If you know you have 3 strong letters and one marginal letter (say, from a medicine attending who wrote you one so you can meet the "non-ortho" letter requirement some programs have), then send your three strongest letters. A little common sense goes a long way in this process. keep it simple.

If you know you have 3 strong letters and one marginal letter (say, from a medicine attending who wrote you one so you can meet the "non-ortho" letter requirement some programs have), then send your three strongest letters. A little common sense goes a long way in this process. keep it simple.

How many programs have non-ortho letter requirements? When I'm applying to over 60 programs, I didn't spend the time to check each school's requirements. Since one of my 3 LoRs was the chairman letter, i just sent those 3 letters everywhere.

I was wondering the same thing. Obviously, if one is a weak letter or medicine letter or whatever... it's easy to just use common sense. I think the real question is what to do when you're applying to a ton of programs and you have 4 ortho letters, none of which you've read. Would most people send those 4 letters everywhere?

That's what I was planning on doing.

i asked one of the residents at my program, and he said that if they specifically say on their requirements that they want three letters, then send three. If they say at least 3, then send four if you want. I have four letters - one from my home chairman, one from the chairman at each place i did an externship, and then one from a home orthopedist who is well known and spends the most time with us medical students. So, i'm not sure who i would choose to leave out if I am to send just 3.

Say you get a letter from an attending you work with on an externship, yet you've already submitted three letters and that particular program specifically wants three letters. Would you guys submit the fourth that you got from that program's away rotation? I'm pretty sure I'm going to... just wanted to see if anyone knew how seriously programs take this.

And say if you assigned 3 letters to a program that says 3 letters and that program already downloaded all three letters. You got a strong fourth or fifth letter. Can you unassign 1 or 2 of the 3 older letters and assign the newer letters?

I would think not since the downloaded letters are probably already in paper file... but doesn't hurt to ask.

snow, as far as I have read on ERAS, you can unassign letters and then reassign new ones. You can track applications and see which individual programs have downloaded what off of ERAS. If they have not downloaded your stuff yet, then you can change the assignments and then they will download the correct letters once they download your stuff. If they have downloaded it, I would assume you could email them and tell them you have posted a new letter and they may/may not use it.

john

just send four to every program.

does a PhD (not MD) who does ortho research count as a non-ortho letter?

I would say definitely yes to the ortho researcher bc: 1) they are a PhD and not an MD, so different perspective; 2) ortho research is not ortho surgery.

now, whether you want to turn in a letter from a non-MD is another matter. If they know you really well, I say go for it.

does a PhD (not MD) who does ortho research count as a non-ortho letter?

Yes it does, I asked UCSF (i presume this is the program you are referring to)