* * 2011-2012 Letter of Recommendation Thread!! * *

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Darkskies said:
Sorry for not mentioning it earlier but I already have an Interfolio account and the physician did upload her letter to Interfolio. The only issue is that there's probably not an official letterhead...Will this be a problem?
The DO schools I am applying to are the following:
UMDNJ
NYCOM
PCOM
DMU
AZCOM
KCUMB
TCOM
NOVA SE
TOURO NY
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Anyone, Please?
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You need a letter head in 9/10 situations. I don't know of any place that accepts a LOR without a letter head. That would probably something to work on first, because you don't want your app to be delayed for that reason.
 
Hi. I did undergrad at Southern Miss and Williams Carey osteopathic school is right across town. I know if I interview there I will probably get in. However, I need an LOR from a D.O. Do you think I can get one If I just email a D.O. meet with them, let them get to know me (like an interview) provide my resume and personal statement and hope he writes me one?
 
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Hi. I did undergrad at Southern Miss and Williams Carey osteopathic school is right across town. I know if I interview there I will probably get in. However, I need an LOR from a D.O. Do you think I can get one If I just email a D.O. meet with them, let them get to know me (like an interview) provide my resume and personal statement and hope he writes me one?
 
kg062007 said:
Hi. I did undergrad at Southern Miss and Williams Carey osteopathic school is right across town. I know if I interview there I will probably get in. However, I need an LOR from a D.O. Do you think I can get one If I just email a D.O. meet with them, let them get to know me (like an interview) provide my resume and personal statement and hope he writes me one?
Click to expand...

The whole point of getting a letter from a DO is that you should get to know them and their profession, and ideally know some of the differences (and similarities) between DO and MD. I wouldn't just cold call some DO and hope that they write you a letter, because it probably won't be a good one. Find a DO who is willing let you shadow, and get to know them that way. You'll end up with a better letter.
 
TheMightySmiter said:
The whole point of getting a letter from a DO is that you should get to know them and their profession, and ideally know some of the differences (and similarities) between DO and MD. I wouldn't just cold call some DO and hope that they write you a letter, because it probably won't be a good one. Find a DO who is willing let you shadow, and get to know them that way. You'll end up with a better letter.
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My thoughts exactly.

https://www.osteopathic.org/osteopathic-health/find-a-do/Pages/default.aspx


This may help you to find a DO to shadow. :)
 
Not 1 answer?????
 
kg062007 said:
Hi. I did undergrad at Southern Miss and Williams Carey osteopathic school is right across town. I know if I interview there I will probably get in. However, I need an LOR from a D.O. Do you think I can get one If I just email a D.O. meet with them, let them get to know me (like an interview) provide my resume and personal statement and hope he writes me one?
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Yeah, try emailing and explaining to the DO your situation. At that point it's up to the DO whether or not he'll accept. It's noted in older posts that some DO's are sympathetic to our situation and will write a letter with little shadowing time.
 
Help! My friend said one of my recommenders used to procrastinate on the letters... It's been a month and he hasn't finished writing letters for me yet... How should I follow up with him? I want to hurry him up but not sound pesty -_-
 
PhoenixFire said:
Help! My friend said one of my recommenders used to procrastinate on the letters... It's been a month and he hasn't finished writing letters for me yet... How should I follow up with him? I want to hurry him up but not sound pesty -_-
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Just send him an email and remind him of the deadline, he'll get the gist of it. Make sure to thank him for his time and for taking part in your application process.

Don't worry, everyone has that one letter writer who takes their sweet time to write one...and they're used to getting hounded because they do the same thing to everyone. You just have to put a flame under them.
 
what i did is texted my professor (I had developed more of a friendship) but you could email and just say, "hey, just seeing if there was anything else you needed from me regarding the LoR" or something like that.
 
TheMightySmiter said:
The whole point of getting a letter from a DO is that you should get to know them and their profession, and ideally know some of the differences (and similarities) between DO and MD. I wouldn't just cold call some DO and hope that they write you a letter, because it probably won't be a good one. Find a DO who is willing let you shadow, and get to know them that way. You'll end up with a better letter.
Click to expand...

This topic should be in the DO section. I think more people could help you there.
 
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My pre-med committee uploads my committee letter into VirtualEvals. Does that mean that the DO schools I applied to retrieves the letter from VirtualEvals? Do I have to do anything else from my end for them to receive it?
 
I'm a Graduate Student whom had to get a MS in Biology to be considered a "competitive candidate"--advice of which came from a Director of Admissions at a DO school and I feel more or less ignorant in that I am really confused about LORs. There are no specific directions on the AACOMAS app online that I can find that clearly states what is expected..I do not believe I can get a LOR from a Pre-Med committee because I am a Grad student at a different college. I have 2 letters from DO's already and 2 letters from science teachers all lined up and what not..but do I need any more? The only thing I'm worried about is that I have had to work 3 part-time jobs to pay for school and my existence and have not had an opportunity to shadow or volunteer..does that significantly impact my chances..? I know the 2 DO's personally that wrote my LORs and my science teachers very well so I am hoping that they are considered strong LORs..any advice?
 
