When to ask for eLORs for 2015 VMCAS?!

[FauxxFox]

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Hi all!

I tried searching the threads, but with the updated VMCAS opening in just one month and being due by September 15th, I was wondering if anybody had any recommendations on when to ask for eLORs? I would love to wait a little longer to build an even better relationship with those I will ask, but I don't want to wait too long!

Past applicants, I know the VMCAS dates were different and the application changed this year, but do you have any recommendations?

Thanks everyone 🙂

 

[LetItSnow]

Hi all!

I tried searching the threads, but with the updated VMCAS opening in just one month and being due by September 15th, I was wondering if anybody had any recommendations on when to ask for eLORs? I would love to wait a little longer to build an even better relationship with those I will ask, but I don't want to wait too long!

Past applicants, I know the VMCAS dates were different and the application changed this year, but do you have any recommendations?

Thanks everyone 🙂

As a super broad generalized won't-cover-all-cases rule of thumb, I would give people a minimum of one month from the time it's due.

That said, if it were me, I'd ask them by 3 months before they are due. That gives you 6 weeks to wait and see if they get it done and then still have a little time when you have to go poke them and remind them about it.

Asking with less than a month may frustrate them if their schedule is especially busy.

Asking much earlier than 3 months is perfectly fine, but it's not necessary.

 

[Skimble]

I asked all of mine after VMCAS opened, so I could ask them, then send the request within 24hrs.

 

[Gemgrrrl]

Hi all!

I tried searching the threads, but with the updated VMCAS opening in just one month and being due by September 15th, I was wondering if anybody had any recommendations on when to ask for eLORs? I would love to wait a little longer to build an even better relationship with those I will ask, but I don't want to wait too long!

Past applicants, I know the VMCAS dates were different and the application changed this year, but do you have any recommendations?

Thanks everyone 🙂

I agree with LIS that 3 months is a good rule of thumb.

As an aside, I wish VMCAS didn't put the drop-dead due date on the emails they send to the reviewers. I had one reviewer who waited until 3 days before it closed before sending it in - after having a 4 months to do it. I was seriously panicking! I wish they would let us pick the due date to give to the reviewer (up to the closing date).

 

[AniSci]

I asked mine mid-March, to give them plenty of time to "ponder" what they might want to say. One of them has never written one before (she just graduated from vet school two years ago), but she's been a huge help to be as far as giving me pointers because she's so fresh from school.

 

[Felixor90]

I think it's safe to ask the vets well in advance. A lot of schools require at least one letter from a vet, and it would be a nightmare if you asked a month before and had them say no. I get super anxious about these things and I had a feeling that they would say no for some reason so I asked the 2 vets I worked with in February. Of course that was me just being super paranoid and they were more than happy to write letters for me, but I would have gone crazy if I waited any longer than that to ask. One of them didn't write it up until the week that it was due and I was dying the entire time lol. As for professors, I asked them a few months before the deadline because I had solid relationships with a few of them due to my being a TA.

 

[FauxxFox]

Thanks guys! How did you go about asking your writers? I'm asking the professor I will be TAing for next week (as he will be gone for the summer) and will be asking my veterinarians soon and I was wondering how most of you guys went about asking!

 

[vet4life]

Thanks guys! How did you go about asking your writers? I'm asking the professor I will be TAing for next week (as he will be gone for the summer) and will be asking my veterinarians soon and I was wondering how most of you guys went about asking!

Most that you will ask will already know that you plan on attending Vet school. Just ask. Tell them how important it is to your application. Just make sure the people you ask know you well enough to elaborate on your skills, character, etc. Make sure you get email addresses for anybody that will be gone over the summer!!

 

[Skimble]

Thanks guys! How did you go about asking your writers? I'm asking the professor I will be TAing for next week (as he will be gone for the summer) and will be asking my veterinarians soon and I was wondering how most of you guys went about asking!

