* * 2010 - 2011 * * Letter of Recommendation Thread

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I'm in a pretty odd situation.. aright so here's the deal
I live in Montreal, and we have very few osteopathic physicians. We do however have loads of osteopathic therapists, who go by the same initials (D.O.).
I already have an MD LOR, but I would also like to apply to those COM schools that require the DO LOR like LECOM. You think shadowing an osteopathic therapist would maybe-possibly be ok, or would it be considered maadd trickery? 😳
 
Having a hard time trying to figure out the best way to appraoch asking for LOR's. My UG has a Pre-Health Advisory Committee who will write a committee letter for an applicant. They require (at least) three science faculty and (at least) three non-science faculty letters as well as clinical experiences, work, shadowing, research, volunteer, internship, etc.

My question is, after graduating in 2008 I haven't kept in touch with any of the faculty at my UG and do not live close enough to go to the school and meet face to face with profs to ask for LORs. What is the best way to approach this? Is e-mail a terrible way to basically just pop up out of the blue and ask for a LOR?!

I need to ask for these ASAP since the committee wants them by beginning of June. 😕
 
Daniel565 said:
I'm in a pretty odd situation.. aright so here's the deal
I live in Montreal, and we have very few osteopathic physicians. We do however have loads of osteopathic therapists, who go by the same initials (D.O.).
I already have an MD LOR, but I would also like to apply to those COM schools that require the DO LOR like LECOM. You think shadowing an osteopathic therapist would maybe-possibly be ok, or would it be considered maadd trickery? 😳
Click to expand...

Your best bet is to call the schools you're interested in and ask. Better to be safe than sorry.
 
jal06c said:
How many LOR's does everybody plan on having? I was thinking 5 or 6. I have 3 from professor's since my school doesn't have a premedical committee.
Click to expand...

I applied with 5 last year.... No committee, 3 science, 1 nonscience, and 1 D.O.
 
Is there any way to get around PCOM's requirement to have a LOR from a premed committee, premed advisor, or dean of my college?

My school doesn't offer premed committee letters, and a letter from my premed advisor would be horrible since I've only met her on a couple occasions.

I have 2 LOR's from science professors, 1 non-science, 1 DO, 1 MD, and 1 research P.I.
 
Don't quote me on this but I think you can use a dean's letter for PCOM in place of a committee letter
 
Yes you can!

"Applicants are required to submit a letter of recommendation from the premedical committee or premedical advisor of the undergraduate college that grants or will grant a bachelor's degree, regardless of your academic major, course of study or graduation. If that is not possible, a letter from your academic advisor or Dean of the same institution may substitute. Another letter of recommendation, preferably from an osteopathic physician, is strongly suggested but is not required."

http://www.pcom.edu/admissions/adm_app_process/adm_DO/adm_do.html

Edit-Sorry Sinfest I just saw "or dean of school" on your post, I can't read apparently. Don't know if there is a way around that, maybe someone else can chime in?
 
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Mzeep said:
Edit-Sorry Sinfest I just saw "or dean of school" on your post, I can't read apparently. Don't know if there is a way around that, maybe someone else can chime in?
Click to expand...

hahaha no worries

Thanks for trying 🙂
 
So LORs are one of the more frustrating parts of my application. I have 2 science letters, one from a professor that knew me very well and wrote me a great letter. The other is from a professor I had for one quarter in the summer and I basically took his class to get a LOR because honestly I just needed one. I got the highest grade in the class and I'm sure his evaluation of me was strictly on a "he was in class, active participant, good grades, etc." Not exactly the kind of letter that will get you into med school.

I also have a non-science letter, same deal as the non-stellar science letter. I spoke with the professor, gave him a compelling reason and story for why I wanted to go into medicine and he agreed to write the letter. I have absolutely no options of getting another academic non-science letter.

I have two DO letters, one Great one that I will use. I have 2 letters from past employers, one who is clinical and is what I've been doing for the last year while applying/getting ready to reapply. I also have a phenomenal LOR from my lab PI but it doesnt' fall under the science professor category because I did not get credit for the research through the school, it was on a volunteer basis.

Does anyone know of schools that will waive the strict "2 science, 1 nonscience" in favor of more recent letters? If I had my choice I'd send my 1 DO letter, 1 Lab letter, 1 science letter and a letter from my employer but that doesn't seem to be an option. FWIW, I have been out of school over a year now and my coursework consists of an extension class currently and nothing else while working 2 jobs.
 
Some DO schools state that they require a letter of rec from a DO you've shadowed. Do they hold you to this requirement? I'm applying to MD schools, but also wanted to apply to a DO school next cycle. However, I haven't shadowed a DO and have no such letter.
 
yes, the DO schools hold you to it. The place I was accepted told us at the interview to have the LOR sent in before we could be formally accepted.
 
