* * 2009-2010 Letter of Recommendation Thread * *

[bocciball]

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That sounds like a good plan. Most committee letters are written up after some type of formal interview by a board of professors/professionals at your institution. I recommend you try and get a reference letter the from a core humanities professor. A lot of schools want to see a letter from an English, History, or Sociology professor. Psychology might fit 'humanities' for some schools but to be safe you should get one from the subjects I mentioned. It is a good idea to have an physician (preferably Osteopathic) send a letter to the committee as well. Having this letter bundled in with the committee review will save you the hassles of having him/her send out letters to each individual school. Also, make sure that the people you ask for letters know who you are. A strong letter of recommendation will go a long way. The last bit of advice I'll give you is to ask for the letters way in advance. Professors often have a lot going on and will put off writing a letter for more eminent matters. Be sure to stop in and check up on the status of your letter to make sure they haven't forgotten.

 

[Dissected]

Hey Everyone,

So I'm not sure how other schools do their committee letters?

At my school, I choose professors to send a letter to the pre-med advisor who then puts the letters together. My dilemma is that I'm not sure whether I should have all from science professors and how many different professors should I do. I guess I could choose 3 or 4, so is it better to choose 4?

If I choose 4 then I planned on having 3 science professors (2 biology, 1 chemistry) and then 1 psych professor.

Please any and all comments on how others have this done would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

Thats about what I did, just don't forget the physician letter(s) if you are going to apply to osteopathic colleges.

Our pre-med advisor looks at all of the letters sent to him and takes the best ones to send to the schools in the committee letter. I sent him 4 science professor letters, 1 non-science prof letter, and two physician letters. I think he whittled it down to two science letters, 1 non-science and 1 physician letter when all was said and done.

 

[nevinleiby]

Hey Everyone,

So I'm not sure how other schools do their committee letters?

At my school, I choose professors to send a letter to the pre-med advisor who then puts the letters together. My dilemma is that I'm not sure whether I should have all from science professors and how many different professors should I do. I guess I could choose 3 or 4, so is it better to choose 4?

If I choose 4 then I planned on having 3 science professors (2 biology, 1 chemistry) and then 1 psych professor.

Please any and all comments on how others have this done would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

Personally, I got LOR's from 1 bio, 1 chem, and the head of pre-med dept (my bio prof) who wrote my committee letter.

Therefore, when I sent my apps out, I had a ton of LORs partly b/c of all of my experience. I always thought that it was better to try to use more...they give a different perspective of you. For that same reason, I wouldn't recommend writing your own (as 1 MD and 1 DO were going to do for me)...I replied with a ~ "Thanks! Just take your time with it! Whenever you get it done! 🙂".

I sent out: (1 bio, 1 chem, 1 committee) for academic, 2 MD (boss, urgent care clinic -> underserved! but awful writer...English 2nd language😱), and 2 DOs (long time shadow so-so writer, short shadow better writer)

Good thing you are starting early....it takes FOREVER (2-3 months if lucky)...double the time that you think it will take for them to get it done. You might be lucky and get within the 2x estimate....I gave them my PS, app summary (work experience, EC's, etc), pre-stamped envelope, and a paper thanking them, including name, address, email, phone# for me and our science secretary processing the LOR's. She screened for any bad (none in my case) before mailing to all schools on my list....

Another thought...I primary'ed to more schools than I applied to, sending LORs too. Then I did secondaries as I widdled out ones that I didn't apply to. Regardless, all schools that I was remotely interested in I had secondaries for and LOR's received...I could apply to choices later on w/o stressing about waiting for a week or two processing...It cost more, but I had saved up from being a non-trad

 

[Semicolon]

My college does it in an incredibly annoying manner. Ugh, that dreaded committee letter!

My pre-med office made us ask our professors to fill out these evaluation forms at the end of the semester, which the professors would take forever with because almost everyone was a pre-med and almost everyone had an evaluation form to give. They went so far as to demand an evaluation form from EVERY pre-req class taken. While it did sorta take the stress out of personally asking for an LOR (the professors knew well that they would be getting a stack of evaluation forms), it was very hard to deal with my pre-med advisor and the office she ran. After all that, various professors in the pre-med committee finally met and presented to each other the various candidates that they would write letters for. Then one person in the committee was selected to write that letter for you, and after a few more grueling weeks of waiting, you'd finally have a pre-med committee packet.

