*~*~*~*Official Letters of Recommendation Questions Thread 2018-2019*~*~*~*

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What should I write for the "Title" of my research professor? Should I put "Principal Investigator" or "Professor of Neuroscience"? Also the letter title is optional so I haven't been titling them. Is that something I should do despite it being optional, and what kind of names are useful?
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gonnif said:
The Title of researcher can be both: "Prof of Neuroscience /PI" . The title of the letter itself is optional but is visible to schools . You can use it to say PI/Research but its not neccessary
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Does it really matter that you put for the LOR title? I put "vice chair of research" for my PI who is also a professor and I did the same for others and it wont let me go back and edit the title. I already sent the requests to them and dont know if the AMCAS Letter ID will change and if its even worth changing the title if they have letter heads anyways
 
If your school submits a letter packet (not a committee letter) are you able to choose which letters from that packet you submit to certain schools? For example, my letter packet has four letters and I have two individuals submitting letters as well. If a school only accepts 4 letters am I able to pick my two individual letters and choose two from the letter packet?
 
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Hi, is it worth it to get a letter 'just in case?' I emailed one of my biology professors a couple weeks ago and he responded saying that he would write a letter to support my application, but he was also honest enough to add that this letter would probably be somewhat dry or generic (he taught a 350+ person class and I only went to office hours a few times).

But here's my situation so far. I had three letters written for various research internships, and I contacted those writers again earlier this month, and one has been submitted (science). I think it's very possible the other two will agree to resubmit their letters, but they take a long time to respond to emails (the other two are science and non-science). So my question is, would it be a good idea to get a bland but supportive letter? Obviously I'd be forced to submit it if one of the other letters fell through, but would it help at all if I sent it along with the other ones, assuming I get 3? Thanks, and sorry if my question is a bit convoluted.
 
gonnif said:
Yes, you should get it and leave it sit AMCAS until needed. Letters arent needed until at very earliest July 15th, August 15th would still be early
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Ok, thanks, that's what I was thinking. Quick follow-up question: at schools where only 3 letters are required, do you think a generic positive 4th letter would be of any benefit, or do you think it might be unnecessary/risky and I should instead use it only at schools that require 4 letters?
 
My school's committee letter consists of letters from 2 science and 1 non-science professors. I also have individual letters from my PI, my supervisor from my clinical experience, and a doctor that I have shadowed. The committee only accepts the three professor letters, which is why the other 3 are submitted individually and not as a part of the packet. I am obviously sending the committee letter to all of the schools that I am applying to, but does this count as 1 letter or 3 letters (from the 3 professors)? Like if a school says it only accepts 3 letters, does this just mean the committee letter or can I submit that and 2 other ones? Or if a school takes 3-5 letters, is that the committee plus 2 more or plus 4 more?? Thanks in advance!!
 
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gonnif said:
1) committee letter is counted as single letter
2) which letter requirement are you fulfilling at each medical school, committee or indivdual?
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I'm not totally sure which requirement I would be fulfilling at each school. I'll be submitting the committee letter to each school, so would that mean that I am fulfilling that requirement? But I also want to be able to submit additional individual letters since the committee at my school will only accept 3 professor letters to put in their packet. Can I not submit the committee letter and the other individual letters to the same school?
 
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Hey this might seem like a stupid question and I'm pretty sure the answer is "it doesn't matter", but I just want to make sure since one of my letter writers brought it up. When submitting a letter of recommendation, it doesn't matter if the letterhead is in black and white right? It doesn't have to be in color right? The letter writer was asking me if this matters since they're out of color. Thanks
 
Silly, neurotic question, since I just want to make sure I'm understanding the LOR and verification process correctly before I make a mistake!

After I submit for verification, I am still able to "create" a letter on AMCAS (open up AMCAS, click the "Add" button for LORs, enter all the information, assign the letter, etc), correct? Or once I submit for verification am I simply limited to assigning letters that have already been created?
 
For non science letter, can I ask my supervisor at my old tutoring job in my old community college? I currently have 3 science letters, and 1 PI letter. Im having a bit of trouble with the non- science letter.
 
I have two strong letters from my organic chem and biochem professors, an MD letter from a physician i worked with for 2 years in the ER, and a joint letter from husband/wife DOs that I've worked with as well. Should i reach out to a non-science professor? I have one that i could potentially ask, but I haven't really kept up with him for the last few years. Is 4 letters from 2 science professors and 3 physicians enough?
 
@gonnif

Just want to double check.

If my school is writing a committee letter, I basically don't need to send individual letters. On my AMCAS, I simply assign the committee letter to each school.
 
