in my best interest to have my letter writers write different letters for each school?
Probably not. AMCAS can only hold a maximum of 10 letters for you. If you need a minimum of 3 letters for each school, these slots will be used up rather quickly.

8. What are letter services such as Interfolio, and why do people use them?
Interfolio and other companies provide secure online letter holding services. You can have your letters uploaded to these services at any time so that you're not scrambling at the last minute (or during the summer!) to get letters into your application. This can be especially beneficial when you are 9 months or so out from your planned application cycle, but know the professor you have NOW will write you a great letter. You can have them write the letter, upload it to a letter service, and then many months later have the letter sent to AMCAS once the application opens. When you do this, you have the ability to add on both your AMCAS ID and the Letter ID to the letter. All your letter writer needs to do is upload the letter (or mail it in) on letterhead and with a signature. These sites are secure and they do not allow you to read the letter beforehand.

9. What else about letters do I need to know?
Your letter must be SIGNED, and should be on OFFICIAL LETTERHEAD whenever possible. This is something that holds people up every year. Some schools will even hold up your application because of this. Also, AMCAS has a beautiful FAQ dealing with letters here: https://www.aamc.org/students/applyi...ding_page.html

10. How should I ask someone for a letter of req?
On this one, I will give my own experience. For each letter writer, I prepared a packet. In the packet I had:
A list of all of my science grades (or non-science grades for a non-science prof)
A copy of my resume
A rough draft of my personal statement
The AAMC Guidelines for letter writers, a reminder that the letter needed to be signed and on letterhead.

Before handing them this (because who wants all that before they even say yes!) I asked them point blank if they "would feel comfortable writing me a strong letter of recommendation for medical school". Always do this in person!!! If they hesitate...walk away. Seriously. You don't want this person writing your letter.

When they enthusiastically said yes, I pulled the packet out of my backpack and gave it to them.

Because I used Interfolio, I did not need to provide them with my AMCAS ID or Letter ID, but instead told them that they would get an email from Interfolio that evening with instructions on how to upload the letter. Give them a FIRM deadline (2-4 weeks seems to work best) for when you need the letter. Don't ask at the last minute. Don't ask when you think a billion other people will be asking. Do offer to provide them with any other supplementary information they would like. And do give them a thank-you note (and maybe a Starbucks card) when they submit the letter.

11. OMG! My letter writer has not written my letter!!! It has been minutes/hours/days/weeks/months and I'm freaking out!! What do I do!?
First, stop by or email and gently remind them that you need the letter by X date. If this doesn't work, I have given them a premature Thank-You note with a small token, and this seems to light a fire. I recommended this method to someone on SDN last year and it apparently worked like a charm.

If this isn't working....you do the same thing you do whenever something goes awry - find a plan B. Ask someone else...two other people even, just in case this person does not come through. You can't have too many letters. But you can have too few.

12. Do I have to waive my right to see the letters?
No. But if you don't schools might not see them as letters that carry much weight. Waive your right. If you know the person well enough, you should have a pretty good idea of what they are going to write.

13. If I apply this June, and I have given every school my 5 chosen LOR's with committee letter through AMCAS virtual evals upload by my prehealth office, and then I get anther LOR over the summer/fall and want to send it to all schools in December, do I have to have the prof mail it to all 25 schools or will AMCAS distribute it?

or, tl;dr: Can I submit my application without the letters?
You can add a letter at ANY time in AMCAS, have it sent to AMCAS, and AMCAS will distribute it.
You may want to shoot an email to each school letting them know to expect another letter just in case. They should be updating your file continuously (they will want your current contact info, and often people change their addresses mid cycle) but they may not always do it in a timely manner.

Please send me a PM if you know of additional questions suitable for the FAQ.

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[Vistian]

Hello,

The Hospice Volunteer Coordinator (whom I report to) and the Volunteer Service Manager (their boss) want to both co-sign the same letter for that experience. I couldn't find anything that says medical schools forbid or frown upon that, but I wanted to clarify. Will this be OK or should I request that only 1 of them sign the letter? They both know me equally well. Thanks.

 

[chilly_md]

Hello,

The Hospice Volunteer Coordinator (whom I report to) and the Volunteer Service Manager (their boss) want to both co-sign the same letter for that experience. I couldn't find anything that says medical schools forbid or frown upon that, but I wanted to clarify. Will this be OK or should I request that only 1 of them sign the letter? They both know me equally well. Thanks.

