LOR Forum

[cdotson2]

For a k-jd is there any reason to do more than 2 LOR? I could easily get three good letters that are distinct, but is it better to just stick with two?

[rnoodles]

Stick with 2. I'd only do an extra one if you're waitlisted at a top school or feel like you need an added bump to make up for a slightly below median GPA or LSAT on an otherwise competitive application. However, make sure the third is either from someone with a lot of weight behind their name that knows you very well academically and professionally or says something about you that you know full well is not generic or what has already been said in the last two.

LORs have diminishing returns. Reading that someone is the greatest student ever is attention-grabbing once, reassuring twice, and rather mundane the third time around. You don't want to leave that kind of thought in the back of an adcoms mind when they reach the end of your review.

[hearsay77]

I disagree with the above poster. If you have a third letter that you believe will be good, I don't see any reason not to send it in.

[rnoodles]

While it's possible that all three will be stellar, I wouldn't risk it on the off chance that one isn't. During my cycle, I had one ad. officer tell me straight up that all they required and wanted was two, despite their accepting three and that a third should only be sent if it functions along the lines of what I mentioned above. They were very explicit about the fact that the number of LORs you submit is another measure (however meaningful or meaningless it is, I don't know) of an applicant's judgment.

And if you don't believe me, maybe you'll believe Yale. Got this straight from Dean Asha's Blog:

"If you DID submit two academic letters, you do NOT need to submit additional ones at this point. I'm sure some economist could graph this out for me, but there is an optimal number of LORs for Yale and it's somewhere around 2.4. This is because of the "meh" factor. If you submit two references that are stellar, and then one that is just "meh," you immediately bring down the impact of the two great ones. There are some students who manage to find three professors who knock it out of the park for them, but many fall into the "meh" trap. Unless you are absolutely certain that your third recommendation is going to be beyond amazing, just sit tight. And please don't send more than three...that's just overkill."

Summary: Sit tight and don't fall into the "meh" trap.

[Scalvert]

So....Do people usually ask to see the content of letters? I signed the LSAC waiver, and have 3 evals and 4 letters on file, but I have no idea what's in them. All the professors I requested letters from are people who would write something positive about me. However, I don't know exactly what is in each one, or if certain ones would be more helpful than others. Is it bad form to ask the writers to see their letters, or do most people just assign them randomly? I would hate to send out one that is just "ok" and leave an awesome one unsent.

[shump92]

So....Do people usually ask to see the content of letters? I signed the LSAC waiver, and have 3 evals and 4 letters on file, but I have no idea what's in them. All the professors I requested letters from are people who would write something positive about me. However, I don't know exactly what is in each one, or if certain ones would be more helpful than others. Is it bad form to ask the writers to see their letters, or do most people just assign them randomly? I would hate to send out one that is just "ok" and leave an awesome one unsent.

You can totally ask your recommender directly if you could see a copy of their letter. That being said, the people who are comfortable with students see their letters usually do that at the onset of their writing process. So don't expect much.

[Philafaler]

If you have a third recommender that really would be different (e.g., from another discipline) and you're pretty sure this third will speak just as highly of you as the other two, then I would say go for it.

FWIW, I sent in a third letter as a K-JD and I'm certain it helped my app. Feel free to PM for more details, if you like.

[Scalvert]

So....Do people usually ask to see the content of letters? I signed the LSAC waiver, and have 3 evals and 4 letters on file, but I have no idea what's in them. All the professors I requested letters from are people who would write something positive about me. However, I don't know exactly what is in each one, or if certain ones would be more helpful than others. Is it bad form to ask the writers to see their letters, or do most people just assign them randomly? I would hate to send out one that is just "ok" and leave an awesome one unsent.

You can totally ask your recommender directly if you could see a copy of their letter. That being said, the people who are comfortable with students see their letters usually do that at the onset of their writing process. So don't expect much.

Thanks. I don't want to seem like I don't have any confidence by asking (if they didn't offer to let me read it, and none of them did) i guess I'll just wing it. Maybe I should've only asked for two instead of four.

[pittsburghpirates]

Post removed.

[fisheatbananas]

you could also wait until later in the admissions process to get and submit the third LOR. the benefits of doing this are that if youre waitlisted at a school, you could send it in later to express that youre still interested in the school, and use that contact to ask the status of your application. i didnt do this myself and i only submitted 2 LORs, but ive heard about people using this strategy when theyre waitlisted.

[pittsburghpirates]

Post removed.

[rnoodles]

you could also wait until later in the admissions process to get and submit the third LOR. the benefits of doing this are that if youre waitlisted at a school, you could send it in later to express that youre still interested in the school, and use that contact to ask the status of your application. i didnt do this myself and i only submitted 2 LORs, but ive heard about people using this strategy when theyre waitlisted.

Very good response that I can personally vouch for.

[Mack.Hambleton]

yeah save it for a hold or WL