2007-2008 Letter of Recommendation Thread

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ethanolabsolute

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I know that lots of osteopathic med schools want their applicants to have shadowed a DO and have an LOR from a DO, but I was wondering if anyone knows how important are these things at MSUCOM specifically? I know that the obvious way to figure it out is to look on their website, but I tried that and didn't see any mention of it. Can anyone help me out here?
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ethanolabsolute said:
I know that lots of osteopathic med schools want their applicants to have shadowed a DO and have an LOR from a DO, but I was wondering if anyone knows how important are these things at MSUCOM specifically? I know that the obvious way to figure it out is to look on their website, but I tried that and didn't see any mention of it. Can anyone help me out here?
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Their website says, specifically, to get LORs from "People who know you well" regardless of their academic or vocational position.
 
ethanolabsolute said:
I know that lots of osteopathic med schools want their applicants to have shadowed a DO and have an LOR from a DO, but I was wondering if anyone knows how important are these things at MSUCOM specifically? I know that the obvious way to figure it out is to look on their website, but I tried that and didn't see any mention of it. Can anyone help me out here?
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Hi Ethan, I just met with the admissions director at MSUCOM yesterday and I can say that absolutely-they want a letter of rec from someone who knows you well. It can be your next door neighbor. They are really interested in your personal life (I'm not kidding-she asked me about my boyfriend and listened with great interest to aspects of my life not related to medicine for about half an hour, till finally I felt like I had been talking way too much "well, thanks for meeting with me"). Don't get a letter from someone with an impressive title unless they can write a really sincere, heartfelt letter of recommendation. She said the interview would be pretty much like my meeting with her was.
MSUCOM is one school-you can feel assured- that really wants to know who you are, and they understand its hard to develop an indepth relationship with someone you've shadowed a few times, thats why they don't care if its from a DO.

I was lucky, my volunteer supervisor wrote me one of those great letters-the thing made me blush! They want specific examples of the five things they ask the writer to comment on (and I told my supervisor this)-examples of communication skills, maturity, understanding of osteopathic tenets, I forget the other ones. I didn't decide till recently to apply DO, so I had to write a little paragraph for my supervisor letting her know what I had done to research osteopathic medicine-so that she could honestly say she knows what my understanding of it is.

Well, hope that helps-don't be impersonal with this school at all, feel free to be yourself (what a nice, relieving feeling)!
 
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Everything and ANYTHING about LORS. Read this thread to get what you need. Search this thread before posting by using the tool bar directly above the first post.

:luck:
 
I was wondering how anyone else went about getting a letter from a D.O. I called a few and they said they would get back to me, but that was a little while ago. Should I keep bothering them or should I move on to another option? Should I actually go to the offices? Email probably wouldn't be a good option would it? Thanks for the help. :cool:
 
yellow pages
 
I called my state's osteopathic association and they gave me a list of local DO's who have let students shadow them in the past. I found the phone number of the osteopathic association by a performing a simple google search.
It took 2-3 weeks before the first DO's office called me back to let me know that I would be able to shadow. Doctor's offices are busy places, and returning potential students' phone calls aren't always their priority. Give it some time.
BTW- I applied without a DO LOR because the DO that I shadowed didn't really have time to get to know me. I didn't want a letter from a stranger, and I went with a LOR from an MD who knew me well. I don't recommend not having a DO LOR, I'm just saying that you don't 100% have to have one.
 
Are you calling them and just asking for a LOR? If you are, instead ask to shadow them around for a couple hours and then ask for the LOR. That might be an option.
 
wearepsu12 said:
I was wondering how anyone else went about getting a letter from a D.O. I called a few and they said they would get back to me, but that was a little while ago. Should I keep bothering them or should I move on to another option? Should I actually go to the offices? Email probably wouldn't be a good option would it? Thanks for the help. :cool:
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A fellow Penn Stater!!!!

WE ARE PENN STATE!