Who actually wrote the letter?

 

[Vistian]

Who actually wrote the letter?

The Volunteer Service Manager with input from the Volunteer Coordinator.

 

[chilly_md]

The Volunteer Service Manager with input from the Volunteer Coordinator.

Just have the service manager sign and submit it then.

 

[1nygiantsfan]

I have a doctor who i shadowed that might submit the LOR way too late for my health professions office to process in a timely fashion for the letter packet. Can I submit a LOR to interfolio separately from the letter packet?

 

[chilly_md]

I have a doctor who i shadowed that might submit the LOR way too late for my health professions office to process in a timely fashion for the letter packet. Can I submit a LOR to interfolio separately from the letter packet?

Yes you can do that. Though, if the letter is from a physician you shadowed, it is likely of little use to the majority of MD schools.

 

[flynnic]

I am planning to include 3 LORs in my committee letter packet, but I just remembered I have one LOR from a professor back from 2019 stored on interfolio. I ended up holding off on applying back then and the professor has since retired. I'm assuming it's a great letter, I worked very closely with that prof, but would it hurt me to include it seeing it's from 3 years ago? I can't reach the professor anymore because he no longer works at my school so I can't get him to change the date on it.

 

[chilly_md]

I am planning to include 3 LORs in my committee letter packet, but I just remembered I have one LOR from a professor back from 2019 stored on interfolio. I ended up holding off on applying back then and the professor has since retired. I'm assuming it's a great letter, I worked very closely with that prof, but would it hurt me to include it seeing it's from 3 years ago? I can't reach the professor anymore because he no longer works at my school so I can't get him to change the date on it.

It should be fine if your other letters are recent.

 

[boomertexas]

Yes you can do that. Though, if the letter is from a physician you shadowed, it is likely of little use to the majority of MD schools.

Sorry why is it of little use from a physician you shadowed? Do physician letters hold less weight than I thought?

 

[chilly_md]

Sorry why is it of little use from a physician you shadowed? Do physician letters hold less weight than I thought?

They are of little substance. In essence, they say “boomertexas shadowed me and was bright, inquisitive and punctual.” This is based on a few days with the applicant, but even if the student shadowed for longer, it is useless. DO schools require physician letters though and there are a few MD schools that break the trend and would like to see one (Hackensack and the Arizona schools).

 

[boomertexas]

They are of little substance. In essence, they say “boomertexas shadowed me and was bright, inquisitive and punctual.” This is based on a few days with the applicant, but even if the student shadowed for longer, it is useless. DO schools require physician letters though and there are a few MD schools that break the trend and would like to see one (Hackensack and the Arizona schools).

Yikes!! I’m a non-trad HCW so I work closely with doctors every day. I have an old committee letter and one other professor letter from my online grad program, but otherwise it's all physicians. If we've established a closer relationship than just shadowing, do you think that's more substantial? I’m not sure if I can still make any changes on AMCAS but I might be able to add to AACOMAS.

 

[chilly_md]

Yikes!! I’m a non-trad HCW so I work closely with doctors every day. I have an old committee letter and one other professor letter from my online grad program, but otherwise it's all physicians. If we've established a closer relationship than just shadowing, do you think that's more substantial? I’m not sure if I can still make any changes on AMCAS but I might be able to add to AACOMAS.

If you work alongside them or they have functioned as a supervisor, then that is different. It is common for non-trad students to use employer letters.

 

[frenchtoastmed]

If the medical school does not specify which "academic professors" the letter of recc. should be from, is there an unsaid rule that 2 LOR should be from science professors?

I have 2 science professors who wrote me a LOR (1 biology professor from college and 1 microbiology professor from my Special Master's program at a med school), however, I may want to use 1 from a non-science professor who I suspect wrote a much better letter / knows me better as a student.

For a med school with a Max of 4 letters, I will use:
1. Current physician I have been working for during my gap year
2. Director of my pre-health advising committee from undergrad
3. Biology professor from the SMP program
4. Biology professor from college (OK Letter I suspect), OR Non-science professor (but great LOR based on my relationship with them)

Obviously I can't read any of these letters so I can't confirm the quality for certain, but is it more important to select the better quality LOR, or stick to 2 SCIENCE faculty letters? (I also have a letter from the director of my SMP program, but that one is very generic i assume, so I won't use that for schools with a max of 4 letters.)

Thank you so, so much. I've been debating for days and need to just submit soon. Just want to know how important it is to select 2 *Science* faculty members.