Anyway, my advice to you would be to see exactly what YOUR college's pre-med office wants you to do in order to obtain the committee letter in a timely manner. And definitely ask any professors for a LOR waaaaaay before you actually need them; I have learned that they love to take their sweet-@$$ time with it (I know they're busy 😀).

 

[BabyKangaroo]

Well, is there any possible way you can just bypass the whole pre-med committee hassle? From reading these posts, it obviously depends on your undergrad. institution, but it sounds like a hassle to me. Maybe you could just go directly to those writing your recommendations and ask them to send them in individually? I have a pre-med committee, but I just did the whole individual thing. Worked out OK. I just had all of the addresses to the schools I was applying, and provided all of the envelopes and stamps if they didn't want to use a university envelope.

Wait, I just re-read your comment OP. Looks like you have a pre-med advisor that was willing to work with you (more-so than mine) to organize everything. That sounds like a great advisor.

 

[BabyKangaroo]

.

 

[nevinleiby]

Well, is there any possible way you can just bypass the whole pre-med committee hassle? From reading these posts, it obviously depends on your undergrad. institution, but it sounds like a hassle to me. Maybe you could just go directly to those writing your recommendations and ask them to send them in individually? I have a pre-med committee, but I just did the whole individual thing. Worked out OK. I just had all of the addresses to the schools I was applying, and provided all of the envelopes and stamps if they didn't want to use a university envelope.

Wait, I just re-read your comment OP. Looks like you have a pre-med advisor that was willing to work with you (more-so than mine) to organize everything. That sounds like a great advisor.

Most schools seem to HIGHLY recommend the committee letter. I would suggest biting the bullet and getting one... =( NOTE: If you a a non-trad or took courses elsewhere during your academic career, PCOM req'd a dean's letter from each institution - Ask them for details or search forums.

I would try, however, to get your professor LORs earlier than our school does it. They interview you and give you your LOR forms to give to the professors in April/May!!!. That works out, but going through it again, I'd try to have it in hand by June or July...much better for very competitive allo apps and it won't hurt for some osteo programs based on your stats...

 

[Hokie06]

At Georgetown, they had us get letters from three science professors and another from work or someone not affiliated with the institution that can make references to our character. We would then submit our transcrit and medical school essay so that the Committee members can get together and determine our ranking. Rankings were based on our overall GPA/science GPA and recommendations. It was not as stressful as I thought it would be, if anything I found it really convenient because they would upload the committee packet on interfolio so that we can have the letters sent to the schools we choose to apply to.

 

[jpt369]

i directly emailed every dean which needed 2 science letters and they all allowed me to use only one....i told them my stats and a long written letter so that might have been why they let me apply

 

[beckhunter116]

The pre-med advisor used to take all the letters received and make one composite letter; however, now she said she just puts the letters together so that the schools I apply to will see everything and not something tailored to seem the best (although I am confident in very good letters). I don't plan on sending in my LOR from physicians shadowed or one from my employer. I plan on using interfolio.

My school is very small and the biology department/pre-med doesn't rank the pre-meds in their letter or when the pre-med advisor puts the letters together.

I was more curious if most committe letters have a component from non-science classes. Is the one from psych enough or do I need something else?

I don't want to forgo the committee letter b/c I know schools only allow so many letters so this was a great way to include a lot of opinions about me into what will only count as 1 letter.

Any more comments or suggestions is greatly appreciated!! Thanks!

 

[facetedforms]

i directly emailed every dean which needed 2 science letters and they all allowed me to use only one....i told them my stats and a long written letter so that might have been why they let me apply

What was the other letter you used in place of it?

 

[jpt369]

liberal arts professor, DO, and volunteer area

 

[bellakk]

My school is very big and they dont rank the premeds either. There was literally a committee of a premed science professor faculty advisor, and then two random profs from any other departments on campus. They interviewed you for 30 minutes and then from that interview (and some forms I filled out) wrote a letter. The letter focuses on academic achievement in general (with slight emphasis on science work), MCAT (if you've taken it already), and then discussion about my reasons for wanting medicine, extracurriculars, community service, volunteering and clinical experience.
I think science faculty letters are more important simply because med school is all science but one non science would be good b/c it shows that you care about all classes, now just the "important" ones and it also shows that you are capable of learning other types of information (b/c I would def say that you study for sciences different than other courses).
Definately use the committee letter; if your school offers it, it is a big red flag when you dont use it.
WHy are you not using a physician letter? A good physician letter can be very helpful! I think a letter from someone who knows you in a context other than academia would be helpful such as a a volunteer coordinator, or the faculty advisor for a club you are in.