I am pretty sure that I have seen it on here before but, does anyone have a list of DO schools that don't require a DO letter?
 
Hi everyone,
I was somewhat confused about the number of letters of recommendation I should ideally have for medical schools. It appears that for the vast majority of schools if one has a pre-med committee letter that is all that is absolutely required. I understand that most undergraduate institutions need prospective medical school applicants to submit three LORs in order for the committee to write them a recommendation. My school on the other hand does not require any outside LORs from professors for the committee to write a recommendation. I was wondering whether I should get extra LORs from professors in any case in addition to my committee letter. If so, should I still get two letters from science professors and 1 from a non-science professor? Thanks in advance,
Darkskies
 
In my unqualified (read: not accepted... yet) opinion, you should have:

1) A committee letter. This is not opinion, but fact that every school requires a committee letter IF your school has a committee. If they do not, then the COM will list a substitute requirement, such as 2 letters from science prof & 1 from non-science prof, or 3 letters from professors.

2) A physician letter. Nearly every school requires a letter from a physician. Some require a DO, some strongly recommend a DO (read: get the DO letter, increase your chances), others will accept MD or DO. There was a good post on the SDN front page recently about what makes a good physician letter, I think. Get a strong DO letter to improve your odds.

3) An outside professor letter. The committee letter can be a wildcard school-to-school, as some will write "we recommend student A based on his history here because no professors had a problem with him and thought he worked hard" while others will compile glowing praises from your professors. As letters are confidential, you have no idea. Pick a professor, preferably science but potentially non-science, and ask them write about you, your desire to get into medicine, your positive attributes, etc. (Note that this backfired for me last cycle, as a journalism professor with whom I was very close wrote such a fantastic recommendation that two adcom members said the committee felt journalism would be a better career for me).

4) (If necessary) A boss/supervisor letter. If you have worked in healthcare or in any relevant field, ask your boss or supervisor to write a recommendation. If you haven't worked in healthcare, this letter may still be valuable, if it accurately and persuasively details your committment to medicine as well as any leadership or other positive attributes you have.

I believe the consensus is to keep it under 5 letters if possible. I've spoken with a few admissions people (through the phone, e-mail, and as patients at work), and they seem to agree. More than 5 becomes overwhelming and the true recommendations get lost in the noise. In my opinion, you can maximize the value of your 4-5 letters by following what I've written above.
 
OK. I need to know this too. I just read the instructions on aamcomas and it has nothing on LORs. I have 2 science professor letters and 1 letter from a DO I shadowed. Is this enough or do I need a 3rd professor?
 
You will still need a LOR from a non-science professor. In addition some schools require a committee letter. My undergraduate didn't offer this service so you can just get one from your dean stating that you were in good status when you finished. I would recommend everyone to have at least 2 science, 1 non-science, 1 DO, and a committee LOR when applying for school. I had to scramble to find a non-science and the committee when I found this out so try and get it taken care of soon! Best of luck.
 
MSUSpartan642 said:
You will still need a LOR from a non-science professor. In addition some schools require a committee letter. My undergraduate didn't offer this service so you can just get one from your dean stating that you were in good status when you finished. I would recommend everyone to have at least 2 science, 1 non-science, 1 DO, and a committee LOR when applying for school. I had to scramble to find a non-science and the committee when I found this out so try and get it taken care of soon! Best of luck.
Click to expand...


I'm curious what DO schools require a non-science professor letter? This is something I can probably obtain with a bit of hectic scrambling but would rather not.
 
what's this business about 5 letters?😕

From what I've seen, the 2010 COMIB indicates at most 3 letters for any school; usually 1 or 2 Phd and 1 MD/DO.
 
Just landed my DO letter from a wonderful shadowing experience. I'm assuming this won't suffice for allopathic schools, is this correct?

also do allopathic schools require physician letters the same way osteopathic schools do, i didnt see the requirement for MD letters listed on some of the allo schools i'm checking out?
 
How important is it? My school has one, but it requires a lot of stuff and the deadline for providing them with all the necessary documents is very near.
 
What are schools looking for in a DO letter? I got a letter from a DO which he wrote by hand and asked me to type it and he'll sign. He also said I can add anything I want and he will read and sign it. Although the letter is good, I feel like it is somewhat short (3 paragraphs). The entire letter is around 250 words. Is it too short? Anything I can add? He mainly talked about my qualities and my understanding of osteopathic medicine. Just curious. Thanks!
 
Man, I wish I had it like that. So far everyone's asked me to write it and then they edit it, I have no idea what the end product is like..
 