 

[chilly_md]

If the medical school does not specify which "academic professors" the letter of recc. should be from, is there an unsaid rule that 2 LOR should be from science professors?

I have moved your post to the main Letters of Evaluation thread to serve as a reference to other applicants.

It would be advisable to use 2 science faculty LORs as they would best be able to speak about your academic capabilities for medical school.

 

[DrUranium]

Hi I know that you don't need LoRs to submit yet, but I Was wondeing if I still had to put in the names of my recommenders? Or should I click "I have no letters to add" ?

 

[DrUranium]

I strongly recommend that applicants DO NOT, REPEAT, DO NOT add names or assign ANY letters until the letters are actually in AMCAS. This will not, repeat, will not delay your AMCAS application in any way. Letters are not part of the verification process nor do schools need the names of recommenders. Letters are transmitted to schools in one business day after they in AMCAS and assigned to a school. Again, do not assign any letter to any school until the letter is actually in AMCAS.

The reason I strongly recommend this is once a letter is assigned you cannot remove it. So you want to make damn sure the letter exists before you assign it

Hi, I did not assign any letters and didn't plan on it until I had the ones I needed in! I was asking about just adding them onto AMCAS. In AMCAS, before you submit your app, you are given the option to add LoRs (Not necessarily assign them) or click a 'I do not have any LoRs' button. I was wondering if clicking the latter would mean that I would no longer be able to add the names of my recommenders to the application!

 

[frenchtoastmed]

I have moved your post to the main Letters of Evaluation thread to serve as a reference to other applicants.

It would be advisable to use 2 science faculty LORs as they would best be able to speak about your academic capabilities for medical scho Even if my public health professor letter is of a much better quality/personable?It is more important to submit the 2 science?

I have moved your post to the main Letters of Evaluation thread to serve as a reference to other applicants.

It would be advisable to use 2 science faculty LORs as they would best be able to speak about your academic capabilities for medical school.

I see. I guess my question is- Is it still better to choose 2 science automatically, if one of my public health professors i believe wrote a better quality / more personable letter about my academic abilities? Would it be better in this case To send one science and one non-science (the public health professor)? Sorry just want to double check as I am about to make a final decision and want my LOR to be chosen as wisely as possible. Thanks so much.

 

[chilly_md]

I see. I guess my question is- Is it still better to choose 2 science automatically, if one of my public health professors i believe wrote a better quality / more personable letter about my academic abilities? Would it be better in this case To send one science and one non-science (the public health professor)? Sorry just want to double check as I am about to make a final decision and want my LOR to be chosen as wisely as possible. Thanks so much.

You should omit the letter from the Director of your pre-health advising committee from undergrad. If this is not a committee letter, it is likely unnecessary.

 

[chilly_md]

Hello, so I accidentally assigned all 5 letters to every school on my primary app before submitting it (yes, bad move. Should’ve read this thread first). Only one of these is actually submitted in AMCAS. Some of my schools have max of 3 or 4 letters. Can I mark 2 letters that haven’t been sent yet as “no longer being sent” and then add them in again as 2 new letters? Also, do ADCOMS see any letters that are marked as “no longer being sent?”

Per page 52 of the AMCAS guide, when you mark a letter as "No Longer Being Sent", you must agree to the following:

“I understand that if the AMCAS program receives this letter at any time during this application cycle, the program will forward it to the medical
school(s) that I have selected to receive this letter.”

If only a few schools you have applied to have a max of 3-4 letters, it might be better to just send all 5 instead of having 2 "No Longer Being Sent" letters on your app to every school.

 

[chilly_md]

Do you think it’s worse to send more letters than the max to a school or for them to see that a letter is no longer being sent?

Which schools are they? Whether they are a reach for your stats or are your state schools could determine if it’s worth dealing with this issue and having your letter writers re-upload letters.

 

[KnightDoc]

If I send 5, I’m alright with them picking 4 or 3 at random, but will it be a red flag?

Only to the extent that it shows them you cannot follow instructions. It's not going to kill your application, but you are going to lose control over which letters they look at.

Also, I think you are misunderstanding what "no longer being sent" means. It's a signal to the school to not wait for the letter because it is no longer being sent. It's not a way for you to circumvent AMCAS' rule that you cannot unassign a letter.