 

[beckhunter116]

No, I am going to have a physician letter, I am not including it into my committee letter.

My LOR will be the committee letter( 2 science and 1 psych or 3 science and 1 psych--still deciding), a physician letter, and then a letter from a former employer who I worked with pretty much through half of school.

It is okay to send three letters right?

All of the professors writing a letter know me (some very well) and I will be giving them background info on volunteering and jobs ect that I have held during school.

Any more opinions/suggestions?? Keep them coming guys! Thanks!

 

[dylantanis]

i can imagine this letter....

He/she has fantastic skin, thus I whole-heartedly and without hesitation highly recommend him/her for your rigorous program. 😀

 

[UCFMOP]

Ok first of all thank you all for your replies.

So i asked my dermatologist if I could shadow him or take him out on a 'man'date and show him my resume, grades, whatever and then with that information write the letter. He replies that he doesnt have the time for any of that and he said, "Im not much of a novelist...is there a form i could fill out?" I replied that I would get back in touch with him.

My question is,

Was he implying something about being a novelist? Like should i give him a sample LOR to look over? I dont think there are any "forms" to fill out right?
They have to be letters i think.

If anyone has a sample LOR I would greatly appreciate it if they could PM me.

Thanks,

 

[spicedmanna]

Some schools may have a form that a recommender can fill out in lieu of writing a letter, where they can rate you, etc. I think that's what the doc was referring to.

Anyway, I think you may be barking up the wrong tree here. It doesn't sound like he really wants to write you a letter. I'd maybe see if there is someone else who is going to be more enthusiastic about it. Bad letters can really hurt you and mediocre form letters probably won't do much for you. I think you could be better off finding someone else. Just my opinion.

 

[nlax30]

Some schools may have a form that a recommender can fill out in lieu of writing a letter, where they can rate you, etc. I think that's what the doc was referring to.

Anyway, I think you may be barking up the wrong tree here. It doesn't sound like he really wants to write you a letter. I'd maybe see if there is someone else who is going to be more enthusiastic about it. Bad letters can really hurt you and mediocre form letters probably won't do much for you. I think you could be better off finding someone else. Just my opinion.

I totally agree. He said he was busy and probably just doesn't want to take the time to write you a thorough letter. Though I've had letter writers in the past pretty much have me write a letter, and then they'll add-on/edit it.... but if there was any way I could avoid that I would just find someone else who could take the time.

So I'd say call around and find someone to shadow, but just be up front and say that you are interested in obtaining a LOR from them and ask if they have the time to have you come in and spend some time with them (either shadowing or just talking) and then if they have the time to write you a decent letter.

The DO who wrote my letter was fabulous. Met through kind of a friend-of-a-friend type setup, but was the director of an ER there and let me come in a shadow him several times, and even met with me outside work to just chat about the profession in general.

 

[JaggerPlate]

Ok first of all thank you all for your replies.

So i asked my dermatologist if I could shadow him or take him out on a 'man'date and show him my resume, grades, whatever and then with that information write the letter. He replies that he doesnt have the time for any of that and he said, "Im not much of a novelist...is there a form i could fill out?" I replied that I would get back in touch with him.

My question is,

Was he implying something about being a novelist? Like should i give him a sample LOR to look over? I dont think there are any "forms" to fill out right?
They have to be letters i think.

If anyone has a sample LOR I would greatly appreciate it if they could PM me.

Thanks,

I'd move on. Honestly, the guy is basically saying he doesn't want to write you a letter. If you do bug him enough to get him to write something, it doesn't sound like it's going to be good. Do the mentor program though the AOA. I found an awesome DO to shadow within a few days. But ... I'd thank this doc for his time and move on.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

For all questions/concerns/issues/anxiety regarding letters of recommendation.

 

[msd848]

I know that at MSU DO... recommendation letters are requested during secondary applications... on a seperate form.. so professors are urged not to upload them on to interfolio...

My question is.. are there any DO schools that actually use interfolio? if so, which ones do you know of?