So, I just got secondaries from both A.T. Still COMs and they recommend using their 'evaluation forms'.

They state, "We encourage you to provide these forms to evaluators but they are not required. Evaluation packets from undergraduate/graduate institutions or letters of evaluation/recommendation must be submitted on official letterhead if the forms are not used. The evaluation forms do provide valuable information that sometimes may not be included in a letter. All evaluations should be provided to us directly by the evaluators. Each letter should reference your legal name and AACOMAS ID number for identification purposes."

First of all, do most schools have this same thing? I already requested my recommenders to write a letter and upload it to Interfolio, so I have all my letters ready to send. However, I did NOT ask them to have an official letterhead and/or to reference my legal name and AACOMAS ID number on the letter. Does anybody know if I should contact them again to have them do this, or is it not absolutely necessary? Also, how important do you guys think it is to actually use the 'evaluation form'? Apparently, the form asks questions like "Please describe any weaknesses of this applicant" and "What do you like least about this applicant?"...sooo, yeah.
 
wschw9 said:
I'm a Graduate Student whom had to get a MS in Biology to be considered a "competitive candidate"--advice of which came from a Director of Admissions at a DO school and I feel more or less ignorant in that I am really confused about LORs. There are no specific directions on the AACOMAS app online that I can find that clearly states what is expected..I do not believe I can get a LOR from a Pre-Med committee because I am a Grad student at a different college. I have 2 letters from DO's already and 2 letters from science teachers all lined up and what not..but do I need any more? The only thing I'm worried about is that I have had to work 3 part-time jobs to pay for school and my existence and have not had an opportunity to shadow or volunteer..does that significantly impact my chances..? I know the 2 DO's personally that wrote my LORs and my science teachers very well so I am hoping that they are considered strong LORs..any advice?
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I do not think you need any more than 3 letters overall (most require two science faculty and one physician letter), and you seem to have this. I found useful info about letters of rec requirements from the school catalog: http://www.aacom.org/resources/bookstore/cib/Pages/default.aspx (click on 'Download the 2012 Osteopathic Medical College Information Book')

I believe it may also be of benefit to go to the schools' website and/or e-mail them if you are still concerned. About the shadowing, I'm not exactly sure how you'll be affected, but I think D.O. schools take shadowing pretty seriously...
 
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Question-

When is the DO physician letter due?

when the secondaries are sent in? or is it possible to be accepted without the letter but you have to send it in prior to matriculation
 
I don't get how this works? We do NOT need to send the letter of recs to AACOMAS in DC? We send it to each school we get a supp from???

I'm so confused because my mcat tutor said for AMCAS, he sent the letters to AMCAS, but I know AACOMAS is different?
 
So how long is it taking for people to get released?? I submitted 6/10, was verified 6/22, and its 6/28 and I still haven't been released. That seems like an awful long time...I thought it just took a few days. Is my time line off? Anyone verified on or after 6/22 get released yet?
 
I think they got really busy after June 15 because I submitted 6.21 and still haven't even been verified and pray it gets released by mid July?
 
Hey guys so I am applying DO and taking the MCAT july 6th do i send in the LOR's with the primary application? I have 2 DO'S and 3 professors. Im a little confused because I thought it all had to be in at once, but now i am seeing that LOR's do not go in until you get the secondaries. Do you get emailed secondaries or have to fill them out automatically on the website? Also can I send in the primary app with out having my MCAT scores and then submit those later or should I wait until I get my scores and send in the entire thing? It is my first time taking the mcat. I REALLY appreciate anyones help.
 
i got an email from VirtualEvals saying my letters have been sent the designated schools. is there anyway to check on AACOMAS to see where they have been sent/received to? or would that be dependent on each school's own application status for that?
 
When/how is the best way to submit LORs to DO schools? I've got all mine on Interfolio, just wondering when most schools prefer you to submit them?
 
brownco said:
When/how is the best way to submit LORs to DO schools? I've got all mine on Interfolio, just wondering when most schools prefer you to submit them?
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Once you have a secondary that you're sure you'll send. I wound up not filling out a handful of secondaries. But, once you have a secondary, they at least have a file on you.
 
Most of my references come from MD/PhD, or research docs. Would this hurt my chance if I don't have any from DO?
 
There is a sticky in the FAQ, which will tell you which schools explicitly require a DO letter or will be fine with a MD or even no doctor letter at all.
 
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Hey everyone!

So I am going to get my required LOR from an MD since I dont know any DOs. I can either have the physician that I shadowed write me a mediocre letter or I can have a family friend who has her MD but has not practiced yet write me an amazing letter. My question is will the adcoms know that shes hasnt actually practiced yet? Or could I get by with having her write the letter for me? Thanks!
 
s48jet said:
Hey everyone!