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If you submit 2 letters to AMCAS via Interfolio from the same writer and with the same letter ID, AMCAS can see which letter is the more recent one and can pick that 1 when sending out your letters right? Or at least you'll be able to pick which of the two you want to send to the schools, or how does it work? Interfolio told me that AMCAS can see exactly what deliveries you send through your interfolio account and that they both come in and they can see which is more recent and they can pick the more recent one, but I want to confirm this with someone who may know.

I'm asking/had to send 2 letters from the same letter writer with the same letter ID because the first letter didn't have a signature but the 2nd letter (since I informed the writer) now has a signature, so I'm wondering how it works.

Thanks
 
gonnif said:
Both letters will be sent
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So you mean when you try to assign a letter to a school, you can't choose which of the two (no signature letter vs signature letter) to send?

If so, do you recommend deleting the letter entry in AMCAS, recreating it for the same writer and then resending the correct letter via Interfolio that way there's only 1 letter there, OR do you think the folks at AMCAS/med school adcom members will know to pick the more recent one?
 
gonnif said:
Does interfolio have two letter entries? if so then you can choose which one gets sent to AMCAS
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No, they dont. The professor who wrote and submitted the letter to Interfolio simply swapped the letter w/out the signature to the one w/the signature, but the problem is I had already sent the one without the signature to AMCAS prior to the quality check being fully done by interfolio. THEN, I sent the more updated letter with the signature on it to AMCAS after the quality check the 2nd time around.

So in summary, AMCAS just received the first letter w/out the signature today, and will be receiving the one WITH the signature probably by Monday.
 
@gonnif

I heard back from my pre-medical committee that "individual letters are no longer included" in the committee letter. So it's basically just one letter. Does this mean that the committee letter supersedes the value of my individual letters?

I feel like I'm going to have to call up each school and ask them what other letters they need. The admissions committee will see the committee letter from my school, they'll tell me "Hey, we need these other letters, too", and then I'm logging back into my account to assign the individual letters that I could have just assigned in the first place.

Basically, I don't want to be in a position where I am sending my committee letters + my individual letters because technically, almost every school says that one committee letter is fine...but my undergraduate committee that is writing the letter is telling me that I should send the individual letters anyway. :confused:
 
I had some pretty extensive research experience with a parent, who is a PI at a university. Would it be unwise to send a recommendation letter from that parent? Some schools (e.g. Harvard) explicitly request letters from all research PIs, so I was thinking I could at least send in a rec letter from my parent to those schools -- is that a good idea? Not sure what I would do with the other schools that don't explicitly request a rec letter from all PIs.
 
Sorry one more question -
I'm sending in a committee letter, and I also have an additional letter from an extracurricular activity that I spent a lot of time on and had leadership experience with; I think that letter would serve as a good character/non-academic reference. If a school doesn't explicitly ask for such a letter (i.e. extracurricular activity/character reference), should I still send in that additional letter? For example, some schools only ask for letters from professors and research supervisors, but they don't necessarily say whether or not to send in other letters. Should I send in the extracurricular letter in that case?
 
gonnif said:
A committee letter is usually all a school asks for to fulfill the requirement.
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I know I can fulfill the requirement with the committee letter, but I was wondering if I could attach an additional letter that would help in my candidacy. In other words, would it be harmful to attach that additional letter if a school doesn't explicitly request it?
 
I am an undergrad applying to medical schools this summer, and I have worked in two different research labs (EEG; eating disorders/suicidality) over the past couple of years, and I wanted to have two letters to detail my respective experiences. Both of these labs are headed by a professor (that is writing a letter), as well as a grad student that I am directly working with (who is also willing to write a letter). Thus, I would like to have 2 LORs with a professor and grad student in each. 1) Does this make sense? 2) If yes, how should/can the letters be written (joint letter, separate letter, having a cover letter prefacing that the letter has two people's perspectives)? Should this type of letter be labeled as a "letter packet"? It should have a letterhead and be co-signed, yes? And to make sure: each of these letters would only count as 1 letter sent to a school, yes? I couldn't find this kind of situation in the forums before, so I thought I'd ask here.
 
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gonnif said:
You couldnt find this? you didnt look very hard.

