How many letters of Rec are overkill

[GJC NAVY]

I am currently applying for my commission to 1) Intel 2) SWO and have a number of letters of rec lined up both from retired and current officers as well as a number professors and employer (lawyer). Is there a point in which there are too many letters of rec? Thanks.

 

[Lonestar155]

I had no more than 5. Those five were written about my leadership potential from completely different environments. In other words it would be pointless to have 3 LOR from profs. in my math department, including the other LOR you were going to incorporate. Once people start saying the same thing then you know you probably have too many. Good luck

 

[GJC NAVY]

Currently I have two retired 0-6's (intel and crypto), a close professor who works for the state department, employer of 3 years (lawyer), my Krav Maga instructor (trains special forces/ ex-intel), close family friend (ex naval aviator), and i'm considering two more professors and a Lt. Col. from Army. All of which have different aspects to talk about, leadership, intellectual capability...etc.... I am just not sure whether or not to include the last three. Thank you for your response and well wishes.

 

[nzachman]

I have heard that you must have 3, but no more than 5 (I am applying SNA, so I do not know if it is the same for Intel). Get as many as you can, then let your recruiter go through and pick the "best" five. They will know what to do.

 

[Future SWO?]

I had 3 solid letters from people who all knew me/my character well. You don't need to go overboard, so long as all the letters you submit speak of you on a personal level. That says much more than a impersonal letter from a Captain you met one time. My $.02

 

[OUSOONER]

Probably 40....40 LOR's would be overkill..in all seriousness, if your gut is telling you that you have a lot, you probably have a lot. how many people can say the same things about you in a different way? to me it waters down how good you look..pretty soon the guy looking at your package is like "yeah yeah i get it..he's a hard worker, has integrity...blah blah"

 

[Sly1978]

I had 3 solid letters from people who all knew me/my character well. You don't need to go overboard, so long as all the letters you submit speak of you on a personal level. That says much more than a impersonal letter from a Captain you met one time. My $.02

Future "Miserable, Bitter, 4-year and out" has hit the nail on the head. The main thing to remember is that the point of your LORs is not to impress the board with all of the really important people you know. I put in three because that's what they asked for. The best formula I know of is to submit one from someone who knows you professionally, someone from school, and someone from church or a close family friend. They just want a well-balanced view of who you are. Run a thread search. This has been re-hashed several times over.