The reason I am asking is because I will be applying to MD and DO... and if only MD use interfolio... i would like the letters to be more unique pretaining to only MD then

 

[TexasTriathlete]

I did all my letters through interfolio. And if you think that you can make your letters "more unique pertaining to only MD", then you don't know enough about DO to apply to a school awarding this degree at this point. Continue reading.

 

[MossPoh]

Yes you can use interfolio for DO schools and sorry but the idea of letters uniquely for DO or MD is stupid. Are you going to hand your profs a set of guidelines to write your letters with? A recommendation letter is a recommendation letter. I did choose certain letter sets for certain schools, but it was more along the lines of making sure I would send the letter from the doctor who went to a specific school to that specific school.

 

[Hokie06]

most DO schools utilize interfolio but there are 2-3 schools that don't. I know NYCOM is one of them. interfolio made life so much easier!

 

[Chocolate Bear]

**Many schools have "preferred" recommendation forms--these are given to help professors write letters, but are ALMOST NEVER REQUIRED. Check with the individual schools to see if you can bypass this. You almost always can.

**The only letter you might want to differ between your MD and DO apps is your DO letter, IF YOU HAVE TOO MANY LETTERS TO INCLUDE IT OR YOU JUST DON'T WANT SOME SCHOOLS TO KNOW YOU MIGHT BE APPLYING DO.

Moving to the LOR thread.

 

[robynrich]

I am about to start asking for LORs soon, and I was wondering which was a better service: Interfolio or VirtualEvals. Do you prefer one system over the other, or does it not matter, etc.? Thanks!

 

[Chocolate Bear]

I am about to start asking for LORs soon, and I was wondering which was a better service: Interfolio or VirtualEvals. Do you prefer one system over the other, or does it not matter, etc.? Thanks!

VE is through your undergrad/post bacc/advisor. You can't upload letters unless you're one of those.

So, are you affiliated with a school that has a VE account, or did I just make the decision for you? 😀

 

[robynrich]

VE is through your undergrad/post bacc/advisor. You can't upload letters unless you're one of those.

So, are you affiliated with a school that has a VE account, or did I just make the decision for you? 😀

LoL, you certainly did! Interfolio it is 🙂

 

[Chocolate Bear]

LoL, you certainly did! Interfolio it is 🙂

Don't worry, InterFolio is great and will be worth every penny. There are a few schools that don't "participate," but that just means that InterFolio will snail mail your LORs to those particular schools. 👍

 

[beckhunter116]

How soon should we open our interfolio account. I plan on getting my letters in April and May, so if I open my account April 1st is that enough time for me to set everything up before letters get sent in? Any advice is welcome. Thanks!

 

[Chocolate Bear]

How soon should we open our interfolio account. I plan on getting my letters in April and May, so if I open my account April 1st is that enough time for me to set everything up before letters get sent in? Any advice is welcome. Thanks!

Well, you could just do it now, have everything set up, then be ready as soon as you're ready to ask for your first letter/get it sent to Interfolio. I'm not sure how they charge--per time or per letter/packet sent, so I don't know if a month earlier would cost any more money. Hopefully someone else knows.

 

[beckhunter116]

Just to let everyone who is thinking of interfolio the prices are as follows:

1yr subscription 19.00
3yr 39.90
5yr 57.00

The prices for sending out letters vary based on method (electronic, us mail, priority, ect).

 

[Chocolate Bear]

Just to let everyone who is thinking of interfolio the prices are as follows:

1yr subscription 19.00
3yr 39.90
5yr 57.00

The prices for sending out letters vary based on method (electronic, us mail, priority, ect).

👍

I've never seen the cost to send letters on the site, though I haven't spent tons of time there. Do they keep them under wraps or have I just missed them?

 

[Art Vandelay2]

I think I paid about $9.00 for each Priority Mail letter (cheaper if 1st class is used). For electronic delivery, it's $4.00 per letter.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

I think I paid about $9.00 for each Priority Mail letter (cheaper if 1st class is used). For electronic delivery, it's $4.00 per letter.

So if you had 4 letters in your account, delivered electronically to 10 schools, it would cost $160?

 

[Semicolon]

Wow, my school just used VE and this makes me happier they did. All I did was give them a check for $10 and they took care of the whole process, sending out all my letters (both electronically and by mail) without any further input from me.

