Recommendation Letters

[moshei24]

Hi!

I just wanted to ask a quick question about recommendation letters.

Would there ever be an issue with me having four letters? I want to get one from my school's Dean who I had two classes with, and talk to very often. Another one from one of the Associate Deans who I also had two classes with, and talk to very often. A third from my school's President, who I talk to once in awhile, but I am also going to be in his class this semester, so I figure I would ask him a few weeks into the semester. And a fourth from a court lawyer in my city's civil court system. I offered to write me a wonderful recommendation letter, so I figure why not take him up on the offer. Would that be too many? Am I choosing the right sources?

Thanks for your help!

-Moshe

[moshei24]

And would five be too many?

[moshei24]

And would you possibly have any personal statement advice? I just looked all over Google, but the opinion of someone who I know is credible would be really helpful!

Thank you!

[Anne Chaconas]

Hi Moshe,

Four (or five) letters would be too much if the school only asks for one or two. If the school doesn't place a limit, it is typically a good idea to stick with no more than three. The idea is to include points of view from those who have worked closely with you and know you well in an academic and/or professional capacity, but LORs should not inundate your application; they should only complement it. Five letters would definitely be too much.

As a side note, if your school's President doesn't know you well, you may want to skip getting a recommendation letter from him. The point of the recommendation letter is not really to show that you can get letters from people in positions of power, but rather that you have individuals who are willing to sing your praises in specific, precise ways, with personal anecdotes that add to your overall profile. It doesn't sound like your school President will be able to do that as effectively as the other three people you cited.

Regarding personal statement advice: Do you have any specific questions? The personal statement is a very broad topic; it is easier to give advice if you have a particular query in mind.

[moshei24]

Thank you.

What does it mean when they say two letter, but they allow additional ones? Would my best bet be to use the one from my Dean and Associate Dean, plus the court lawyer I worked with this Summer?

And well, for my personal statement, I was reading up a lot today on things to write about, and I came to this idea for my personal statement:

I'll send it to you in a PM, because I don't know if I should be posting my ideas on the public forum.

Thanks!

[Anne Chaconas]

When schools say that they require two letters but allow additional ones, it means just that--that you need to send in two letters, but are welcome to send in more, if you want. The same advice applies, though--do not overwhelm your application with recommendation letters. I would send in no more than three, simply for that reason. I know it can be tempting to send in as many as possible. However, put yourself in the file reader's shoes: Would you want to have to read through four, five, or six letters of recommendation? Would you consider it helpful, or overkill? By sending in 4+ letters, you're more likely to end up on the "overkill" side of the equation, which is something you should avoid at all costs.

It's hard for me to say which letters you should send in, given that I will not have a chance to read them, and I do not know very much about your relationship with any of your recommenders. My advice to you is to go off your gut feeling: Which of the letters do you think will be the strongest? Send off the two strongest, and keep the remaining ones as backup. Keep in mind that you should send letters from those who know you in an academic setting, preferably--that's what law schools want to see the most.

[moshei24]

So I shouldn't send three? I should only send two?

[Anne Chaconas]

It really depends on how strong you feel your letters are. As I mentioned my previous answer, if the school requires two but lets you submit more, I would send in no more than three.

[moshei24]

Okay, thanks.