I just graduated last weekend.. let me know if you need any help. Little did I know my DO-recommender is good friends with the dean of PCOM :) small world, I guess.

An excellent source is the yellow pages but an even better source is DO-online.org.
 
Be persistent. Try emailing too if it has been a while. Sometimes, it is more convenient for them to email you back then call you back. Try contacting some schools also, let them know what your situation is and if they can recommend some DO's from your area.
If they still don't call/email back I wouldn't advise you to start visiting. Then you'll turn into one of those creepy stalkers= not a good way to get a letter. Worst case, get an MD letter. As long as they know you well enough to say with conviction that you are not creepy.
 
I opened the yellow pages and started calling every DO I saw in the book. I like the idea of called your state's DO association. Try a county hospital because they are great to work with because they are a little more relaxed than a huge metro hospital. I did have to drive a little to shadow. I loved it and I shadowed for 2 year about 4 hours a week. In rural county hospitals you get to see surgery (not major), sports medicine, geriatrics, long-term care, pediatrics, gyneocology, ER, even a little Derm. and etc. You name it rural physicians do it.
 
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2 years of rural DO at 4 hrs/wk? A little too extreme for me. I'm thinking I could kick my mcat up about 4-5 points if I spent that much time on it. And then maybe shadow a DO for an afternoon.

Which would be better? A 31 MCAT and a "standard" (i.e., "she will make a great DO physician) letter, or a 26 MCAT and an "awesome" (i.e., "she will make a great DO physician) letter?
 
MaximusD said:
A fellow Penn Stater!!!!

WE ARE PENN STATE!

I just graduated last weekend.. let me know if you need any help. Little did I know my DO-recommender is good friends with the dean of PCOM :) small world, I guess.

An excellent source is the yellow pages but an even better source is DO-online.org.
Click to expand...

Ah, the infamous Penn State cheer. I remember the fun we had making fun of it when Michigan beat Penn State with 1 second on the clock.

Meeeemories... haha jk.

Congrats on graduating! :)
 
Any body else having trouble accessing the interfolio site? It says my IP address is on a list of denied addresses. WTF?
 
They are updating their site and it will under construction until midnight tonight. It was from 5p to 12a, I think. I read it on their site a couple days ago.
 
Jwalker9 said:
yep, its true.
Click to expand...

Yeah, same here.

I also called them about a LOR that my professor had faxed in last Thursday because it wasn't showing that they received it. They told me that their fax number was "overloaded" at the end of last week so it might not have gone through! I had to ask my professor to send it AGAIN to a different fax#. I'm getting irritated with them :mad:
 
i got mad too...my prof couldn't get the lor thru electronically so he had to mail it in...i am going to call tomorow and complain for sure:mad:
 
Hi, this is Jack Gaynor from Interfolio.

The Interfolio site was down briefly last night, due to a scheduled upgrade. During those several hours we transferred all the data over to the new site and worked out any bugs that we discovered. We hope you enjoy the new look and feel!

In regards to the other issues...

1) We generally discourage faxes (because the image quality is low), but understand that it is still a preference for some recommenders. Fax transmission errors do occur sometimes and if they do, you or your recommender can give us a call and we can work through any issues.

2) In terms of electronic upload, we've tried to make the process as easy as possible (and easier in this upgrade), but if you or the writer experience any problems, our help team is here to take care of those sort of issues and make sure that your letters get in your account as swiftly as possible.

If you have any problems don't hesitate to get in touch with us:

www.interfolio.com
Toll Free: (877) 77-FOLIO
[email protected]

If you feel you need a direct contact, my email:

[email protected]

Also, feel free to give us feedback about the new website (what you like and especially what you don't like) so we can continue to make Interfolio a great experience for you.

Jack
 
Jack Gaynor said:
Hi, this is Jack Gaynor from Interfolio.

The Interfolio site was down briefly last night, due to a scheduled upgrade. During those several hours we transferred all the data over to the new site and worked out any bugs that we discovered. We hope you enjoy the new look and feel!

