Letters of Recommendations for Ophtho Application

[Krogershopper]

Hi all (sorry for the long post)

Longtime SDN reader, first time posting. But this question has been just been bouncing in my head for way too long now not to ask SDN experts. I've always heard at my school that for Ophtho, the perfect combo of Rec letters are: 2 strong letters from big name Ophtho profs + 1 letter from either a medicine or surgery attending.

However, my medicine/surgery rotations were 8 mos ago with attendings I haven't spoken to at all since. So, I don't think any one of them would be super stellar. But, I do have 3 fairly strong Ophtho letters I can get - 2 from big name Ophtho profs and 1 from an Ophtho dept chairmen at another school. So, what to do?????

I could also ask a Neurology dept chair, who I rotated with for a month more recently that MAYBE a strong letter - will that be as good as a IM/surgery letter?

And really, I did find a couple responses to my question out there, but I guess I was wondering if there are more opinions and more comprehensive answer out there as to WHY the medicine/surgery letter is always recommended?? Most of all, is 2 strong Ophtho recs + 1 strong Med/Surg rec always preferred by residency directors over 3 strong Ophtho recs?

Thanks in advance for your responses!

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[doctortom]

There are various combinations of LORs floating around that are supposedly the Holy Trinity of LORs. The combination is not as important as the quality of each LOR. If you can get 3 stellar Ophtho letters from people that know you well and are willing to vouch for you, do that. Do not try to get an IM letter unless you know that it will be strong. When I applied last year, I had 1 Ophtho letter, 1 IM and 1 surgery letter. It is possible that having an IM/surgery letter could show that you are well rounded outside of ophtho as would good clinical grades from these rotations. I got interviews at great places as did my classmate who had 3 Ophtho letters. If you have an IM acting internship lined up before October, I would try to get an additional LOR towards your prelim/transitional year.

 

[clayito]

I agree with doctortom, the ratio or type of letters does not matter as much as the QUALITY of the letters. strong letters trump diversity of letters any day.

i know people who matched at top 10 programs with all ophtho letters and others who matched with 2 very strong medicine letters and 1 average ophtho letter.

There are various combinations of LORs floating around that are supposedly the Holy Trinity of LORs. The combination is not as important as the quality of each LOR. If you can get 3 stellar Ophtho letters from people that know you well and are willing to vouch for you, do that. Do not try to get an IM letter unless you know that it will be strong. When I applied last year, I had 1 Ophtho letter, 1 IM and 1 surgery letter. It is possible that having an IM/surgery letter could show that you are well rounded outside of ophtho as would good clinical grades from these rotations. I got interviews at great places as did my classmate who had 3 Ophtho letters. If you have an IM acting internship lined up before October, I would try to get an additional LOR towards your prelim/transitional year.

 

[RestoreSight]

Agree with the above. Don't overthink this. Place yourself in the position of a program director with a full clinic schedule, OR twice a week PLUS 60+ applications to review. How much time do you think he or she will devote to reviewing the minor intricacies of your application or pondering why you added 2 vs. 3 ophtho letters? Make everything in your app strong because you have no idea what one person will pick out as important vs. another. If you have 3 ophtho letters and they all rock then more power to you.

 

[Visionary]

Agree. Right or wrong, though, USMLE scores will be the gatekeeper for most programs, as they tend to receive many more than they can possibly interview. Scores are an easy way to pare down an initial list. LORs and the remainder of your app will get you to the interview. After that, it's on you to perform well at the interview. The field is pretty level at that point.

 

[OPPforlife]

sorry to hijack this thread transiently. However, I was recently looking at the CAS application guidelines regarding LORs and it mentions several times that you are REQUIRED to submit a Chair letter. Do they mean an ophth department chair letter? or just a letter from a chair...for example chair of GI surgery? thank you in advance and I understand this may sound like an extremely stupid question.

 

[Visionary]

sorry to hijack this thread transiently. However, I was recently looking at the CAS application guidelines regarding LORs and it mentions several times that you are REQUIRED to submit a Chair letter. Do they mean an ophth department chair letter? or just a letter from a chair...for example chair of GI surgery? thank you in advance and I understand this may sound like an extremely stupid question.

Yes, assuming your school has a department. Most of the chairs know each other, so a chairman's letter can communicate a lot about a candidate. It's always good to get to know your department chair and get a letter, even if it's not required by a program.

 

[mydodger]

Yes, assuming your school has a department. Most of the chairs know each other, so a chairman's letter can communicate a lot about a candidate. It's always good to get to know your department chair and get a letter, even if it's not required by a program.

I think OPPforlife is mistaken - I see instructions to submit 3 LORs and one DEAN'S letter, not CHAIR letter.

This is from the CAS guidelines pdf under Letters of Recommendation

Three (3) ORIGINAL letters of reference are required for review by the programs. No more, no less. It is recommended that residency applicants provide one letter from a core rotation. If you have requested a confidential letter, please indicate so on your CAS application form and ask the author to return the letter to you in a sealed envelope. DO NOT open the sealed envelopes. Nonconfidential letters can be included in your application open faced.

I don't see anything about chair letters, but what do they mean by CORE rotations? Just IM and Surg? Or would a Peds or OB/GYN letter serve as well?

 

[RestoreSight]

I don't see anything about chair letters, but what do they mean by CORE rotations? Just IM and Surg? Or would a Peds or OB/GYN letter serve as well?

I submitted a Peds letter and got interviews at most of the top programs. It was a strong letter, but no one ever asked about it or why I chose peds instead of IM/surg. I assume core rotations are IM, Surg, Peds, OB and Psych. Most applicants submit either an IM or surgery letter, but the most important thing is make sure its a strong letter.

 

[Visionary]

I think OPPforlife is mistaken - I see instructions to submit 3 LORs and one DEAN'S letter, not CHAIR letter.

This is from the CAS guidelines pdf under Letters of Recommendation


I don't see anything about chair letters, but what do they mean by CORE rotations? Just IM and Surg? Or would a Peds or OB/GYN letter serve as well?

Thanks for the clarification. When I applied (several years ago), there was more variability, and some programs did require a chairman's letter.

As for core rotations, I think that means any non-elective, though what's non-elective may vary between programs. Surgery, IM, Peds, OB/Gyn should all be acceptable.