Hi,
I am about to graduate with a degree in Molecular Genetics and a minor in Spanish. I did exceptionally well in my advanced courses in Spanish Literature and my professor has agreed to write me a recommendation letter. He is wondering what kind of content should go into the letter. Should he address my linguistic and analytical skills? Should this be a generic letter? He has informed that he could really write me a glowing letter about my work in his courses addressing my linguistic and critical thinking skills. I suppose it is more difficult for a nonscience professor to address a candidate's aptitude for medical school so any pointers, suggestions and advice would be appreciated.
 
Darkskies said:
Hi,
I am about to graduate with a degree in Molecular Genetics and a minor in Spanish. I did exceptionally well in my advanced courses in Spanish Literature and my professor has agreed to write me a recommendation letter. He is wondering what kind of content should go into the letter. Should he address my linguistic and analytical skills? Should this be a generic letter? He has informed that he could really write me a glowing letter about my work in his courses addressing my linguistic and critical thinking skills. I suppose it is more difficult for a nonscience professor to address a candidate’s aptitude for medical school so any pointers, suggestions and advice would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

I'd say anything that demonstrates your intelligence, hard work, critical thinking skills would be great. Also I'd ask him to include a comparison of your abilities to other students and even other medical students he has had the opportunity to teach.
 
Quick question that might have been answered, but I didn't find a lot of info in the AACOMAS instructions about it...so if we turn in our AACOMAS early/mid June with transcripts and MCAT scores, etc., it will take a few weeks for verification. Then secondaries are sent out, and at THAT point we need to send in LORs, which would be received sometime in July if we are early? Is that time frame correct?

I have my pre-med committee letter, but that won't include a DO recommendation letter. What have people done in the past, have their committee send their packet through Interfolio to each school and then you tack on the DO letter as well, and that's that?
 
I'm waitlisted for acceptance but preparing to re-apply in the 2010-11 cycle. I have a committee letter (+ 1 science, 1 non-science (MD), and 2 professional (MD) LORs). I've been working with these MDs for over 2 years but their letters were written about 8 months into my employment. I'm wondering 1) can I re-use my committee letter? 2) Would it be overkill to include updated letters from my employers? 3) Is it possible to "substitute" new letters for the old ones in my committee letter packet?
Thanks for your thoughts!
 
how bad does it look if you dont have a committee letter or LOR from a dean?

my school has a pre health committee and i applied for an interview but im not sure if I'm gonna be able to get one thus no committee letter.

i have other LORs and am getting one from a DO but based on the below statement, it sounds like its all or none meaning if i dont have either, they will not even consider my application?

"Applicants are required to submit a letter of recommendation from the premedical committee or premedical advisor of the undergraduate college that grants or will grant a bachelor's degree, regardless of your academic major, course of study or graduation. If that is not possible, a letter from your academic advisor or Dean of the same institution may substitute.
 
When you read through the CIB, many of the schools say, "Letter of recommendation from a premedical or prehealth committee, or two letters from science professors." I am going to have to go with the latter and hope for the best because there is absolutely no way I could obtain a committee letter at this time. I graduated with my BS years ago and I'll be going back to finish up only a few classes. My undergraduate school has very strict requirements regarding the letters and it would be nearly impossible for anyone going back for classes to get one.
 
When is the earliest I can send LOR directly to the schools? Can I have the writers mail the letters before I submit my application?
Thanks!
 
Mzeep said:
If it is required, then yes you need one. I think in general when applying to DO schools it would be in your best interest to get a DO letter even if it's not required, it would only benefit you.

Here are some sites I've found around here

http://www.do-online.org/iLearn/login.cfm

http://www.osteopathic.org/directory.cfm

Hope this helps! :luck:
Click to expand...

The mentor site does not show any D.O.s in my hometown, but I used the second site and found 33 here or nearby. You are a lifesaver! 👍
 
1) Hi I'm applying to both MD and DO schools and I want to know if it's a bad idea to have all my letter writers send LORs electronically through interfolio? Do many schools require an official letterhead?

Would it be a better idea to have my letter writers send a physical letter? Do I have to have them send it directly to the schools or can they be sent to interfolio?

2) There is a LOR section on both the AMCAS and AACOMAS. Do the letters get sent directly from the AMCAS/AACOMAS to the schools I'm applying or do I need to send letters separately when I get my secondaries? Do I have to have all my letters sent to AMCAS/AACOMAS before I can submit my primary applications?

I am so confused.

Thanks
 
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Sinfest said:
Is there any way to get around PCOM's requirement to have a LOR from a premed committee, premed advisor, or dean of my college?

My school doesn't offer premed committee letters, and a letter from my premed advisor would be horrible since I've only met her on a couple occasions.