If the letter is indeed submitted to AMCAS, it will absolutely be sent to the school, regardless of your "no longer being sent" designation. You therefore do not want to mark it as "no longer being sent" unless you actually tell the writer to not send it, in which case it will be unavailable to all schools.

 

[KnightDoc]

Just make sure you mark “letter no longer being sent” So you are under the limit For each school. And what school does if the letter is sent, is out of your hands.

How does this help if the letter is actually sent? To me, it seems like it compounds the mistake.

I'd just leave things alone and let the schools do what they will. They won't toss the application. They'll either look at all the letters or they won't, but violating the limit and then pretending that you didn't by telling them letters are not going to be sent that are, indeed, going to be sent does not seem like a viable solution.

I certainly don't have your years of experience, but I, for one, would not knowingly lie on an application by telling schools that a letter was not going to be sent that I knew was going to be sent, just to give the appearance that I did not violate a limit.

I'd live with the one mistake rather than making another one. Especially since the penalty is merely going to be that I won't get to choose which letters are considered, rather than showing that I can't follow instructions, twice.

 

[a_distant_dream]

I was relatively lucky in getting letters, but am somewhat confused on how many to send. For example, NYU allows 2-8 but I was wondering whether 8 would be a faux pas. I'm also in a bit of a dilemma because my "traditional" science / non-science prof letters are likely the least impressive and the ones that schools require most. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, especially for different letter limits.

 

[chilly_md]

I was relatively lucky in getting letters, but am somewhat confused on how many to send. For example, NYU allows 2-8 but I was wondering whether 8 would be a faux pas. I'm also in a bit of a dilemma because my "traditional" science / non-science prof letters are likely the least impressive and the ones that schools require most. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, especially for different letter limits.

1. mentor in R&D at a big pharma company (1 summer): Said I was the most capable person they had ever worked with. Offered to write an extremely strong letter, without me asking.
2. comp sci professor (1 semester): Said I was a "once in a decade" student and that they felt lucky to have met me.
3. research PI #1 (3 years): Good working relationship. Co-author 2 pubs, planning 2 more.
4. clinical volunteering supervisor (8 years): Described my work in unusual & impactful roles; great working relationship that I would consider friendship. Showed me the letter; I felt it was strong.
5. research PI #2, MD-PhD (1 semester): Met with them weekly, experiments went exceptionally well. Decently positive impression.
6. physics professor (2 semesters): Was a strong student and participated a lot, demonstrated interest in material and creatively applying it.
7. biochem professor (2 semesters): Was a strong student and participated a lot but didn't really stand out.
8. philosophy professor (1 semester): A-. They thought I would be a great doctor. Declined CV / PS / etc.; letter is in-class interactions only.

Also, if you have a different view on which letters are strong (I tried to make it in descending order), I would love to hear your perspectives.

Please do not send 8. Send 2 science and 1 non-science for schools that require that (so #2, 6, and 7) as well as #3 and #4 if the limit allows up to 5. Do #3 over #4 if the school allows a max of 4. I’m not sure how a letter from someone you worked with for one summer will turn out but it shouldn’t be better than the research PI you have co-authored under or the letter you actually read from your clinical supervisor. #1, 5 and 8 won’t add anything substantial and shouldn’t be sent to any schools as supplemental letters.

 

[a_distant_dream]

Thank you for the perspective @chilly_md - I’ll definitely follow your suggestion of #2 over #8 whenever possible (will email schools if CS as science / non-science isn’t clear) and you make a very good point that #1 may not be as strong as I believed.

Another issue I just thought of: for #3, the PI asked me to write an outline and then wrote the letter separately. They’ve written letters for students accepted to HMS recently but I realized that I completely forgot to mention our publications to him. Do you think this warrants asking about and/or a letter resubmission if he forgot to mention it?

 

[chilly_md]

Thank you for the perspective @chilly_md - I’ll definitely follow your suggestion of #2 over #8 whenever possible (will email schools if CS as science / non-science isn’t clear) and you make a very good point that #1 may not be as strong as I believed.

Another issue I just thought of: for #3, the PI asked me to write an outline and then wrote the letter separately. They’ve written letters for students accepted to HMS recently but I realized that I completely forgot to mention our publications to him. Do you think this warrants asking about and/or a letter resubmission if he forgot to mention it?

Yes, he could update the letter and resubmit it if it was excluded. I would hope he remembered to mention it and discuss your involvement in that research even if it wasn’t in the outline you gave him.

