Number of Letter of Recommendations Forum

[Lukky]

Hi,

So I was told that two strong letters of recommendations are all you need, so I only got two. Michigan Law school is one of my dream schools though, and I opened up the application today. It says, although only one is encouraged, three is encouraged.

Do you think it would hurt my application to only send in two? Also, how many other schools encourage having more than two?

I know I'm already late in the cycle. Do you think it would be worth waiting 2-3 weeks to secure a 3rd letter of recommendation instead of applying immediately?

Thanks in advance!

[galeatus]

If they encourage 3 LORs, it might be better to wait and get the 3rd LOR.

I wouldn't say you're already late in the cycle, and even if you submit early January it's still not too late. Also, according to GOD Spivey, due to the number of Dec retakers this year and the drop in applicants, this will be a slow cycle, so it will play into your favour a little bit.

[cavalier1138]

There's no need for a third letter unless it's going to present a different view of you from the other two. So if you have two professors and your potential third letter was from an employer, then it might be worth the time. If the third letter would just be restating the other two, there's no point, and it certainly won't affect your chances at Michigan so much that you should submit a late application.

[blueapple]

I went to MLaw and only submitted 2 LORs

[Baby Gaga]

I only used 1 for Michigan and I got in. You definitely don't need all 3.