Do you want
A) the graduate student to write the letter and the professor cosign it?
B) Or do you want both the grad student to write a part and sign it, and the professor sign part of it?
C) Or do you want the professor to write, adding comments such as "my graduate student who works on a daily basis with him states...."
The correct answer is C. Letterhead and signature
This is NOT a letter packet; that is what a premed advisor or premed committee does
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Thanks for the reply. I've searched several threads regarding joint letters and I couldn't find anything similar to my situation/how to classify my letter (and couldn't find anything in the AMCAS guide). I was looking for something between B and C - both of them to share their perspectives in the letter and to co-sign. But you are saying for the professor to write it and quote comments from the graduate student? Should only the professor sign it? And should this be marked as an individual letter then?
Again, many thanks for your help.
 
gonnif said:
There isnt anything between B and C. C is the correct answer. The professor write it including info from his/her grad student
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Understood. And to confirm, only the professor signs it, and it's an individual letter?
 
Does anybody know how long it takes for AMCAS to receive LORs from Interfolio? I sent mine 2 weeks ago, and AMCAS is still saying they are not received.
 
I have a conundrum regarding committee letters:

I had mine prepared for the 2018 cycle, and it included 6 letters: one science professor, one summer research PI at another university, two non-science professors (I was a theater major), an EMT course instructor I worked closely with, and a former boss from a camp I worked at. All should be very strong. I then chose to not apply that cycle, as I obtained a job that I would need to commit two years to.

For the 2019 cycle, my health committee just updated the letter they had prepared from the last year, with all the same letters included in the packet.

I have two questions: noting that my committee letter only has one science professor letter, and an undergraduate research PI (at a different college), should I send in an additional letter as an individual from a science professor? I have one lined up with a professor I took multiple courses with who agreed to write a very strong letter.

Also, should I include a letter from my new PI at my current job? He is a big name and could also write a strong letter. My health committee will not let me add any additional letters, so they would have to be individual letters. Thank you in advance for your help!!
 
I apologize in advance since similar questions have been asked already, but I am still confused on the topic of 2 science/1 non-science requirements. My undergrad has a committee and I am receiving a letter from them, however they also require that individual recs be submitted. I asked way back in November, and they said that they have no requirements for the types of letters submitted besides that at least 2 must be science-related, and that it is okay for me to not have a non-science letter. I therefore have 2 science professor LORs, a PI, and a clinical position supervisor writing on my behalf. My question is - is this considered a "committee letter packet" or will I be at a disadvantage at schools that say they require a committee letter OR 2 science + 1 non-science recs. Thank you.
 
Hi, my school still writes a committee letter but no longer attaches other letters to it. I have my 2 sci and 1 non-sci professor ones taken care of, but also have 4 PI letters, 1 from my current job of 2 years, and 3 from the year+ long research I did in the summers/school year when I was in college. Is it bad to send all 4 PI letters if my research experiences were quite significant? I don't want to inundate adcoms and have it negatively affect my app, but I feel that those letters speak more personally about me and my capabilities so I'm hesitant to cut them.
 
I submitted my applications and assigned my letters to respective schools BEFORE the letters were uploaded to AMCAS via interfolio.

Ie. submitted on 06/04
committee letter uploaded to AMCAS on 06/14

Do I need to resubmit my application in this scenario?
 
gouldie said:
I have a conundrum regarding committee letters:

I had mine prepared for the 2018 cycle, and it included 6 letters: one science professor, one summer research PI at another university, two non-science professors (I was a theater major), an EMT course instructor I worked closely with, and a former boss from a camp I worked at. All should be very strong. I then chose to not apply that cycle, as I obtained a job that I would need to commit two years to.

For the 2019 cycle, my health committee just updated the letter they had prepared from the last year, with all the same letters included in the packet.

I have two questions: noting that my committee letter only has one science professor letter, and an undergraduate research PI (at a different college), should I send in an additional letter as an individual from a science professor? I have one lined up with a professor I took multiple courses with who agreed to write a very strong letter.

Also, should I include a letter from my new PI at my current job? He is a big name and could also write a strong letter. My health committee will not let me add any additional letters, so they would have to be individual letters. Thank you in advance for your help!!
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Schools usually require one of two things. Either a committee letter OR individual letters that meet their specific requirements. If you have a committee letter, that's all you need.
 