 

[a_distant_dream]

Just to follow up, he said he talked about it extensively - seems I got myself worked up for nothing. Thank you for the suggestions @chilly_md @gonnif .

Edit: Had one more thought - would #1 be better than #2 if I needed to choose? For the summer position, I worked full-time to develop a technology that senior leadership considered mission critical (it has been used in several clinical trials). All the stars aligned, especially since they weren't sure what was feasible in this area. In the CS class, I scored 30-50 points above average on most assessments and also helped other students a lot (following course guidelines), but it certainly wasn't a 40 hr/wk commitment.

 

[paul30]

Sorry if this is my neuroticism spilling over. I've pre-written all my secondaries and have submitted them as I receive them. However, my applications are all marked incomplete because my committee letter is not in yet. Reading the first post, I've gently reminded my prehealth department (which is also notoriously known for sending extremely late letters) but nothing's happened. As a reapplicant who applied late last time because my committee letter came in September, I submitted everything for it on the first day.

Okay, that's the backstory. So my actual question is do schools care that you submitted the secondary early despite your application not being complete due to reasons outside of your control? Or do they really not even care at all until the app is marked complete and that's when you'll actually be looked at?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Sorry if this is my neuroticism spilling over. I've pre-written all my secondaries and have submitted them as I receive them. However, my applications are all marked incomplete because my committee letter is not in yet. Reading the first post, I've gently reminded my prehealth department (which is also notoriously known for sending extremely late letters) but nothing's happened. As a reapplicant who applied late last time because my committee letter came in September, I submitted everything for it on the first day.

Okay, that's the backstory. So my actual question is do schools care that you submitted the secondary early despite your application not being complete due to reasons outside of your control? Or do they really not even care at all until the app is marked complete and that's when you'll actually be looked at?

It depends on the school. Some of the programs I have worked with would hold until your application is complete. Others don't mind but won't make decisions pte-interview or post-interview until the letters come in.

 

[KnightDoc]

It depends on the school. Some of the programs I have worked with would hold until your application is complete. Others don't mind but won't make decisions pte-interview or post-interview until the letters come in.

Just what is the difference between a "hold" and not making a decision? They sound like exactly the same thing to me!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Just what is the difference between a "hold" and not making a decision? They sound like exactly the same thing to me!

That also depends on the program. Sometimes they are the same. Sometimes they aren't (hold for materials vs. Complete but not yet brought to committee for a decision vs. Committee is reviewing but has not made a decision). It is that confusing.

 

[KnightDoc]

That also depends on the program. Sometimes they are the same. Sometimes they aren't (hold for materials vs. Complete but not yet brought to committee for a decision vs. Committee is reviewing but has not made a decision). It is that confusing.

Got it! My understanding is that some school might do an initial review for an II without LORs, but that most won't. And, if they won't, then nobody gets extra credit for having a secondary in early, and that nothing happens until a file is complete.

OTOH, schools understand that applicants have no control over when committees send letters, so it's not like they ding you either. It's just that, as OP fears, you lose whatever advantage comes from being early if your committee causes you not to be complete early, whenever that is.

That said, it's important for everyone to understand that outstanding applicants who are not complete "early" get accepted every cycle, and you are far better off applying with a good committee letter than without one, even if it delays the complete date, so it's not worth getting worked up over. The alternative is applying with a less strong application that has individual LORs, but an earlier complete date.

I don't know of any adviser who would recommend that, unless the committee letter is either not offered, or will suck. After all, it's in the committee's interest to have as many applicants as possible be successful, so it's not like they are going out of their way to sabotage applicants, or that their timing adversely impacts their students in the aggregate.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Got it! My understanding is that some school might do an initial review for an II without LORs, but that most won't. And, if they won't, then nobody gets extra credit for having a secondary in early, and that nothing happens until a file is complete.

OTOH, schools understand that applicants have no control over when committees send letters, so it's not like they ding you either. It's just that, as OP fears, you lose whatever advantage comes from being early if your committee causes you not to be complete early, whenever that is.

That said, it's important for everyone to understand that outstanding applicants who are not complete "early" get accepted every cycle, and you are far better off applying with a good committee letter than without one, even if it delays the complete date, so it's not worth getting worked up over. The alternative is applying with a less strong application that has individual LORs, but an earlier complete date.

I don't know of any adviser who would recommend that, unless the committee letter is either not offered, or will suck. After all, it's in the committee's interest to have as many applicants as possible be successful, so it's not like they are going out of their way to sabotage applicants, or that their timing adversely impacts their students in the aggregate.

