Easy way to find the number of LORs each school accepts?

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Prncssbuttercup

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Hey out there...

I will be applying mainly to DO programs, and I was looking at the CIB, but each school doesn't list how many letters it will accept, just whether they accept interfolio, etc... I have seven people willing to write letters, 3 MDs, 2 PhDs, 1 DO, 1 nurse who is the director of the local ER where I volunteered. I am wondering how many schools take more than three, and whether it's worth it to submit more than three? I know my state MD school will only accept three, you can submit more, but they will only read three, and you hurt yourself by not selecting them yourself.

Anyone have any thoughts? I will basically be applying 'broadly' so that means if it's not a public school, I'm probably applying to it (except in CA, and NYC).

Thanks for any help!
 
I sent six letters along with my primary to all of the school's I applied to (about ten DO schools and twenty MD schools), and none of them gave me problems for it. Four were from professors, one from a DO PCP, and one from a DO surgeon. I think you should be fine as long as you send enough and aren't short a letter or two.
 
I submitted 7 letters and none of the schools complained. My advisor sent them all together as one packet which makes it easier to track. Just be diligent in following up to make sure they have all your letters in your file, especially if they are sent separately.

MSU is a little different and asks for a specific format/questionnaire to be filled out by an advisor and doctor so you might want to talk to them.

Good Luck!!
 
I submitted 7 at one school and 5 at most of the others. I think 7 is too many unless you have a good reason to send more. 2 of my 7 were specific to that school and written by people directly associated with that school, so it clearly stated "Dear School X" and I think you should admit this person into "School X."


I would read up on what each school wants before you select your letters. I had no issue with 5, but remember you will need 2 science LOR's and 1 non-science LOR from professors (most generally required letters from schools). These letters are a must and anything else is gravy.

If a school doesn't list a limit, submit all 7. If they do, select the ones you think will be the best (I had to do this at a few places).
 
SBB2016 said:
Hey out there...

I will be applying mainly to DO programs, and I was looking at the CIB, but each school doesn't list how many letters it will accept, just whether they accept interfolio, etc... I have seven people willing to write letters, 3 MDs, 2 PhDs, 1 DO, 1 nurse who is the director of the local ER where I volunteered. I am wondering how many schools take more than three, and whether it's worth it to submit more than three? I know my state MD school will only accept three, you can submit more, but they will only read three, and you hurt yourself by not selecting them yourself.

Anyone have any thoughts? I will basically be applying 'broadly' so that means if it's not a public school, I'm probably applying to it (except in CA, and NYC).

Thanks for any help!
Click to expand...



Call them. You'll have to do it often anyway.
 
Calling the schools is out. I work during the day, and don't have time to call 20+ schools to ask them individually. I'm assuming the minimum is 3, and the max is 5-7 (from what you guys are saying). I am wondering if you guys think the ER director/BSN is worthwhile? I'm thinking about sticking with 5 (2 MDs, 2 PhDs, 1 DO) for ease of sending them through. Thoughts?
 
SBB2016 said:
Calling the schools is out. I work during the day, and don't have time to call 20+ schools to ask them individually. I'm assuming the minimum is 3, and the max is 5-7 (from what you guys are saying). I am wondering if you guys think the ER director/BSN is worthwhile? I'm thinking about sticking with 5 (2 MDs, 2 PhDs, 1 DO) for ease of sending them through. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I would get rid of the BSN, because you don't need it. Put her contact info down for your clinical volunteer entry on your application though.

That should cover your bases. Don't forget to make sure they are profs as well.

Just look on all the schools websites. They usually disclose that info on the main applicant page or the FAQ's. You'll be spending some time on their website anyway to get some fodder for your secondaries, so check the number when you are bookmarking the page. If they don't specify a number then submit them all.
 
Just to mimic what another poster said you HAVE to have 2 letters from a science professor and one from a non-science professor who taught you in a class. If those MD's, PhD's, or the DO taught you in a science or non-science class then you are fine....but it looks to me like these are all people you worked with, and not people who taught you in classes? If not, then I would get the normal science and non-science profs, and add maybe 2 or 3 letters that you think would be the best. I don't know if a BSN would be a good letter or not...Usually I think they like the have writers with higher level degrees, but if this person knows you really well, and has seen how you work with patients in a clinical setting (moreso than the MD's or PhD's) then I would use it.
 