MangoTea8 said:
I apologize in advance since similar questions have been asked already, but I am still confused on the topic of 2 science/1 non-science requirements. My undergrad has a committee and I am receiving a letter from them, however they also require that individual recs be submitted. I asked way back in November, and they said that they have no requirements for the types of letters submitted besides that at least 2 must be science-related, and that it is okay for me to not have a non-science letter. I therefore have 2 science professor LORs, a PI, and a clinical position supervisor writing on my behalf. My question is - is this considered a "committee letter packet" or will I be at a disadvantage at schools that say they require a committee letter OR 2 science + 1 non-science recs. Thank you.
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The bolded answers your question. You are submitted a committee letter, and so individual requirements do not apply to you.
 
cs1994 said:
Hi, my school still writes a committee letter but no longer attaches other letters to it. I have my 2 sci and 1 non-sci professor ones taken care of, but also have 4 PI letters, 1 from my current job of 2 years, and 3 from the year+ long research I did in the summers/school year when I was in college. Is it bad to send all 4 PI letters if my research experiences were quite significant? I don't want to inundate adcoms and have it negatively affect my app, but I feel that those letters speak more personally about me and my capabilities so I'm hesitant to cut them.
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Medical schools will require either a committee letter OR individual letters that meet specific requirements. If you're fulfilling the committee letter requirement, no additional letters are required, and may not even be read.

Furthermore, 4 PI letters is too much. They'll never read them all.
 
chaim123 said:
Medical schools will require either a committee letter OR individual letters that meet specific requirements. If you're fulfilling the committee letter requirement, no additional letters are required, and may not even be read.

Furthermore, 4 PI letters is too much. They'll never read them all.
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Well, I know that Univ. Pittsburgh SOM says that the committee letter should be buttressed with individual letters. My undergrad career office used to do the it the letter packet way but now just writes a cover letter and allows students to assign whatever other letters we want to tailor sets to schools. So it sounds like I'll need to send both from AMCAS to them at least.

And since UPSOM says that supplemental recommendations from the supervisors or peers of extracurricular activities or work positions are encouraged as well, I'm wondering how to prioritize the PI letters I have. As a non-trad applicant, I have a lot of prior long-term research experience.
 
cs1994 said:
Well, I know that Univ. Pittsburgh SOM says that the committee letter should be buttressed with individual letters. My undergrad career office used to do the it the letter packet way but now just writes a cover letter and allows students to assign whatever other letters we want to tailor sets to schools. So it sounds like I'll need to send both from AMCAS to them at least.

And since UPSOM says that supplemental recommendations from the supervisors or peers of extracurricular activities or work positions are encouraged as well, I'm wondering how to prioritize the PI letters I have. As a non-trad applicant, I have a lot of prior long-term research experience.
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Well if a school specifically wants supplemental letters that is their prerogative, and you should feel free to follow their guidelines for that. However, I still stand by my original statement that committee+3 +4 is way too many letters.

I'm not sure I quite understand your schools process, but UPSOM says that the three letters in the packet should be from professors or supervisors, so perhaps put a PI letter in with your committee packet?
 
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chaim123 said:
Well if a school specifically wants supplemental letters that is their prerogative, and you should feel free to follow their guidelines for that. However, I still stand by my original statement that committee+3 +4 is way too many letters.

I'm not sure I quite understand your schools process, but UPSOM says that the three letters in the packet should be from professors or supervisors, so perhaps put a PI letter in with your committee packet?
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Thanks chaim. So the issue is that my school's former committee packet now has changed to being just a stand alone letter from the committee. So it's a single letter uploaded to AMCAS and I coordinate my own additional faculty/PI letters. I figure since med schools know that Yale provides a committee letter, I have to use it, even though I feel that I have PI letters that are perhaps stronger. I guess I can try to use 1 sci, 1 nonsci, and 1 PI + an extra PI if the school allows?
 
cs1994 said:
Thanks chaim. So the issue is that my school's former committee packet now has changed to being just a stand alone letter from the committee. So it's a single letter uploaded to AMCAS and I coordinate my own additional faculty/PI letters. I figure since med schools know that Yale provides a committee letter, I have to use it, even though I feel that I have PI letters that are perhaps stronger. I guess I can try to use 1 sci, 1 nonsci, and 1 PI + an extra PI if the school allows?
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Since UPSOM specifically requests supplemental letters with the committee letter, and Yale only sends the committee letter itself, then to that school you could add the 2sci + 1 nonsci +1PI, since that is standard individual letters.

However, for other schools that take a committee letter, and that fulfills their requirements, sending 2sci + 1 nonsci + 1PI may be too many additional letters. I'd pick the one or two that you think are most important, but they may not even be read.
 