Again, it's too hard to generalize. Regardless I do encourage people to complete their secondary application promptly. Regardless of when letters are received, schools still have to prioritize reviewing applications for II. Most programs will appreciate you completing your part. Those of us who handle process appreciate it.

 

[JAK2-STAT3]

One of my letter writers just uploaded my LOR. They sent me a copy as well (I didn't ask to see it), and when I opened it, the date on the top of the letter had the wrong year. What should I do? Ask them to upload a new letter with a corrected date? Or just leave it?

 

[a_distant_dream]

One of my letter writers just uploaded my LOR. They sent me a copy as well (I didn't ask to see it), and when I opened it, the date on the top of the letter had the wrong year. What should I do? Ask them to upload a new letter with a corrected date? Or just leave it?

In my opinion, you should mention the mistake and how to correct it (make this part as easy as possible). If they care about their credibility as a letter writer / your application, rectifying the error would be an obvious next step for them.

 

[JAK2-STAT3]

In my opinion, you should mention the mistake and how to correct it (make this part as easy as possible). If they care about their credibility as a letter writer / your application, rectifying the error would be an obvious next step for them.

Thank you for the response! How do they correct it though? Can they take down and resubmit the letter, or do I need to make a new letter entry in AMCAS and give them a new form?

 

[a_distant_dream]

Thank you for the response! How do they correct it though? Can they take down and resubmit the letter, or do I need to make a new letter entry in AMCAS and give them a new form?

Not exactly sure, but I think you would make a new letter entry. If you use interfolio, they can re-upload and you can make a fresh delivery to the new entry. Someone else might know better; I haven't experienced this situation myself.

 

[JAK2-STAT3]

Not exactly sure, but I think you would make a new letter entry. If you use interfolio, they can re-upload and you can make a fresh delivery to the new entry. Someone else might know better; I haven't experienced this situation myself.

Thanks. This letter was not sent on Interfolio though. I checked the AMCAS guide, which says "Once the AMCAS program receives a letter, no party may delete or edit it. Any letters that follow an original letter with the same AMCAS Letter ID will be appended to the original letter and sent to all medical schools you selected as recipients of that original letter."

Hopefully this means they can re-upload it with the same letter ID, and schools will figure out that the new letter has the correct date. Hopefully this won't be held against me 😬

 

[a_distant_dream]

Thanks. This letter was not sent on Interfolio though. I checked the AMCAS guide, which says "Once the AMCAS program receives a letter, no party may delete or edit it. Any letters that follow an original letter with the same AMCAS Letter ID will be appended to the original letter and sent to all medical schools you selected as recipients of that original letter."

Hopefully this means they can re-upload it with the same letter ID, and schools will figure out that the new letter has the correct date. Hopefully this won't be held against me 😬

If you haven't sent it to any medical schools yet, I feel like reuploading to the same letter ID would not help your application. Imagine an adcom seeing the same text twice and being progressively more confused / trying to find the difference.

 

[JAK2-STAT3]

If you haven't sent it to any medical schools yet, I feel like reuploading to the same letter ID would not help your application. Imagine an adcom seeing the same text twice and being progressively more confused / trying to find the difference.

I'm verified, so the letters have been sent to schools. I don't see the option to mark them as "No Longer Being Sent" on AMCAS. However, I have not submitted any secondaries yet. I will just call AMCAS on Tuesday and see what they say.

 

[JAK2-STAT3]

1) Do Not Create New Letter ID
2) You can have the new letter uploaded with existing letter
3) however this is such a minor issue that you should do nothing about it

Thank you for the reassurance. Do schools see the title of the PDF document of the letter? The title of the PDF of the letter has the correct date, so that could guard against any confusion.

 

[KnightDoc]

Thank you for the response! How do they correct it though? Can they take down and resubmit the letter, or do I need to make a new letter entry in AMCAS and give them a new form?

I'd strongly consider leaving it alone. After all, it's just a date, and, if they didn't share it with you, you'd be none the wiser and wouldn't be stressing about a date.

There is no such thing as taking down and resubmitting. I am pretty sure that if they do resubmit, the resubmission will just be appended to what is already on file, which will be kind pf pointless, since it will be the same letter with a different date. I never saw any of my letters, and I did just fine. Good luck.

