2 LOR vs 3 LOR? Forum

[thedude221]

Does it matter if you have 2 LOR vs 3 LOR? I don't have many other 'softs' but does it matter one way or another?

[plenipotentiary]

My impression is that two strong academic letters of recommendation is the way to go (if you have work experience, a third LOR from an employer might be appropriate). Most schools require two and recommend two, and I suspect that sometimes they might not actually read more than that. You don't want to burden them with unnecessary paper.

[2014]

The standard TLS advice is to submit with the "recommended" number, which is almost universally two, but have at least one in the folds to submit later in the case of waitlists.

[Dany]

I highly recommend reading through the interviews here, on Admissions Dean, and the blogs of the specific schools' deans. They will tell you their individual preferences. If you don't feel like doing that, 2014 is correct: just go with two.