Similar question, Can I send extra rec. letters NOW??

[XenoXplant]

Hey guys,
This question has sort of been answered, but not exactly. When I mail my AMCAS app. in, should I send my extra letters of recommendation in too? By extra, I mean in addition to the letters from science faculty at my school. The thing is, my extra letters really make me look good. One is from the chancellor of a top ten research hospital, and the other two are from the chairmen of surgery at two similar institutions. I feel like they make a significant contribution to my app, especially comming from a middle-tier state school. What do you think?

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[The Philosopher]

So hold on, including your recommended 2 science and 1 non-science, you got these additional recs, right? 6 total?

Don't send em now. AMCAS will throw em in the garbage and the schools will fart on em.

When you get secondaries back from schools, fill out the secondaries, and send all 6 letters in.

BIG BIG BIG QUESTION: How did these "big named officials" write the letters? Forget about their status--did they know you? In what contact did you have with them?

If they aren't personal and if they can't vouche for your humanistic qualities FIRST HAND, they are worthless. If, for example, you did not volunteer with the surgeons or with the chancellor, or they did not observe you in any way, those letters will hurt you.

Also, does your school centralize all letters? is there one agency on campus which handles letters so that they would add to the veracity and credibility of the letters?? MAKE SURE your letters are written on official letterhead. That's a must.

Also, throw one of the surgeon letters out. You don't need 2 similar letters only for an added effect. 6 letters is already pushing it. Get 5, and leave the last one for an emergency letter just in case you don't get in this year or something.

Now, if those big named people actually went to the same medical school that you are applying, I don't think it would hurt to have them personalize a letter specifically for that school. But that would be later in the game...

 

[XenoXplant]

All three people writing the recs know me very well. The chancellor has known me since I was 5 and I have also worked for him in clinical setting. The head of surgery at the same hospital is a doc I have been doing clinical research for for over 2 years. The head of surgery at the other institution is a doc who I shadowed for 6 months. I think all three will add to my app. Plus my school makes a composite letter, so that's only 4 total. The thing is, some of the docs are telling me to give them my list of schools so they can go ahead and send the letters in the next month or so. Do I tell them all to wait??

 

[lola]

won't your premed committee just send them out attached to the committee letter (even if the committee letter doesn't include their letters)?

 

[jmejia1]

Definetly WAIT. As soon as you get the secondary, then that same day you can request your recommenders to send them out. Right now, you'll only confuse the schools since it's WAY too early.

 

[XenoXplant]

Lola,
No they won't. They will not touch outside rec. letters for "legal reasons." Whatever that means. My outside letters, whenever they end up being sent, will be sent directly from the authors to the admissions offices of the schools I apply to.

 

[The Philosopher]

Well, this is gonna be tricky business

1)In the first place, all your 3 extra recommenders are going to have to send letters individually to all the schools, right? Meaning...each person is going to have a secretary or someone print out 20 or so copies of the letter? and you're going to supply em with stamps, envelopes, and stuff?

2)The experiences that you have obtained from each person seem pretty distinct...so go ahead and send those 3 out WHEN YOU SEND THE SECONDAREIS IN. BUT MAKE SURE that the chancellor guy doesn't really mention anything about how he's known you since childhood, or how he knows your family. He probably won't mention it, because he's a professional, but hey, it could happen.

3)Have those recommenders wait until you turn in secondaries, at the same time as your committee mails their rec to the schools, that's when you have your 3 extra recs mailed in.

I dunno though--just make sure you go about it the correct way. Stress to those recommenders that to write about your humanistic qualities as a physician, researcher, volunteer, whatever...you know best depending on how well they've known you in a professional environment.

Just try to stay clear of any way that they would indicate that they have known you since childhood, or them being family friends, or whatever. That's tricky.

Finally, make sure they know what they are getting into. Unless if your school provides a cetralized rec service, they will need to send out the rec to each and every school that you apply to.

 

[lola]

wow, that's weird! my school encourages outside letters.
anyway, i'd suggest waiting since it's not even time to turn in the primary application yet. i really don't see the point in turning in letters way in advance of secondary applications. schools can't really go over your application until you've turned in the secondaries. plus, as jmejia1 pointed out, they might get lost or schools might get confused since you haven't even turned in your primary application.

 

[none]

You never, ever send your letters to AMCAS! AMCAS does not handle letters whatsoever. Your letters must be sent to the schools themselves and you really should wait for the schools to ask for the letters. UCSF, for example, promises you they will throw the letters away if you send them before they are requested.

 

[oldman]

hopefully that chancellor didn't mention the fact he/she knew you since 5. family friends writing letters of recommendation are frowned upon.

•••quote:•••Originally posted by XenoXplant:
•All three people writing the recs know me very well. The chancellor has known me since I was 5 and I have also worked for him in clinical setting. The head of surgery at the same hospital is a doc I have been doing clinical research for for over 2 years. The head of surgery at the other institution is a doc who I shadowed for 6 months. I think all three will add to my app. Plus my school makes a composite letter, so that's only 4 total. The thing is, some of the docs are telling me to give them my list of schools so they can go ahead and send the letters in the next month or so. Do I tell them all to wait??•••••