When do adcoms typically read LORs?

[majahops]

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At what point in the application process do admission committees typically read students' letters of recommendation? Do they read them before offering an interview? Do they give them to interviewers to read them after you've been offered an interview? Do they read them only after you've been interviewed, at their "final" review meeting/session?

Please excuse my ignorance here, but it just occurred to me the other day that I have absolutely no idea when schools will actually be reading letters of recommendation.

I assume that it varies from school to school, as almost all components of the process do. However, I expect that there is a practice that is "most-standard" of schools to follow.

Thanks so much ahead of time for any responses.

 

[iA-MD2013]

It depends on the school. I've been to interviews where they told me that they will not read my LORs until post-interview. While other schools were commenting on my LORs during the interview (so they obviously read them).

 

[majahops]

Thanks jbeezie! 🙂

It depends on the school. I've been to interviews where they told me that they will not read my LORs until post-interview. While other schools were commenting on my LORs during the interview (so they obviously read them).

 

[copperfrog09]

I was just at an interveiw (my first open-file interview) and my interviewers, who were both on the adcom, had clearly read my LOR's.

 

[GoSpursGo]

One must assume they read them before the interviews; a school would not want to be sent random paper and information to further clutter up their office unless they knew they needed it. Therefore, if a school requests them before giving you an interview, one would assume they would read them before granting the interview.

Furthermore, it just makes sense; why judge an applicant based on anything less than all of the information available to them? Why invite someone in for an interview who might just get killed by a bad LOR, as that situation just wastes time and resources for the school?

In conclusion, I'm sure most read them before offering interviews. Also, it seems like you're starting to stress over the tiniest minutiae of this application process. Relax! 🙂

 

[Jolie South]

i really think it depends, and i don't know that there is a practice that most schools follow.

i just know that at a couple of schools they commented on my LORs during my interview, but otherwise i don't think that the policies are really publicized.

 

[majahops]

Thank you for the thoughtful response, but a) I have a feeling they DON'T always read them before interviews, which is what originally prompted me to consider the idea at all and b) I am actually surprisingly un-stressed about the process at this point... It's all academic at this point, anyway.

Thanks again for the response though. Means a lot.

One must assume they read them before the interviews; a school would not want to be sent random paper and information to further clutter up their office unless they knew they needed it. Therefore, if a school requests them before giving you an interview, one would assume they would read them before granting the interview.

Furthermore, it just makes sense; why judge an applicant based on anything less than all of the information available to them? Why invite someone in for an interview who might just get killed by a bad LOR, as that situation just wastes time and resources for the school?

In conclusion, I'm sure most read them before offering interviews. Also, it seems like you're starting to stress over the tiniest minutiae of this application process. Relax! 🙂

 

[Doodledog]

Keep in mind that the person who reviews the file to decide/recommend if an applicant receives an interview invitation is not necessarily or even likely to be the one actually doing the interviews. In general, someone will almost certainly have gone through the entire file, including letters, in deciding about an interview invitation (this excludes any "automatic invites" that are said to occur at some schools). At this point there is extreme variability, to the point that no generalizations can be made about what the actual interviewers will know or have read. Some will have seen the whole file, others parts of it and some will know nothing about you.

At the time an actual decision about admission is made, whether by a committee vote or by a decision by the dean based on the interview scores and committee recommendation, MCAT and GPA, etc, whoever is making the decision will likely have access to the whole file.

 

[majahops]

Thanks so much! BTW doggies RULE! urs is adorable!

Keep in mind that the person who reviews the file to decide/recommend if an applicant receives an interview invitation is not necessarily or even likely to be the one actually doing the interviews. In general, someone will almost certainly have gone through the entire file, including letters, in deciding about an interview invitation (this excludes any "automatic invites" that are said to occur at some schools). At this point there is extreme variability, to the point that no generalizations can be made about what the actual interviewers will know or have read. Some will have seen the whole file, others parts of it and some will know nothing about you.

At the time an actual decision about admission is made, whether by a committee vote or by a decision by the dean based on the interview scores and committee recommendation, MCAT and GPA, etc, whoever is making the decision will likely have access to the whole file.

 

[gujuDoc]

Thanks so much! BTW doggies RULE! urs is adorable!

Thank you Tildy. Its nice to know that adcom members are on here to answer our questions. 😀

 

[cleothecat]

Some schools review LOR's prior to interviews.

Others only after the interview.

Many great interviews ( and travel$$$) have been wasted by negative or lukewarm LOR's.

Choose your LOR's carefully.

 

[Zaibatsu]

One must assume they read them before the interviews; a school would not want to be sent random paper and information to further clutter up their office unless they knew they needed it. Therefore, if a school requests them before giving you an interview, one would assume they would read them before granting the interview.

Furthermore, it just makes sense; why judge an applicant based on anything less than all of the information available to them? Why invite someone in for an interview who might just get killed by a bad LOR, as that situation just wastes time and resources for the school?

In conclusion, I'm sure most read them before offering interviews. Also, it seems like you're starting to stress over the tiniest minutiae of this application process. Relax! 🙂

On the contrary, I interviewed at Indiana University School of Medicine on 9-10. My interviewers were late by 45min and had clearly not even looked at anything in my file...it was somewhat disheartening but I feel like it had something to do with the fact that I applied EDP.