When to submit LOR

[businessmd06]

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Hey All,

I am assuming your LOR go with your first round app through AMCAS? I then heard someone say that it is only during secondaries that you send the LOR's. Can someone fill me in on this?

Thanks

 

[oxeye]

Pretty sure that the LORs are asked for with the secondaries. Someone who has actually applied is welcome to correct me if I'm wrong, though.

 

[businessmd06]

This would be great news if we wish to do a post bac in 1 yr... that way you can do more EC stuff after your classes are complete, and still have good LOR by secondary time 🙂

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

Hey All,

I am assuming your LOR go with your first round app through AMCAS? I then heard someone say that it is only during secondaries that you send the LOR's. Can someone fill me in on this?

Thanks

If you are applying to TX schools, LORs must be received with your first round app. through TMDSAS. Your application isn't considered complete by TMDSAS until the LORs are received.

Otherwise, most AMCAS schools want LORs with secondaries (Including Baylor,) I believe.

 

[relentless11]

This would be great news if we wish to do a post bac in 1 yr... that way you can do more EC stuff after your classes are complete, and still have good LOR by secondary time 🙂

Note quite. You can do that for schools that screen GPA/MCAT. However there's a good number of schools (e.g.: Stanford, Tulane, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, etc) that give automatic secondaries once your AMCAS app is complete. I think Tulane just points you to some online link to download the secondary.

Since these schools are on rolling admissions, then the sooner you get a secondary in, the better chance to get a spot. Assuming your MCAT is done, and other materials get to AMCAS on time, verification is pretty fast.

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

Note quite. You can do that for schools that screen GPA/MCAT. However there's a good number of schools (e.g.: Stanford, Tulane, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, etc) that give automatic secondaries once your AMCAS app is complete. I think Tulane just points you to some online link to download the secondary.

Since these schools are on rolling admissions, then the sooner you get a secondary in, the better chance to get a spot. Assuming your MCAT is done, and other materials get to AMCAS on time, verification is pretty fast.

That brings up an interesting point, however. Suppose that one is doing volunteer work, shadowing, etc after the initial applications are submitted. Furthermore, suppose that the applications were complete (i.e. they had 3 LORs, etc) but because of the extra work, you can get an extra LOR. Should that LOR be sent directly to the school(s)? Sent to the premed. office and then forwarded to the school(s)? Just bring the LOR to an interview? (Probably not.)

 

[relentless11]

That brings up an interesting point, however. Suppose that one is doing volunteer work, shadowing, etc after the initial applications are submitted. Furthermore, suppose that the applications were complete (i.e. they had 3 LORs, etc) but because of the extra work, you can get an extra LOR. Should that LOR be sent directly to the school(s)? Sent to the premed. office and then forwarded to the school(s)? Just bring the LOR to an interview? (Probably not.)

That could be a case-by-case thing. May have to contact specific shcools for that. However schools that ask for ONLY a committee letter, then you're pretty much out of luck. The way it works at UC Davis is you send your LORs to our pre-health profession adivising place where someone interviews you and also reads these LORs. This person then writes the committee letter which is sent to the specified schools.

To add another letter would require a revision of the committee letter, which in this case is too late. If the school is adament on ONLY getting a committee letter, then they will probably not accept any additional letters. As for bringing extra material to the interview. I don't think they have time to read it during the interview, and some schools discourage bringing anything (e.g.: publications, etc) to the interview. So its pretty much a case-by-case thing. For the most part, you should have everything ready to go before applying. Remember you are not the only person on the planet that is sending in an application. To add more things to worry about, you are adding more things that can go wrong.

Pre-health advising offices will be overloaded during these times due to everyone needing this and that, so could lose your LORs, or delay their submission. I've seen LORs lost, delayed, not to mention transcripts being mishandled between school A and B. My friend requested transcripts EARLY, yet they got in late. Its all about Murphy's Law, and thus everyone would be better off being ready by the time you click submit on AMCAS.

 

[erleichda]

when do you plan to send your LORs?
(and i assume they should be sent to the same address as secondaries?)

 

[blee]

With AMCAS schools, LORs typically go out with secondaries or after.