In regards to the other issues...

1) We generally discourage faxes (because the image quality is low), but understand that it is still a preference for some recommenders. Fax transmission errors do occur sometimes and if they do, you or your recommender can give us a call and we can work through any issues.

2) In terms of electronic upload, we've tried to make the process as easy as possible (and easier in this upgrade), but if you or the writer experience any problems, our help team is here to take care of those sort of issues and make sure that your letters get in your account as swiftly as possible.

If you have any problems don't hesitate to get in touch with us:

www.interfolio.com
Toll Free: (877) 77-FOLIO
[email protected]

If you feel you need a direct contact, my email:

[email protected]

Also, feel free to give us feedback about the new website (what you like and especially what you don't like) so we can continue to make Interfolio a great experience for you.

Jack
Click to expand...

Hi jack,

Thanks for the update. Can you tell me how to get that sheet that has the bar code on it for my account that I need to give to letter writers. I understand it says something about waiving my rights to see the LOR. I can't seem to find where to look for it on the site. Or is it not visible due to the maintenance?
 
Dr. Josh said:
Hi jack,

Thanks for the update. Can you tell me how to get that sheet that has the bar code on it for my account that I need to give to letter writers. I understand it says something about waiving my rights to see the LOR. I can't seem to find where to look for it on the site. Or is it not visible due to the maintenance?
Click to expand...


Dr. Josh,

Once you log-in to your Interfolio account, simply click on the "My Documents" tab. Once there, you will see a list of your documents, both those we have received already (if any) and those that are pending.

To print out the coversheet (that includes the bar code) simply look at the "Status" column, locate the document in question, and click the link entitled "coversheet." When you click this link, it will open the form in a new window.

You can either print it out and give it to your writer, or save the page and send it as an email attachment.

Jack
 
Jack Gaynor said:
Dr. Josh,

Once you log-in to your Interfolio account, simply click on the "My Documents" tab. Once there, you will see a list of your documents, both those we have received already (if any) and those that are pending.

To print out the coversheet (that includes the bar code) simply look at the "Status" column, locate the document in question, and click the link entitled "coversheet." When you click this link, it will open the form in a new window.

You can either print it out and give it to your writer, or save the page and send it as an email attachment.

Jack
Click to expand...

Thanks and sorry for my stupidity but I don't want to make a mistake. I have no documents in interfolio yet. And nothing listed under "status" since today is the first day i have been able to even access my account (from April, oops). If I click on cover sheet; do I have to enter information or is a standard form there? Once I click on it, will it save whatever is entered then or can I modify it? I guess i was under the impression it was a standard form put out by interfolio waiving my right to see my LOR. Is this true?
 
How do you go about sending transcripts to interfolio? Will schools send them there? What cover letter do you have them enclose?:confused:
 
Jack Gaynor said:
Hi, this is Jack Gaynor from Interfolio.

The Interfolio site was down briefly last night, due to a scheduled upgrade. During those several hours we transferred all the data over to the new site and worked out any bugs that we discovered. We hope you enjoy the new look and feel!

In regards to the other issues...

1) We generally discourage faxes (because the image quality is low), but understand that it is still a preference for some recommenders. Fax transmission errors do occur sometimes and if they do, you or your recommender can give us a call and we can work through any issues.

2) In terms of electronic upload, we've tried to make the process as easy as possible (and easier in this upgrade), but if you or the writer experience any problems, our help team is here to take care of those sort of issues and make sure that your letters get in your account as swiftly as possible.

If you have any problems don't hesitate to get in touch with us:

www.interfolio.com
Toll Free: (877) 77-FOLIO
[email protected]

If you feel you need a direct contact, my email:

[email protected]

Also, feel free to give us feedback about the new website (what you like and especially what you don't like) so we can continue to make Interfolio a great experience for you.

