Questions regarding the LOR requirement for each school

[premed2000]

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Is it safe to assume that the LOR requirements (e.g. max/min number of letters accepted) as shown on MSAR for each school is accurate? Because not every single school tells you the "maximum" number they will accept on their admissions website.

Also, for schools that don't have anything show up on MSAR regarding the maximum number of letters accepted, do you assume they don't have a max?

So with all that, my question is: can i just follow the MSAR in assigning letters in terms of the max/min?

 

[milski]

I would check the school's web site. They seem to post more detailed info, including the type of letters they prefer.

 

[Barcu]

I would look on the school website or try and contact them. I wouldn't assume MSAR is right in all cases. How many letters do you have? If you are concerned about hitting the max, you probably have too many letters.

 

[premed2000]

I would look on the school website or try and contact them. I wouldn't assume MSAR is right in all cases. How many letters do you have? If you are concerned about hitting the max, you probably have too many letters.

I have a total of 6 letters. with 5 of them I am assuming to be very strong. Do you think 5 is the max that should be assigned to any school? or is 6 acceptable for schools that says their max is like above 6?

 

[BillrothI]

I have a total of 6 letters. with 5 of them I am assuming to be very strong. Do you think 5 is the max that should be assigned to any school? or is 6 acceptable for schools that says their max is like above 6?

I posted this in another thread and got a couple of different responses.

I also have six letters, incidentally. And, as is the case with you, I feel that five of my letters are probably pretty 'strong.'

What I ended up doing is assigning five or six to each school that didn't specify the max. I omitted what I thought was probably my weakest letter in some cases. For a couple of programs that have unique mission statements, I would only send four letters to make sure that the most relevant LOR wasn't overlooked. For example, if the school places a heavy emphasis on research, I made sure to send three letters from science professors and one from a PI and omitted ones from humanities professors, community service, etc.

Hope that helps! I really don't know if there are any specific guidelines here - I've spent a fair bit of time Googling the issue - but I don't think six letters is excessive provided that you're confident that each one contributes something unique.

Best,
Bill

 

[anguisette]

I posted this in another thread and got a couple of different responses.

I also have six letters, incidentally. And, as is the case with you, I feel that five of my letters are probably pretty 'strong.'

What I ended up doing is assigning five or six to each school that didn't specify the max. I omitted what I thought was probably my weakest letter in some cases. For a couple of programs that have unique mission statements, I would only send four letters to make sure that the most relevant LOR wasn't overlooked. For example, if the school places a heavy emphasis on research, I made sure to send three letters from science professors and one from a PI and omitted ones from humanities professors, community service, etc.

Hope that helps! I really don't know if there are any specific guidelines here - I've spent a fair bit of time Googling the issue - but I don't think six letters is excessive provided that you're confident that each one contributes something unique.

Best,
Bill

I pretty much did this too and tailored the letters I sent to schools based on their mission statements. If it helps you any, I sent anywhere from 2 to 7 letters to schools that invited me for an interview. Quality > quantity.