How many schools will recommendors send to??

[lalabooks]

I want to apply to as many schools as possible because my program is becoming increasingly competitive. Is it ok to ask professors to send letters to a bunch of schools? Or do they typically limit the number of schools they will send letters to? Sooo frustrating!!

[iamincontrolhere-haig]

If you make it as easy on them as you possibly can--that is, if you're submitting your applications online, do so on one day so your recommenders can input their letters in one fel swoop--I don't think you'll have any problems.

With that said, if you're planning on submitting something along the lines of 20 applications, you might want to do more research to narrow down your list and find which schools are the best fit for your research interests. There's nothing wrong with casting a wide net, but if you show you haven't done the requisite research, that might come across in the letters that are written on your behalf.

[orst11]

Typically, most recommendations require just a few edits for each school, so it's not too big of a deal for recs to do a good amount of them LORs. With that said I agree with iamincontrolhere-haig in saying if you apply to too many they may question your focus. They know how competitive some fields are so most professors don't have a problem. If you are having a person you have worked with write recs typically this is when you want to worry about having them complete a bunch because they aren't accustomed to the whole process. I would just advise you to be organized in your approach. For instance, I sent packages to my recs that included a cv, transcripts, SOP, a writing sample, and a writing sample from one of their courses along with a table that included deadlines, program preference, and notes on each program. You don't have to go to that much of an extreme but giving them deadlines and letting them know when to expect recommendation links is necessary. The latter is especially important because sometimes things will go to spam in a person's email.

[Eigen]

It also depends on what the schools require- some just require the recommendation, some have "surveys" or specific forms for recommenders to fill out.

[lalabooks]

Thank you for the responses. I am looking at applying to 8 schools. 4 in my local area of Pa, 3 in NY and 1 in Colorado. I definitely understand how applying to many schools could potentially be viewed in a negative way. I am just very nervous about the competitiveness of my program. Thank you for the ideas about the LOR. I wanted to make it simple for the professors considering the amount of letters they will be asked to write. This whole process is very overwhelming!! Trying to accommodate all the different requirements of each school! I am applying to schools for a masters in Speech/Language Pathology. Any other pertinent advice would be greatly appreciated!

[AudioEnvy]

I am also applying to SLP programs and am very nervous about the competitiveness...I am planning to apply to 7 schools, so we are thinking along the same lines

[ktel]

I don't think 7 or 8 schools is that much, compared to how many I know some people on this forum have applied to. That seems like an average number to me.

[SomedaySLP]

Hey, I'm another SLP applicant here too. I'm applying to 7 schools. My initial list was 10 (I've since narrowed that down) and when I first mentioned that number to one of my writers, she didn't seem put off, so 8 should be fine. Especially if your writers are in the SLP field...it's crazy competitive and they know that!

Just wonder, what school in CO are you applying to? I go to CU-Boulder as an undergrad and have a lot of knowledge about the program if that's the one you're applying to. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have about what they look for/how the program is

Thank you for the responses. I am looking at applying to 8 schools. 4 in my local area of Pa, 3 in NY and 1 in Colorado. I definitely understand how applying to many schools could potentially be viewed in a negative way. I am just very nervous about the competitiveness of my program. Thank you for the ideas about the LOR. I wanted to make it simple for the professors considering the amount of letters they will be asked to write. This whole process is very overwhelming!! Trying to accommodate all the different requirements of each school! I am applying to schools for a masters in Speech/Language Pathology. Any other pertinent advice would be greatly appreciated!

[lalabooks]

SLP-Allie- I'm applying to UNC. I looove Colorado and would love to go to school out there. I'm from Pa but have friends in CO.