Hi I am a traditional applicant who is applying to mainly top 30 schools. I have 6 LoRs: 2 science professors, 1 humanities, 2 PIs and 1 letter from a manager of an AIDS clinic I volunteered at. For the UCs (I am a Californian), many of them ask for only 5. To provide some context, my profile is very research focused and I have committed most of my extra curricular time during my undergrad and during my summers to research. I am planning on including 2 science professors, 1 humanities and 1 PI but for the 5th spot I am having trouble deciding between the second PI or the clinic LoR. I think that including two from PIs could be redundant and including the clinic LoR would be more holistic, but the PIs both probably provide stronger letters. Do you guys have any thoughts?
 
gonnif said:
Do the UCs provide any guidance of what kind of letters want? And why do you feel its neccessary to submit the max 5 letters?
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UCLA and UC San Diego provide very little guidance while UCSF just adds "the letters that will tell us the most about you, your contributions, and your potential are those from instructors of upper division courses who know you well. Letters that document evidence of contributions to research or other work related to science or health care are also of particular interest to the admissions committee."

I think that maxing out letters is not a bad idea. After all, these evaluators were happy to write me a rec and can provide different insights. Maybe it would be better to include the clinical letter -- because that adds a new perspective -- and deciding between a science professor or the PI for the fifth spot. What are your thoughts?
 
Hi,
Sorry if this question has been asked, but can a math professor’s letter count as one of my science letters? She taught a probability class.
 
gonnif said:
The AMCAS category of BCPM is used for GPA calculation and substitutes as ‘science’ in that regard. However even though math is in BCPM, it is not science. While some schools may be fine with it, others may not. Since you had bio, gen chem, organic and physics at the be very least, you should be able to get another. Also keep in mind that 2 science/1 non science is the traditional expectation in letters, many schools do not require that mix. Also if you have a commitee letter you dont need that mix. So check each school via MSAR and website to get specifics on letter requirement
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Thanks for the response. This was a big mistake but I actually didn't take bio, chem, or physics in college at all because of AP credit. I'm already getting my other science rec letter from organic chemistry. I double majored in math/ another engineering major, so I don't exactly have any other traditional science classes. I'm also a nontraditional applicant because I'm taking multiple gap years so I already graduated and therefore it's too late unfortunately. In light of this, is there anything I can do?
 
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Just to confirm, you do not need to have your letters attached to your primary application when you initially submit it, and then you can add letters to your AMCAS app after you receive a secondary?
 
gonnif said:
You do know that many medical schools will not accept AP credit as fulfilling prereqs?
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The office at my school is abysmally bad, but I was told that I could use an upper level 2 semester sequence of biological engineering w/ lab sequence to satisfy bio, an upper level physics course with lab for physics, and that most schools accept ap chem if you got a 5. Am I really that badly screwed?
 
doglova said:
The office at my school is abysmally bad, but I was told that I could use an upper level 2 semester sequence of biological engineering w/ lab sequence to satisfy bio, an upper level physics course with lab for physics, and that most schools accept ap chem if you got a 5. Am I really that badly screwed?
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a lot of schools will let upper division coursework in the same subject substitute for lower division courses which were tested out of through AP/IB. The MSAR will tell you EXACTLY what each school does or does not accept. If theres a gray area, read the school website; if you are still unsure, contact the school directly. Every school is different. Most schools, you will be fine.
 
My committee letter packet has 5 letters - 2 from science prof, 1 from work boss, 1 from PI and 1 from volunteer coordinator. Some schools that I am applying to say they need one non-science, but they will also take a committee letter packet in place of one.

I have an okayish-good (probably fluff) humanities letter that I can assign to specific schools in addition to my committee letter. Is it a good idea for me to do this just for the schools that require one non-science letter? Will the schools not even look at my app until I have this letter in? How will it look if I have 5 strong letters in a packet, and then I send one individually outside of the committee that is the weakest of the 6?
 
@gonnif

Question about type of LOR. So some of the schools I'm interested in require letters from science faculty (obviously) and some require a "non-science faculty LOR." Do you have any knowledge regarding the flexibility of this requirement? Originally I was planning to submit 4 LORs (2 science faculty, 1 PI, and 1 MD), but didn't allocate for the "non-science faculty" requirement.
 
how long does it take for the AAMC app to receive a LOR? I had a professor mail in a letter on June 8th, now its June 23rd and still it says not received. How long should i wait until I ask him to resend it?
 
How do we know which schools require a non science LOR? Most schools I am looking at do not specify a letter needed from non-science. For Example, looking at the website for UCR, they just say they 3-5 letter of recs are needed from anyone, specifically by " a premedical advisor, undergraduate faculty, mentors or any individual of your choice." I ask because I was not able to obtain a LOR from a non-science professor. I currently have 3 from Science professors and 1 PI.
 
gonnif said:
By actual mail? Who knows , have him resend but you will be much better off getting it sent online
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Yes by actual mail, I will give it one more week then ask him to resend. Two of my other letter writers did it online and it went through instantly. I will ask him if it's possible for him to it online as well. Thank you for your help.
 
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