Too late to submit another LOR?

[Nicholaus]

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Just wondering if its too late to submit another LOR? I'm almost done with my current elective and just recently asked my attending to write an LOR for me. Please advise.

 

[Nicholaus]

Bump...

 

[WhoisJohnGalt]

Just wondering if its too late to submit another LOR? I'm almost done with my current elective and just recently asked my attending to write an LOR for me. Please advise.

It probably depends on the specialty you're applying to, but I'd say most likely it is too late. You can't expect your attending to have the letter done tomorrow, so by the time it's submitted and uploaded to ERAS you will likely have heard from all the programs you've applied to and probably interviewed at several already. I don't see another LOR submitted after you've already been interviewed (or rejected) being very helpful.

 

[DrAwsome]

Just wondering if its too late to submit another LOR? I'm almost done with my current elective and just recently asked my attending to write an LOR for me. Please advise.

Depends on your specialty and how strong the letter is. Some attendings can write the letter very quickly and if you have it in ERAS by week's end, it may make a difference for those programs that may still invite you. It certainly can't hurt. If you can suggest to the attending that time is of the essence it may work out in your favor.

 

[Nicholaus]

Thanks for the replies!

The only reason I was considering submitting an additional LOR was due to the fact that I haven't heard back from the majority of the programs I applied to. I'm thinking that an additional LOR may help/strengthen my application and get me some invites. The LOR will be coming from a director at a major University teaching hospital. I already relayed to him that time is of the essence, and he assured me that he would have it done within a few days.

 

[Katia482]

If I were you, I would definitely add it. I think that you have absolutely nothing to lose. It is possible that some programs may not end up really reading the additional letter if your application has already passed through their review system. But if there are places that you have not heard from that you end up contacting later to reiterate your interest, they then will likely take a look at the extra letter and it may be helpful.

good luck!!

 

[Ludicolo]

If you are trying to land more interviews, a strong letter might make a difference, depending on the specialty and who the letter writer is. Others are correct in that the actual letter writing and ERAS download may take some time. But it’s important to understand that this is a long dynamic process, with dates opening and closing and people rescheduling all the time. January interviews may be offered in December, after applicants decide to cancel future interviews. It’s not over.

One thing to keep in mind though: if you’ve previously submitted the maximal amount of letters (usually 4) to each program, and they’ve already downloaded all of them, submitting another letter (even if you deassign a previous letter) could be perceived as annoying or as an inability to follow directions.

 

[Nicholaus]

If you are trying to land more interviews, a strong letter might make a difference, depending on the specialty and who the letter writer is. Others are correct in that the actual letter writing and ERAS download may take some time. But it’s important to understand that this is a long dynamic process, with dates opening and closing and people rescheduling all the time. January interviews may be offered in December, after applicants decide to cancel future interviews. It’s not over.

One thing to keep in mind though: if you’ve previously submitted the maximal amount of letters (usually 4) to each program, and they’ve already downloaded all of them, submitting another letter (even if you deassign a previous letter) could be perceived as annoying or as an inability to follow directions.

Thanks for the reply Ludicolo! I only submitted 3 LOR's when I applied via ERAS back in early September, so this would be my 4th and final LOR. I guess I have nothing to lose by submitting another LOR regardless of the time involved in uploading it, etc. It may give an all important "nudge" to some programs that I haven't heard back from yet at the very least 🙂

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Agreed. You should absolutely submit this letter. Programs that have not rejected you might decide to interview you because of it. Programs that have already decided to interview you might consider your applications stronger because of it.