Here’s a GREAT question I just got from a student about her recommenders. Apparently they’ve been dragging their feet on writing letters for her and now she’s in trouble.
“Dear Don:
Sometimes professors forget about your rec letter
Even though I asked some of the professors for my letters of recommendations several months in advance, they are taking their time writing some of these recs. Should I just send in the application even if I don’t get these in and have them added as soon as I do receive them or should I wait for them to finish? Thanks again. — Reshma”
This is such a great question because it really brings up the “big problem” with the application process, which is “What is the absolute right way to submit your application to medical school?”
OK, the quick answer is, “Absolutely yes submit your application right away, even if you don’t have letters.”
And here’s why.
Secondaries!
As soon as you submit your application to AMCAS, the medical schools you’ve applied to will get notified. Many of them will immediately send you a secondary application. They haven’t read your application, but they still want you to complete the secondary. It’s like they are giving you every chance possible to make your case in writing before they decide to invite you to an interview.
So … you absolutely must send your app in as early as you can, so you can send the secondaries in as early as you can.
Now, if you don’t have your letters of recommendation done yet, you want to be sure you have them done by the time you return the secondaries; otherwise, your letters will cause your application to be delayed. If you’re having trouble completing your letters of recommendation, get solutions here.
Makes sense? Go for it … and tell me about your hiccups with the application process in the comments below.
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Would sending in recommendation letters after primary and before secondaries delay my application? I have heard that sending in anything separately will get my application pulled back because they need to bundle to together but I do not know if this is true.
Hi Mel — Most likely, yes. While each med school has its own policies, it would be safe to say that no med school’s admissions office is going to forward your application to committee for review without recommendation letters.