Should we send in Rec Letters now or wait for secondaries? (slow AACOM!)

[Nanook]

For those of us that don't have a centralized letter-sending service (like a career office or such), we want to be able to give all the envelopes (to the schools we're applying to) to our recommending professors at the same time....

So, since we are getting our allopathic secondaries back now, should we go ahead and give the profs *all* of our envelopes, even for the schools that haven't sent secondaries yet, or wait and give them envelopes as they come in, and risk aggravating the poor person, or worse yet, having them forget to send one?

That came out kind of garbled...hope it was understandable. All the smoke here in Fairbanks is giving me a massive headache. Dang forest fires!

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[DocGibby]

If you haven't already request your recommendations do it now. I recommend giving your recommenders about a month to compose that all important letter. I did and one of my recommenders was still late. The more time the better. What I did was give my recommenders a portfolio about a month prior so they could soak it in. Then when I actually got the secondaries I assembled the envelopes put addressed them all, placed postage on all of them, and attached them to the appropriate forms. A few schools have their own forms to fill out. I can't remember which.

If you've done all this and are just wondering when to send everything. Well, if you know for certain that the school doesn't have their own form to fill out then have the letters sent as soon as they are ready. The school should just put in in your file. However, just to be sure, I would call and ask the school if that was okay.

 

[DocGibby]

Last thing,

You could give them to your recommender piece meal or all together. Either way, your recommender will probably just send the same letter to all your schools. Mine did. However, I'd space them out a bit anyway.

 

[DOc2be]

I would request all the recommendations NOW! I had a professor that was very slow in getting them done and said yeah tomorrow.....tomorrow.....tomorrow....Before you knew it, my interview was a week away with no letter sent. He had to FedEx it or my interview was going to be canceled because it was the PREMED committee's letter. (He knew two months in advance too).

If they get to the school before your secondaries, it's really not a big deal....they know you're probably applying and will put it in a folder waiting for the rest of your stuff! GOOD LUCK

 

[Nanook]

Allow me to clarify--

The recommenders have already been asked, and the letters are probably already written. I guess what I was asking was should I:
1. Give them all 13 envelopes now, even though some schools haven't sent secondaries and the AACOMAS hasn't even processed the primary apps (and thus DO schools have no files started on us).
or
2. Give them the envelopes 1 or 2 at a time, as the secondaries come in, which requires quite a bit more of their time, and could get my letters to some of the schools lost, or tick off the professor, or whatever.

What I am thinking about doing is this: Giving them the envelopes for the allopathic schools now and the osteopathic ones later, when they get around to sending me the first few secondaries.

 

[Djanaba]

Send them all now. Easier on you, easier on profs. And to be honest, the med schools don't care. They already have a folder with your name on it from your primary application; your letters will go in the folder with it regardless of secondaries, etc. Postage is cheap, and time is of the essence. Do it all now.