 

[beckhunter116]

Delivery Options

Fileholders pay a delivery fee when sending application materials to an institution or organization. All paper delivery fees listed below include a single envelope containing up to 20 pages, regardless of the number of documents. Each envelope containing more than 20 pages will cost an extra $1 per additional 20 pages.
Note: There is no charge for a letter writer to submit a letter to Interfolio on behalf of a fileholder.
$4 Electronic Delivery
Deliveries completed by 2 pm Eastern will be delivered electronically the same business day.
$4 Email Delivery
Deliveries completed by 2 pm Eastern will be delivered via email the same business day.
$6 US Postal Service Domestic Delivery
Deliveries completed by 11:59 pm Eastern will go out on the next business day. Estimated shipping time: 3-14 days. Tracking is not included.
$7 International Postal Service Delivery
Deliveries completed by 11:59 pm Eastern will go out on the next business day. Estimated shipping time: Varies by destination. Tracking is not included.
$12 US Postal Service Priority Mailing
Deliveries completed by 2 pm Eastern will go out on the same business day. Estimated shipping time: 3-5 days. Tracking is not included.
$16 2-Day Delivery
Deliveries completed by 2 pm Eastern will be delivered in 2 business days. Includes tracking.
$28 Overnight Delivery
Deliveries completed by 2 pm Eastern time will be delivered by 3 pm to most addresses and by 4:30 pm to rural areas on the next business day. Includes tracking.
$40 Rush Processing Overnight Delivery
Miss the 2 pm deadline? Deliveries completed by 2 pm Eastern time will be delivered by 3 pm to most addresses and by 4:30 pm to rural areas on the next business day. Includes tracking.
$45 International 2-3 Day Delivery
Deliveries completed by 2 pm Eastern time will be delivered in 2-3 business days. Includes tracking.

From http://www.interfolio.com/demo/pricing.cfm

 

[beckhunter116]

I know most schools are looking for the standard two: pre-med committee and from a physician. Is it alright to send more or will they just discard the extras? I was planning on sending three to each school? Is that ok? Did anyone send more?

Thanks!

 

[Chocolate Bear]

I know most schools are looking for the standard two: pre-med committee and from a physician. Is it alright to send more or will they just discard the extras? I was planning on sending three to each school? Is that ok? Did anyone send more?

Thanks!

Thanks for the pricing info! 🙂

Well, the standard for anyone not using a pre med committee letter is 2 sci, + a highly recommended/required physician letter + sometimes a required non sci letter. I submitted 5 glowing letters to each school and heard only good things from adcoms. 👍

 

[amakhosidlo]

I was thinking about the wording I used in an email I sent to the D.O I want to write my letter, and I'm worried it might've been a little rude...

As a sort of disclaimer at the end, I said:

"Of course, if you feel at all uncomfortable with writing me a letter, please let me know; I won't be at all offended. In fact, it's essential that my application not include half-hearted or wavering evaluations as these letters play a very important role in the admission process"

My friend (who tends to overanalyze things a bit) thought it was too blunt/bordering on bad taste. Reading back over I'm not quite sure myself. Thoughts?

 

[Chocolate Bear]

I was thinking about the wording I used in an email I sent to the D.O I want to write my letter, and I'm worried it might've been a little rude...

As a sort of disclaimer at the end, I said:

"Of course, if you feel at all uncomfortable with writing me a letter, please let me know; I won't be at all offended. In fact, it's essential that my application not include half-hearted or wavering evaluations as these letters play a very important role in the admission process"

My friend (who tends to overanalyze things a bit) thought it was too blunt/bordering on bad taste. Reading back over I'm not quite sure myself. Thoughts?

Personally, I would have ended it at "offended."

Don't beat yourself up, though.

Moving to the LOR thread.

 

[swamprat]

wrong thread* sry

 

[Ayuka001]

what year is good to ask for reccs?

i'm a freshman right now and i plan to apply summer of junior year. but i don't know how people go about asking for recs. if i ask now then the profs won't forget me, but then if i ask later on then i'll have more stuff to show them for them to write about (like more e.c's, better gpa....).


can someone give me advice? thanks a lot!🙂

 

[RNinTN]

I have a question about LOR's. My school requires a DO and it sais 2 more from science professors. My DO turns out to be a professor at the school and also chair of pediatrics, I know this will help, but how far do you think that may go?