Jack
Click to expand...
well one of my writers was really anoyed because when he called he never got to talk to a live person, but instead was transfered to the answering machine. I was a little mad because i chose interfolio just to make it easier for my LOR writers.
Well i hope all the problems are fixed and thank you for coming on here to answer our questions:D

I also have a question regarding the mailing of LOR. My prof mailed it in since he was having trouble uploading it. How long does it take for interfolio to get the mailed in letter into the system?
 
1) The coversheet is a standard form that is automatically generated for each letter in your account. The only unique parts are a) the title of the document, b) your name, c) the 6-character document ID and barcode that helps our system identify and process the document and d) whether or not you have waived your right of access to the document (confidential v. non-confidential). There is no information you will need to enter on the form.

When you create a space in your account for a confidential letter of recommendation, you will have two options for generating a cover form.

The first option is to e-mail a letter request directly to your writer. He or she can either chose to upload the letter using a free Interfolio writer's account, or can print the unique coversheet that comes with the request, and mail that, ALONG with the letter, to Interfolio. We will then scan and upload it for you.

The second option is for you to print out the waiver, and physically deliver it to your writer. He or she can then either upload it via an Interfolio writer's account, or mail in a copy of the letter WITH the coversheet and we will scan and upload it.

2) You guys can all correct me if I am wrong, but I believe both AMCAS and AACOMAS require that transcripts be sent to them directly from the university registrar with no exceptions. That said, you can still hold on to a copy of your transcript in your Interfolio account if you would like, for future reference or storage purposes. When you create a space in your account for a transcript, you will have the option to print out a coversheet (just like for a LOR). Give that to your registrar and they will mail Interfolio a copy that we can keep on file.

3) For mailed letters, we remind our users that the USPS is unpredictable. Since there is not tracking, it could get here within a few days or within a few weeks. That said, once it is received by us, we guarantee that the document will be uploaded within 2-3 business days. Generally, it gets uploaded on the day of receipt.

Because of the unpredictabilty of the postal service and how long it can take writers to compose a LOR we encourage you to request a letter as early as possible to make sure you aren't sweating deadlines.

Jack
 
I have wasted way too much time and money getting all my transcripts to interfolio so that I could send them all at once to AACOMAS. Now I get an email saying that they are no good for verification purposes. Why does the website advertise that you can apply to medical school? I can't. Is it only good with AAMC? Don't waste your money like I did!!!!! I hope the schools accept interfolio for LORS or I'm really screwed.
 
Hello,

I used interfolio and had zero problems. I found it refreshingly organized. I dont' know why you're having problems. No school had issues with the system for me.

Sorry

PhDtoDO
 
LuckBALady said:
I have wasted way too much time and money getting all my transcripts to interfolio so that I could send them all at once to AACOMAS. Now I get an email saying that they are no good for verification purposes. Why does the website advertise that you can apply to medical school? I can't. Is it only good with AAMC? Don't waste your money like I did!!!!! I hope the schools accept interfolio for LORS or I'm really screwed.
Click to expand...

On the AACOMAS website they say that official transcripts have to come directly from the schools :(

Interfolio is great for LOR's. I've used Interfolio with no problems for all 8 of my LOR's.

Good Luck :luck:
 
I have stumbled on to this dilemma. I had a DO i shadowed and i was under the impression that he would write me a LOR for sure. I recently emailed him to "make sure" and now am wondering what i will do if he does not respond. I only wrote it two days ago but it would be rude for him to not reply!? Anywyas.. i just realized how big of a problem it would be if i didnt get a lor from a DO because many of the schools "strongly recommmend" if not require one. MD letters are fine, i can get those but i NEED a DO letter!! ANybody have a clue on what to do if i dont get a response from this guy? :confused: I dont even know how to find another DO who will bother to spend time with me. it was hard enough to find one at all.
 
orchid07 said:
I have stumbled on to this dilemma. I had a DO i shadowed and i was under the impression that he would write me a LOR for sure. I recently emailed him to "make sure" and now am wondering what i will do if he does not respond. I only wrote it two days ago but it would be rude for him to not reply!? Anywyas.. i just realized how big of a problem it would be if i didnt get a lor from a DO because many of the schools "strongly recommmend" if not require one. MD letters are fine, i can get those but i NEED a DO letter!! ANybody have a clue on what to do if i dont get a response from this guy? :confused: I dont even know how to find another DO who will bother to spend time with me. it was hard enough to find one at all.
Click to expand...