Make sure you ask if they feel comfortable writing a GOOD LOR. I gave the people I asked an out too, saying if they didn't feel comfortable writing a good LOR or if they were too busy, to let me know and I'd completely understand. Luckily none of them said no.

 

[Gemgrrrl]

Thanks guys! How did you go about asking your writers? I'm asking the professor I will be TAing for next week (as he will be gone for the summer) and will be asking my veterinarians soon and I was wondering how most of you guys went about asking!

I picked people who could speak specifically to things I felt were the highlights of my application. I asked if they would be willing, why I chose them to be a reviewer, and specifically asked if they would be willing to talk about those things in the letter. If they were, then I let them know the process (that they would get an email with a link and instructions), what the deadline was, and asked if there was any information they needed from me to help them write the letter. I followed that up with an email that thanked them for the recommendation, had the information again (process, deadlines, etc.), dates that I had worked with them, the specific things I hoped they would mention, and any additional information that they asked for.

I didn't specifically ask if they would write me a "good" letter, because I had a good relationship with them all. I didn't think it was necessary. But if you have any reservations about it, then you should.

 

[LetItSnow]

I didn't specifically ask if they would write me a "good" letter, because I had a good relationship with them all. I didn't think it was necessary. But if you have any reservations about it, then you should.

I think it's a safer bet to be that specific. In my previous life, I certainly had people who came asking for recommendations on their behalf on the erroneous assumption that because we had a good relationship I would write a strong recommendation. I can get along with someone and like them on a personal level well enough without necessarily feeling like they are a great employee/worker/whatever. Plus, asking for a very positive recommendation tells them a) that it matters, and b) that you value what they're doing.

I agree with Gemgrrrl's advice to talk to your writers about the contents of their letters. Your whole application should be a consistent package, so making sure that they address at least one or two of the things you're saying about yourself in your personal statement makes the overall package stronger. You obviously don't need to constrain them to just those things, but making sure that what they are saying supports what you are saying is useful.

 

[Gemgrrrl]

I think it's a safer bet to be that specific. In my previous life, I certainly had people who came asking for recommendations on their behalf on the erroneous assumption that because we had a good relationship I would write a strong recommendation. I can get along with someone and like them on a personal level well enough without necessarily feeling like they are a great employee/worker/whatever. Plus, asking for a very positive recommendation tells them a) that it matters, and b) that you value what they're doing.

You're definitely right that sometimes you might not have the kind of relationship you think you do. I wasn't recommending that people don't specifically ask for a good recommendation, just that I didn't do it myself.

My situation was different than most, because I have previous professional experience. So I know how to be a good mentee and how to manage expectations. Whenever I started working with someone I let them know up front that I would be applying for vet school. I specifically asked what it would take to get an excellent recommendation from them. We also had regular conversations about my performance and whether or not I was meeting their expectations. If they didn't initiate it, I did. So I had already spoken to all my reviewers about recommendations several times before it came time to formally start the process. Those conversations were really good indicators of who would be a raving fans, and who had the communication skills to write really good LOR's. I asked the three that I felt would be most positive and beneficial for my application. My relationships with them were such that they all shared their letters with me, even though I had agreed to confidentiality, because they wanted me to see what they had written and make sure that it fit what I was looking for.

Ideally, that's what I would recommend to people who are seeking LOR's. But most of the time they're starting to consider who they will ask a month or two before VMCAS opens. By then it's way to late to develop that kind of relationship.

 

[Shrike Pilgrim]

You may be astonished at how long it takes some of them to be written. Plan accordingly.

 

[Minnerbelle]

You may be astonished at how long it takes some of them to be written. Plan accordingly.

Also realize that some people are going to procrastinate no matter how far in advance you ask them, and how many times you nag them. That is just human nature... so take a chill pill before you nag and nag and nag and nag. That will only make you seem less favorable a person when that LOR writer finally gets to it 24 hours before the deadline. I would suggest not reminding them any sooner than one month before the deadline, then maybe a polite note once at the 2 week mark... and don't nag until absolutely warranted.