ER director/BSN letter can be a great resource in highlighting how well you work in a team environment and hospital setting. Assuming its a good letter it can show that you have been involved with all the staff in your program not just following some attending's coat tails from room to room.

I say keep it unless you have to cut it. At the very least get it and hold on to it to add to your file later if it comes down to it.
 
Sorry, I should have clarified, the PhD's are both science professors. I can probably get a Psych prof (who is the dean or asst dean of the psych dept) to write me a letter since I took his class in the summer, but honestly, he doesn't know me "well." His class was "health psychology" and it focused on medicine, treatment of patients, how patients deal with diagnoses, etc... But getting a letter from any other non-science profs would be tough as I've been out of school so long, and I never really had any of them for more than one class. The only other thought I have is my EMT instructor who has a Masters in Education and is a paramedic. I don't know that his letter writing ability would be great, but he knows me better than the psych prof.

For the record, the BSN is a guy, I've known him since I was 10, my parents said if we lived in a culture where people had arranged marriages I would have been married to him 😛 (weird side note added for humor) Anyway, he could SAY whatever in the letter, the fact is I volunteered in the middle of the night on Saturdays and he wasn't there. However, his nursing staff did like me, soooo... he could use their opinions. But in reality, the only reason I'd really want the letter is because he's the director of the ER/ETC of a regional hospital...

The MDs and DO I all know from the Ski Patrol, or similar personal settings, they weren't instructors, but I will be shadowing 1 MD and the DO (I've known the DO since 2nd grade)... If I can ever get the shadowing set up (what a hassle!!)

Anyway, I will end up looking online to see what the schools all say. I was hoping there was some quick way I didn't know about... Alas...
 
SBB2016 said:
Sorry, I should have clarified, the PhD's are both science professors. I can probably get a Psych prof (who is the dean or asst dean of the psych dept) to write me a letter since I took his class in the summer, but honestly, he doesn't know me "well." His class was "health psychology" and it focused on medicine, treatment of patients, how patients deal with diagnoses, etc... But getting a letter from any other non-science profs would be tough as I've been out of school so long, and I never really had any of them for more than one class. The only other thought I have is my EMT instructor who has a Masters in Education and is a paramedic. I don't know that his letter writing ability would be great, but he knows me better than the psych prof.

For the record, the BSN is a guy, I've known him since I was 10, my parents said if we lived in a culture where people had arranged marriages I would have been married to him 😛 (weird side note added for humor) Anyway, he could SAY whatever in the letter, the fact is I volunteered in the middle of the night on Saturdays and he wasn't there. However, his nursing staff did like me, soooo... he could use their opinions. But in reality, the only reason I'd really want the letter is because he's the director of the ER/ETC of a regional hospital...

The MDs and DO I all know from the Ski Patrol, or similar personal settings, they weren't instructors, but I will be shadowing 1 MD and the DO (I've known the DO since 2nd grade)... If I can ever get the shadowing set up (what a hassle!!)

Anyway, I will end up looking online to see what the schools all say. I was hoping there was some quick way I didn't know about... Alas...
Click to expand...


You need to get that letter or another non-science letter or you'll be dead in the water. This is a requirement that there is very little flexibility on.

So, now you would be looking at 8 letters, and that, in my opinion, is too many. 7 is pushing the limits, so now you have to start to narrow it down to the best letters.

Set-up an Interfolio account and have your letters sent there, this will allow you to save them all in one place and independently select which letter will go to each place.
 
Have the interfolio account already set up. I will email the psych prof as soon as I can... See SDN pre med forums ARE helpful 😉 (to those who would say otherwise)... Thanks again for the help...
 
I think most schools will take whatever letters you send them. Keep in mind though, that LORs are much more about quality than quantity. You run the risk of diluting the effect of your letters if you send too many. I think 7 is way too many.
 
I don't really want to send 7. I was thinking 5 is the max.

I sent an email today to the psych prof... really hoping he says yes... cause otherwise, I'm not sure who I'd ask...
 