I think calling your DO would be better. Your email may have gone directly into a spam or bulk file. So, I would definitely call him. If you still don't get a hold of him, try to find another DO in your area. Good luck.
 
orchid07 said:
I have stumbled on to this dilemma. I had a DO i shadowed and i was under the impression that he would write me a LOR for sure. I recently emailed him to "make sure" and now am wondering what i will do if he does not respond. I only wrote it two days ago but it would be rude for him to not reply!? Anywyas.. i just realized how big of a problem it would be if i didnt get a lor from a DO because many of the schools "strongly recommmend" if not require one. MD letters are fine, i can get those but i NEED a DO letter!! ANybody have a clue on what to do if i dont get a response from this guy? :confused: I dont even know how to find another DO who will bother to spend time with me. it was hard enough to find one at all.
Click to expand...


Yeah, calling is probably a better idea. I'd wait a couple of days though. Not hearing from him after two days is understandable, he is probably too busy.
If you need to find another DO, go to this site and look for one in your area:
http://www.doctordirectory.com/doctordirectory/doctors/state.aspx?spn=Osteopathic+Medicine&sp=461
 
prionsRbad said:
On the AACOMAS website they say that official transcripts have to come directly from the schools :(

Interfolio is great for LOR's. I've used Interfolio with no problems for all 8 of my LOR's.

Good Luck :luck:
Click to expand...

Yeah, I just found out you can't use it for transcripts. Can you tell me how to go about printing out whatever I have to send to my writers. My interfolio is totally blank right now; I have zero documents, nothing named or saved. I feel stupid but have no idea what to do.
 
Dr. Josh said:
Yeah, I just found out you can't use it for transcripts. Can you tell me how to go about printing out whatever I have to send to my writers. My interfolio is totally blank right now; I have zero documents, nothing named or saved. I feel stupid but have no idea what to do.
Click to expand...

No problem. First you have to add the document into the system. Just go to the "my documents" tab and then go to "add document" (below "manage documents"). Then select letter of recommendation (confidential or non-confidential, but I would reccomend confidential because they carry more weight) and it will ask you to title your document (ex. Dr. so-n-so). Then you can print out the cover sheet, which is the instructions sheet that you give to your letter writer. Your letter writer can either fax, mail or electronically upload the LOR. Interfolio will notify you via email when they have received a letter. After this you are free to send out any document in you account.

Hope this helps! :D
 
Two questions:

When you request an email to be sent to the letter writer, how long does it take them to receive it?

How long does it take after the teacher uploads the letter to have it added under the documents section ?

Thanks...
 
WannaBaDoc said:
Two questions:

When you request an email to be sent to the letter writer, how long does it take them to receive it?

How long does it take after the teacher uploads the letter to have it added under the documents section ?

Thanks...
Click to expand...

I don't think you can send an email to your letter writer from Interfolio. You just print out the instructions sheet and give it to them (these are instructions on how to send LOR by mail, fax or electronic upload).

My professor's letter was posted on Inerfolio about 10 hours after she electronically uploaded it.

:luck:
 
I do not know any DO's. How can I get a LOR? I know how to locate them from FAQ section, but I do not know how to approach them. All I want to do is a QA session and maybe one showing session. How are they supposed to write a recommendation based on that? I can have an MD write a LOR for me through.
 
