<p>D2 (currently a junior) will be doing a summer research program. It's quite likely she will be asking her PI for a LOR for either med (or possibly grad) school. </p>
<p>The issue--D2 is not going to applying to med school immediately. She wants to do a gap--her current plans are to do 2 years of public service first, probably in the Peace Corp. This suggests to me that she should ask for the LOR now and 'save' it for when it's needed. (Seriously, how likely is it that a summer PI will remember her 3 years from now?) I'm thinking that an Interfoliio account might be the way to do it.</p>
<p>Also her school does committee letters. Would someone 2 years out still be expected to go thru the committee recommendation process? Would she be better off asking for LORs from her profs/PI next year and holding them in an Interfolio account until she needs them?</p>
<p>Hi there! I took two years off, so I can tell you what I did (and what I should have done).</p>
<p>First, you are 100% right about getting the LOR before she leaves school (or as soon as she finishes her project with him). I wish I had done this, because I waited until a year after I had graduated, and one professor did not remember me well (but I needed the non-science LOR, so what can you do…)–I had to send in my essays and coursework to him, and I doubt that the LOR was particularly personal. However, what I would do, is have them write the LOR, but ask them to update the letter a year later, commenting on her peacecorp activities and goals etc. She could keep the letter on interfolio, sure. At Colgate, we were allowed to have them send the letter to the committee office anytime (even if we weren’t applying for a few years). This is why it was helpful for me to go through the committee letter process, although the scanning/faxing etc was a pain in the butt from abroad.</p>
<p>Also–consider the expense and the ability to take time off while she applies, if she is applying while still in the peacecorps.</p>
<p>Thank you for the useful suggestion.</p>
<p>D2 is my “save the world” kid and I deeply respect her commitment to public service, but she’s not really thinking about logistics right now. (So I guess that’s my job…)</p>