I have 2 LOR's from science professors, 1 non-science, 1 DO, 1 MD, and 1 research P.I.
Click to expand...
I'd like to know this as well. I've been out of school for almost 2 years and there's no premed commitee... I have never met a premed advisor (or know if one even exists) and I don't know how I can get a letter from a dean. My GPA is only a 3.2 and even if I could contact them I don't know if they would even write me a letter. What do I do?
 
I am in a tricky situation, I can get a letter from my Physics professor but his english is really bad. Half the time I don't understand what he's saying. Should I take the letter or would it be a bad idea?
 
OrangeRoost said:
The mentor site does not show any D.O.s in my hometown, but I used the second site and found 33 here or nearby. You are a lifesaver! 👍
Click to expand...


Yay! Glad that worked out for you! 🙂

For those of you applying to PCOM without a committee letter, do know you know if using a "Dean's certificate" thing would suffice?
 
gatewasani said:
I am in a tricky situation, I can get a letter from my Physics professor but his english is really bad. Half the time I don't understand what he's saying. Should I take the letter or would it be a bad idea?
Click to expand...


I would say as long as your other LORs are strong and you are just using this letter as a formality (need a second science prof but he is the only one you can get) I would say go for it.
 
Guys, I really need your help can someone answer my question?
 
sneeze11 said:
When is the earliest I can send LOR directly to the schools? Can I have the writers mail the letters before I submit my application?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Yes you can. Just make sure that your letters of rec have you full name and your AACOMAS ID on them that way the school can make sure they get filed properly when they receive you AACOMAS app.
 
Do many people also send their DO letters to MD schools and MD to DO schools if they have both? I feel like my DO letter is really good so I'm thinking about also sending it to MD schools too in addition to my MD letter. Would DO schools care to see an MD letter in addition to the DO letter? Pros/Cons?
 
BigBoosting said:
Do many people also send their DO letters to MD schools and MD to DO schools if they have both? I feel like my DO letter is really good so I'm thinking about also sending it to MD schools too in addition to my MD letter. Would DO schools care to see an MD letter in addition to the DO letter? Pros/Cons?
Click to expand...

Same question, is it OK to send a DO letter to MD schools?
 
So I took an upper level kinesiology class dealing with health promotion/programming in the elderly. I did well and am of the opinion that I represented myself well.

The prof is an excellent candidate to write me a LOR, but I'm worried that this kinda class is not considered "science-y" enough and will ultimately be viewed as inferior by adcoms to say, a letter from a chem/phys/bio prof. Opinions?

Also, I can get a letter from my DO, but he isn't a physician (licensed in OMT only). Will this meet the DO letter requirement? I know someone else posted a similar question, but I don't think anyone ever posted a comment/solution.

On a lighter note, here's something to look forward to...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjfNb5iiBQk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8zEI7foxmE

cracks me up everytime:claps::laugh::claps::laugh:
 
Unfortunately, I don't think either of these letters will meet the requirement. I believe the science letter does need to be a "hard" science prof. I've also recently taken several very science heavy courses that don't fall under that category, so I had to go back to professors from last year to write my letters.

And it's good that you've had exposure to OMT, but I think you need the letter to be from a DO, not an ostoepath.
 
Hey, Do you guys think a letter from my public health course professor would be considered as one of my science letters?
and that my medical anthropology professor letter would be considered as non-science?
 
seap3 said:
...I've also recently taken several very science heavy courses that don't fall under that category, so I had to go back to professors from last year to write my letters.
Click to expand...

That's too bad 🙁. Did you speak to an advisor or any schools directly?

I'm guessing anything considered science for AACOMAS is considered science for all/most schools. I'll look into this more in depth, but I was just wondering what everyone's "gut" feeling is about having a letter from say, a kinesiology prof vs a bio prof (for example).
 
ipod01 said:
Hey, Do you guys think a letter from my public health course professor would be considered as one of my science letters?
and that my medical anthropology professor letter would be considered as non-science?
Click to expand...

According to the AACOMAS instruction booklet, epidemiology is listed as "other science". Whether ur course falls under epidemiolgy would depend on what faculty/department offers the course and the content of the lectures. It's dicy, so I think it best to email the schools ur interested in individually.
 
I am actually a little bit concerned about secondary due dates. I feel that I will have 5 strong out of 6 total LOR. 4 Clinicians/teachers have already confirmed that they will be happy to write me LORs, but have yet to do so. I have to contact one more science and one more non science teacher. The one science teacher I intend to contact will likely give me a strong letter because I actively participated in her lab class and received a grade of A+. I intend to do this tomorrow. I also intend to contact my nonscience professor (grade of A, some participation, some talking outside of class, friendly teacher)

I am worried that if the letter writers take too long, i will not be able to get my secondaries in on time. I'm worried that if I send in my primaries too early, i will not be able to complete secondaries in time due to missing letters of rec, due to an earlier due date on secondaries.

What should I do? Please help!
 
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