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So, the one prof I asked, as he's the most current, said the he does NOT write letters for students unless they have done research for him. Since I had him for one class that's out. Anyone have any suggestions on getting a letter from a non-science prof, or how to work around this? I am applying this cycle, and most of the schools I looked at didn't specify anything about non-science LORs... Thoughts anyone?
 
SBB2016 said:
So, the one prof I asked, as he's the most current, said the he does NOT write letters for students unless they have done research for him. Since I had him for one class that's out. Anyone have any suggestions on getting a letter from a non-science prof, or how to work around this? I am applying this cycle, and most of the schools I looked at didn't specify anything about non-science LORs... Thoughts anyone?
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Hopefully you can find another letter, because I don't know many schools that will let this requirement slide.

Any English, psych, social studies, etc.?
 
I'm 12 years past graduation. I only had most of those profs for one class at the most, and there's pretty much no way they would remember me, also, a great many were large auditorium classes, and not really classes where you get to know a student well. The classes, besides the one psych course, that I have taken recently are ALL science... How many schools require this? I know KC does not as I was on their website this weekend and it says 2 science 1 physician, preferably a DO... Haven't gone through the rest... Yet...
 
Because it was in my own best interest to look this up, here is the info on ALL the DO schools in the US and what their LOR requirements are. They are taken from the schools' websites, I made none of it up myself. There are 2 schools (Yes, only TWO) that require a non-science faculty letter, please see below...

A.T. Still (both): 2 letters, 1 premed committee or basic science and MD/DO or employer

Midwestern (both): 2 letters, 1 premed committee or basic science and MD/DO, DO strongly preferred.

DMU: 3 letters, 1 MD/DO, 2 Science or 1 committee

KCUMB: 3 letters, 1 MD/DO, 1 Science, 1 committee (or 2nd science)

LECOM (both): 3 letters, 1 DO, 2 Science or 1 committee

LMU-DCOM: 3 letters, 1 DO, 2 Science or 1 committee

MSUCOM: 2, non-specific

Nova: 4 letters, 2 science, 1 non-science (or committee letter), 1 MD/DO

NJSOM: 2 letters both science

NYCOM: 4 letters, 2 science, 1 non-science (or 3rd science or committee letter), 1 DO

OSU-COM: 4 letters, 2 science, 1 non-science (or committee letter), 1 DO

OU-COM: 3 letters, 1 DO, 2 Science or 1 committee

PNWU: 3 letters, 1 DO, 1 Science, 1 pre-med

PCOM (both): 2 letters, 1 DO, 1 premed committee (or advisor/Dean)

PCCOM: 3 letters, 1 DO, 1 science, 1 pre-med

RVU: 3 letters, 1 DO, 2 Science or 1 committee

Touro (all): 3 letters, 1 DO, 2 Science or 1 committee

TCOM: 3 letters, 1 DO, 2 Science or 1 committee

UNECOM: 4 letters, 2 science, 1 DO, 1 professional

VCOM: 2 letters, 1 DO, 1 Science

WUCOM: 2 letters, 1 DO/MD, 1 Science

WVSOM: 2 letters, 1 DO, 1 Science

WCCOM: 3 letters, 1 DO, 2 Science or 1 committee

I am far less concerned about this now...
 
Glad to see it's not as big of a deal as I thought. I remembered panicking about it a while back, but that must have been for AMCAS schools... :shrug:
 
I'm probably only applying to two MD schools, UMN/UMN Duluth, and they don't care who the letters come from. Applying elsewhere would likely be a waste of money for me. I just figured I'd post it so if ever there's another person in my situation, the info is there 😉
 
SBB2016 said:
I'm probably only applying to two MD schools, UMN/UMN Duluth, and they don't care who the letters come from. Applying elsewhere would likely be a waste of money for me. I just figured I'd post it so if ever there's another person in my situation, the info is there 😉
Click to expand...


I think it was a great idea to post it. You might even want to start an "LOR Requirement" thread and have that as the primary post, because I don't imagine most will find it in this thread.
 
HAHA, I just saw this very question posted in the Non-trad forum! So, I copied it into his thread! TOO FUNNY! Glad my worry and effort will pay off for others as well 😉
 
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