Where to send recommendations

[JohnDO]

I'm about to ask my organic professor for a recommendation, but where do I tell him to send it? Do I have him seal it in an envelope and give it to me??

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[PublicHealth]

He'll have to send them directly to the schools to which you apply. However, because most schools ask for recommendation letters to be returned with secondary applications, you may want to have him give you the letter and then you send it in with the secondary applications. This will allow you to keep everything in order, which will help expedite the process.

 

[medic170]

go to : www.interfolio.com

This is the LOR service most med school applicants use.

 

[lealf-ye]

Rec letters are usually sent to pre-health committee first, then forward to individual schools.

 

[Doctortobee]

My school had a service through Career Services that would mail out all my recommendation letters in a nice portfolio. I would check with your school.

 

[Doctor Peloncito]

Your school should have a committee or department that deals with this kind of stuff. If it doesn't or they charge for their services (eg. UC Davis), then ask the secretary in the Chemistry department to send it for the professor. You can do your part by giving them pre-addressed stamped envelopes, but get some letterhead envelopes first. Absolutely do not send it yourself. This is a big no no. Do not send it in the same envelope as your secondary, that would constitute bad form and would get you negative karma points with the adcoms.

wbdo

 

[JohnDO]

hrm, my school's pre-professional committee stopped services around a year ago. Thus, there will be no comittee letter Instead, I need to get the ol' 2 science and 1 nonscience recommendation. I'm going to check with the university career center, but what should I do if they dont' have one? Can I go wrong with interfolio.com?

 

[Amy B]

I sure wish your school provided that service. It really makes it easy on the students. I would recommend you use a service then. Either that or you can ask the letter writers to make a number of copies and you could give them a stamped envelope. When you hear from a school (when you get a request for the secondary, that is when you send the LOR), you could ask them to send it directly to the school. It makes more work for them but it would be free. Make sure you have them sign the outside of the envelope stating they have not let you see the letter and have them sign the envelop flap. They must mail it AND make sure you don't put your address as the return address. You need to put their return address.

Since your school doesn't offer this service, I assume they don't have a standard form for all your LOR writers to fill out. Schools offer forms but that would mean your letter writers would have to fill out something new for each school. The schools also want you to sign a waiver stating that you haven't seen the letters. I think you need to talk this over with your people and see what they would prefer to do. If they don't mind filling out each school's form, then have them do that.

Are you applying to a lot of schools??? If so, then don't ask them to fill out a new one for every school. Try to get a hold of a standard form and do it that way.

 

[Doctortobee]

Now when it came time for my DO to send his letters, he didn't want to send it through the service. He thought it would be better for him to send it directly to the admissions office. I just provided him with the addresses and he did the rest. In any case, just find a way to get them to the schools!