sending more than request number of LOR's

[i77ac]

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If they ask for, say 2 LOR's from professors (NYU, for example), is it okay to send more, say 4? I'm asking this because I have one from grad school professor, as well as from my employer.

Anyone can answer this with authority? I hope to send them tonight, so any input as soon as possible would be appreciated. thanks.

 

[liverotcod]

<snip>Anyone can answer this with authority?

Not with authority, but my gut sense is that you should send what the school asked for, and naught else. Most of the secondaries I've done so far request the premed committee letter, plus a grad school or employer letter as appropriate.

I hope to send them tonight, so any input as soon as possible would be appreciated. thanks.

By "send them tonight," I assume you don't mean you're sending them yourself?

 

[i77ac]

Thanks for your advise. And no, what I mean by "sending myself" is that I'll send them thru a letter service from my undergrad...

Anyone else can shed some light on this?

 

[the other Dr.]

If they ask for, say 2 LOR's from professors (NYU, for example), is it okay to send more, say 4? I'm asking this because I have one from grad school professor, as well as from my employer.

Anyone can answer this with authority? I hope to send them tonight, so any input as soon as possible would be appreciated. thanks.

Most schools will let you send more, especially if you have a letter service! I have sent two emails to NYU and have not heard back regarding there policy on this. Every other school has responed within 1-2 days, but still waiting for NYU for more than 1 week!

 

[i77ac]

bump

 

[liverotcod]

I stand corrected, if I can believe my advisor. According to her, extra letters aren't a problem.

 

[TexPre-Med]

I have been told numerous times that if you have really good extra LOR's you can send up to two extra and have it act in your favor. More than two extra and it makes it seem like you are trying to make up for something.

 

[gildas]

If they ask for, say 2 LOR's from professors (NYU, for example), is it okay to send more, say 4? I'm asking this because I have one from grad school professor, as well as from my employer.

Anyone can answer this with authority? I hope to send them tonight, so any input as soon as possible would be appreciated. thanks.

It simply shows you can follow instructions

 

[ColoMD]

Having worked extensively with several admission committees, I can say with authority that you SHOULD NOT send more letters than they request. If they give you a range, stick to the upper limit.

Sending more creates more mail and aggravates the committee who then have to decide which letters to use. Often times, there are "points" or a scoring system of some sort used on the letters and if they get 4 letters instead of the 2 they requested, it is not good. Ususally, they take the first two they see and use those. They don't have the time to read all of them and decide which make you look best...that's your job before you send them in.

 

[jlee9531]

just follow directions and just send them your best ones. if you want to send more, you can use those extra ones as an update to the school later on in the application cycle.

and if anything, just call and ask if you can.

 

[uproarhz]

what if you have waived your right to see the letters? In that case you won't know what the letters say exactly. Do you just guess which ones to send? I am actually curious how many people see their letters of rec

 

[ColoMD]

what if you have waived your right to see the letters? In that case you won't know what the letters say exactly. Do you just guess which ones to send? I am actually curious how many people see their letters of rec

You should ALWAYS waive your right to see your letters, they carry little to no weight if they aren't treated as confidential. But hopefully, you know what your letters are going to say...that's why you asked the person you asked for a letter. You know if it's from an extracurricular standpoint, leadership position, academic, research related, etc. and that is what you should use to make your decision based upon how you feel you need to flesh out your app.

 

[jlee9531]

what if you have waived your right to see the letters? In that case you won't know what the letters say exactly. Do you just guess which ones to send? I am actually curious how many people see their letters of rec

virtually noone does. but there are some people that do show them to you after they send it off...but this is obviously kept on the DL.

i mean you should have a decent feel on which letters are better than others depending on the relationship you have with the person that is writing you the letter. I made sure all my letters come from people that I knew very well and worked with for a long time, or if it is with a professor I was unable to spend a lot of time with, then I made sure that someone that knew me very well, like my TA talked with the prof or wrote things about me so that the prof can incorporate it into his or her letter.

 

[uclabruin2003]

some schools say that you can ONLY submit two. that is...anything else submitted above that will not be read. some say 3 or 4 or whatever. it really depends upon the school whether they will accept other letters.

 

[Budder]

I called the schools and asked them how many LORs I should send, and they told me anywhere from 3 to 5 letters. I don't have a committee, so I had to ask each writer to send them individually.

You should call the schools and ask.