I am an RN (as you can tell by the name), so I know several MD's and DO's do you think it would be brown nosing it too much to have more than 3 letters? Or even mixing DO and MD recomendations?

 

[CardioPlus]

what year is good to ask for reccs?

i'm a freshman right now and i plan to apply summer of junior year. but i don't know how people go about asking for recs. if i ask now then the profs won't forget me, but then if i ask later on then i'll have more stuff to show them for them to write about (like more e.c's, better gpa....).


can someone give me advice? thanks a lot!🙂

It wouldn't make any sense asking for one now considering the letters would be about 2-3 years old by the time you apply. Typically you ask for letters the Winter/early Spring before the Summer you apply. If you have a teacher or two that you are considering to use (from your freshman year), I would simply stop by their office from time to time (to say hi so they remember you, and to keep them updated on things going on in your life). Teachers love this and they will get to know more about you, besides from just getting a good grade an A in the class. When it comes time to apply, they will remember you and can write a more personal letter than if you haven't kept in touch. One of my letter writers was from freshmen year and by stopping in every semester she really got to know me and I have no doubt she will write a very personal letter.

 

[MrReno]

i got a LOR from a professor who knows me very well and wrote a great letter. however, i got it around late october of 2008 since she was retiring. is that too old to use for this coming application cycle? what is the general rule for a LOR to be considered "too old"?

 

[Semicolon]

i got a LOR from a professor who knows me very well and wrote a great letter. however, i got it around late october of 2008 since she was retiring. is that too old to use for this coming application cycle? what is the general rule for a LOR to be considered "too old"?

That wouldn't be even a year old by the time you applied; of course you can use it! I don't think there's a general rule, or at least I haven't heard of an LOR being "too old". Don't worry about it.

 

[jazzgurl7]

So, I waited to get my August MCAT scores back before deciding to apply last year and at this time my pre-med committee refused to write me a letter because I had missed some "deadline"...blah blah blah bureaucracy. Anyway, I sent the following letters to my schools:

1- MD (Dermatologist) that I shadowed/worked for for 3 summers
2-MD/PhD who was a previous PI on a clinical study I worked on
3-DO that I shadowed
4-Electrical Engineering Professor who knew me very well
5-Biomedical Engineering Professor who also had a dual appointment at our school of medicine and sits on the admissions committee for our engineering/med school combined degree program
6-Professor at Albany Medical College whose lab I worked in last summer.

And guess what, I got into med school without those jerks in the pre-med office hahaha. Also, I got no complaints about the number of letters I had.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

So, I waited to get my August MCAT scores back before deciding to apply last year and at this time my pre-med committee refused to write me a letter because I had missed some "deadline"...blah blah blah bureaucracy. Anyway, I sent the following letters to my schools:

1- MD (Dermatologist) that I shadowed/worked for for 3 summers
2-MD/PhD who was a previous PI on a clinical study I worked on
3-DO that I shadowed
4-Electrical Engineering Professor who knew me very well
5-Biomedical Engineering Professor who also had a dual appointment at our school of medicine and sits on the admissions committee for our engineering/med school combined degree program
6-Professor at Albany Medical College whose lab I worked in last summer.

And guess what, I got into med school without those jerks in the pre-med office hahaha. Also, I got no complaints about the number of letters I had.

Way to stick it to the man!! 😀😀😀

Congrats!

 

[Chocolate Bear]

I have a question about LOR's. My school requires a DO and it sais 2 more from science professors. My DO turns out to be a professor at the school and also chair of pediatrics, I know this will help, but how far do you think that may go?

Well don't count that letter as both a DO *and* a sci prof, unless he/she was *your* prof in a class you took. The title will look nice, but don't count on this LOR carrying you to the finish line or anything.

I am an RN (as you can tell by the name), so I know several MD's and DO's do you think it would be brown nosing it too much to have more than 3 letters? Or even mixing DO and MD recomendations?

Mixing MD and DO is okay, but you might consider keeping the DO letter out of the MD application, in case the DO letter talks about your applying to DO schools and why you want to, etc. This would be bad for MD schools to see. However, MD letters to DO schools is not even an issue. No problems there.

You can have more than 3 letters--no big deal. Here's what many applicants' apps look like:

--Physician letter x 1-2
--Sci prof letter x 2
--Non sci prof letter x 1-2
--Employer letter, especially if you've been out of school for years