Call a few up and have a conversation with them. They most likely understand that you will be in need of a letter. Tell them that you would like the opportunity to shadow and then ask if that will be possible with their schedule in the near future. If they are rude, ( most likely not the case though) then you dont want a letter from them anyway. If their polite, then I bet you can have a convo with them and they can work you in so you can have a few shadowing experiences and then finally a letter. :luck:
 
Creightonite said:
I do not know any DO's. How can I get a LOR? I know how to locate them from FAQ section, but I do not know how to approach them. All I want to do is a QA session and maybe one showing session. How are they supposed to write a recommendation based on that? I can have an MD write a LOR for me through.

~Aleksei
Click to expand...

I would go with the straightforward, tactful, and polite approach. Just ask. I would hazard a guess that most doctors, especially younger ones, know what's up. They understand what you are basically looking for and generally don't have a problem helping you out because they've been in the same position themselves, perhaps not long ago, in some cases. Try to help them help you. Do what you can to aid them in writing you a good letter. Bring a resume, do an interview with them, and give them an opportunity to observe you, especially around patients. See if this person is willing to write you a strong letter in support of your candidacy.

That said, you don't absolutely need a letter from a DO, if you aren't applying to schools that require one. If you think that a letter from the MD is going to yield you a much better physician letter than a letter from a DO, then go with the letter that you feel will help you the most in this process. I had an MD letter and I faired just fine. Mediocre letters won't hurt you, but they also won't help you that much. However, letters that are written in strong support of your candidacy will likely be of greater benefit, in my opinion.

Use your best judgment on how to proceed.
 
Creightonite said:
I do not know any DO's. How can I get a LOR? I know how to locate them from FAQ section, but I do not know how to approach them. All I want to do is a QA session and maybe one showing session. How are they supposed to write a recommendation based on that? I can have an MD write a LOR for me through.
Click to expand...

I was stressed about getting a DO LOR also. I called up about 10 DO's in my area and left messages with the office staff. Out of 10, 1 DO called me back and scheduled a lunch meeting with me. I told him up front that I was interested in shadowing and getting a LOR. He told me that he hated people following him around and didn't even let 4th year med students shadow him for OMM. We proceeded to talk about why I want to pursue medicine, in particular osteopathic medicine, my current research job, my clinical experiences and my exposure to osteopathic medicine (for the past 10 years my PCP has been a DO). At the end of our lunch he said, "I like you and I think your heart's in the right place so just send me a copy of your resume and volunteer experiences and I'll write you a LOR".

The point of this story is that most DO's remember having to fulfill the DO LOR requirement themselves (and it really is just that, a requirement that doesn't carry much weight). Be honest, sincere and upfront and you shouldn't have a problem finding someone to help you out.

Good Luck :luck:
 
I decided to go with a 4-yr old MD shadowing exprience.. how's that? What was done, was done, lol.
 
You could also try a teaching hospital and shadow a DO resident. They tend to be even more understanding about needing a letter, being closer to where you are. Some would say you don't want a letter from a resident, but that's a whole other debate.
 
I got my DO LOR by first volunteering in the ER. I met a bunch of docs, a couple DOs but mostly MDs, but it was usually a little too busy to shadow a lot while I was there. Plus, it seemed like every time I was there, there was a different doc than the last time. So finally I asked a resident DO if she had any recommendations of certain DOs to shadow. She gave me 1 person's name, and I ended up shadowing her.

I called her office a few weeks later and we set up some times to shadow. Turns out she was the director of residency for the hospital as well as the director of the free clinic there. It ended up being about 3 separate 5 hour sessions. During some down time, we were able to have an informal Q and A. It worked out really well and it gave me a good sense of how DOs are similar and different from MDs.

Thats my story for a reference. For your case, since you know an MD, chances are that MD knows a DO. Ask him for a reference of any good DOs he knows. Contact that DO and say that your MD friend said he might be a good person to shadow. Generally if you involve another doctor in the conversation, it will show sincere interest on your part.

Good luck!
 
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