 

[JAK2-STAT3]

All you are is making a big deal out of a minor. and anything you try to fix it will simply just be confusing. Stop worrying and move on

Got it! *deactivates neurotic premed mode*

 

[hubz]

I just realized that I did not enter any info into the "optional" fields for my submitted letters of recommendation, including letter/author title, email, phone, etc. I say "optional" because the 2023 Applicant Guide says that all of this information is required, but it allowed me to add letters without filling in these boxes. The red asterisk indicating required was not present for these boxes, and I ended up adding letters without filling them in. I know this was lazy, but I did not think that it would be used for anything besides AMCAS internal use/reception. However, I have learned that adcoms can see these entries as well. I believe that all this information is included in the letterhead of each letter, but I am not sure how worried I should be.

I can resubmit up to 3 letters from Interfolio (max 10 stored in AMCAS), and have not assigned any letters to individual schools yet. Does anyone have any advice? There is not much I can do, as AMCAS does not permit any updates of letter writer info after submission, but I would still appreciate any perspectives.

 

[chilly_md]

I just realized that I did not enter any info into the "optional" fields for my submitted letters of recommendation, including letter/author title, email, phone, etc. I say "optional" because the 2023 Applicant Guide says that all of this information is required, but it allowed me to add letters without filling in these boxes. The red asterisk indicating required was not present for these boxes, and I ended up adding letters without filling them in. I know this was lazy, but I did not think that it would be used for anything besides AMCAS internal use/reception. However, I have learned that adcoms can see these entries as well. I believe that all this information is included in the letterhead of each letter, but I am not sure how worried I should be.

I can resubmit up to 3 letters from Interfolio (max 10 stored in AMCAS), and have not assigned any letters to individual schools yet. Does anyone have any advice? There is not much I can do, as AMCAS does not permit any updates of letter writer info after submission, but I would still appreciate any perspectives.

I have moved your question to this main LOR thread. If the entry shows the name, university/organization and a address, then do not be concerned that the contact info is missing.

 

[hubz]

I have moved your question to this main LOR thread. If the entry shows the name, university/organization and a address, then do not be concerned that the contact info is missing.

Thank you. The name, institution, and address are all included. I was most concerned about not including the formal titles of my recommenders (ie. Assistant Professor of XYZ). Do you think the same advice stands? Again, this is information that is on the letterhead, but I am not sure why the boxes are included but not required on AMCAS. I hope that this does not cause any trouble for the schools I am applying to.

 

[chilly_md]

Thank you. The name, institution, and address are all included. I was most concerned about not including the formal titles of my recommenders (ie. Assistant Professor of XYZ). Do you think the same advice stands? Again, this is information that is on the letterhead, but I am not sure why the boxes are included but not required on AMCAS. I hope that this does not cause any trouble for the schools I am applying to.

It likely will be fine. If they would like clarification regarding the letters and how they satisfy requirements, they will call you. You can keep an eye out to see if the letters are marked as received and your secondary application is complete on the individual school portals.

 

[boomertexas]

Is anyone else having an extraordinarily difficult time getting a submission for their committee letter? It's holding up three possible interviews for me right now and I’m getting incredibly stressed and honestly kind of upset. I've been reaching out every couple of weeks since may asking for updates or seeing if there's anything I can do, but I either get no response or empty excuses without a real timeline.

They previously said that their goal was to have everyone's submitted by August 1st, but so far everyone else I've talked to is still waiting. It's way too late to get letters from three other professors, but I’m worried that if I continue waiting for a letter that isn't coming that I will only further hurt my application. Does anyone have any advice for this situation?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Is anyone else having an extraordinarily difficult time getting a submission for their committee letter? It's holding up three possible interviews for me right now and I’m getting incredibly stressed and honestly kind of upset. I've been reaching out every couple of weeks since may asking for updates or seeing if there's anything I can do, but I either get no response or empty excuses without a real timeline.

They previously said that their goal was to have everyone's submitted by August 1st, but so far everyone else I've talked to is still waiting. It's way too late to get letters from three other professors, but I’m worried that if I continue waiting for a letter that isn't coming that I will only further hurt my application. Does anyone have any advice for this situation?

R. E. L. A. X.

I don't follow any of the school-specific threads to know if II's are going out at the schools you are applying to. I don't know where you would stand in the priority queue, and I don't know if not having your packet is really what's holding you back. But stressing out won't really help you get those letters to the offices sooner. Freaking out to your advisors before they send your letters or to admissions officers won't help you either.

It will work out.