So I am going to get my required LOR from an MD since I dont know any DOs. I can either have the physician that I shadowed write me a mediocre letter or I can have a family friend who has her MD but has not practiced yet write me an amazing letter. My question is will the adcoms know that shes hasnt actually practiced yet? Or could I get by with having her write the letter for me? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Her letter's gonna have to be on official letterhead, FYI. Think about what that says about her and about you.
 
good point, thanks for the reply! Better to play it safe
 
I would make every effort I could to get a letter from a DO. Even where it's recommended, you're going to look better with it.

Easy fix really,

I found a DO in my area, called him, told him I was applying to Osteopathic schools, and wanted to spend some time with a DO and learn more about it, and was up front about wanting a letter. Most DO's had to find someone to write them a letter too, and are only too happy to help. I think it was around October when I met with him and such. You've got nothing but time.
 
LOR's play such a small part in it. You don't need someone to tell the world that you are perfect, and the second coming and yada yada. If you can't find someone to say nice things about you, well, then you have a red flag. But God only knows how many people get accepted every year with so/so LOR's.

You're way better getting a legit letter than having it written by your family friend----if any light came to this, you'd look beyond shady.
 
no. my letter came from an MD pediatrician. I didn't apply to any of the schools that require a DO letter. I also shadowed a DO plastic surgeon, but if they ask why i didn't shadow more or a DO in a primary setting, it is because i didn't have a lot of time, and i LOVED shadowing the peditrician.
 
couple questions:

do adcoms start reviewing our apps if we are one short LOR? or do they wait until all LORs arrive?
the reason i ask this is, i am shadowing a DO end of july. Which means I will have the LOR ready by early to mid August. Now the rest of LORs, even a physician (MD) letter i do have ready, and i can send them as soon as the secondaries arrive... but the DO letter won't be there until August.. should I wait for it, or should I send the rest of the LORs by end of July? and then send the DO LOR aug when it comes..?

Second related q: once they review your secondaries, and you get an interview offer.. after the interview, do they make the final decision based on the interview only, or do they once again consider all the factors.. and would sending LORs in supplement to your application, AFTER you get interview offers, have an impact on the app?? i know these may be silly q's, but i just wanna clarify everything..:oops:
 
jm192 said:
You're way better getting a legit letter than having it written by your family friend----if any light came to this, you'd look beyond shady.
Click to expand...

how abt the letter for MSUCOM?? can we have a family friend (a physician) fill it out?? someone not exactly family, but someone whose seen us grow.. who knows our thinking, style, etc. ??
 
For DO schools that say either a MD or DO letter.... which do I send?

DO, GI that I shadowed, nice guy but doesn't know me that well
MD, Ortho that is a close friend and I shadowed; knows me well
MD, Hepatology, known me for a few years, shadowed, is the Liver Transplant director for large hospital/medical school.

So do I go with the weaker DO letter, the strong personal MD letter, or the less personal but great credentials MD letter???

Thanks,
 
I am a little confused on when exactly LORs are supposed to be submitted. After researching the different school websites it seems that they go out with the secondary application. Are you supposed to submit the primary without letters?
 
When applying to DO schools, do not send your LORs until you receive a secondary application or are otherwise asked to send them.
 
So here's the deal. I've been out of school for a year. I have a LOR from my work supervisor (medical field), my undergraduate clinical coordinator, and still waiting on one from a DO that I have worked with and shadowed.

I can't get a letter from a science faculty member. I took orgo my senior year and got to know the professor well. I emailed her to get her number and she sent it to me and said she would be happy to write a letter for me. Since then I have called and left voicemails with no response. I tried emailing her again and no response. It has been two months and NOTHING. My other problem is since I was not a science major I really didn't get to know other science professors that well. I know one other professor that I'm sure would write a LOR but it would be pretty generic.

Any suggestions? Should I just go with the professor that would write a generic letter? I know that is not a great idea, but is it better than waiting around forever and for the other professor and then possibly not getting a letter from her?
 
Well 2 months isn't that long as far as LOR lag times go. You really gotta leave lots of room for this kind of stuff because it is pretty typical that a LOR writer takes this long (or more). Mine took 3 months.

Give a little more time, and when you're at the end of your rope, consider just visiting the professor at school. Does she have office hours you could take advantage of?
 
Why don't you contact the other sci prof that writes generic letters as a back up? Meanwhile, try everything in contacting your orgo prof. If in the end you never got her to write you a letter, at least you have a back up to prevent yourself from getting screwed over during the application cycle because of a missing letter.
 
I just have a question: For schools that don't screen, do we need to wait until they send us an invitation to complete the secondaries?
 
fiznat said:
Well 2 months isn't that long as far as LOR lag times go. You really gotta leave lots of room for this kind of stuff because it is pretty typical that a LOR writer takes this long (or more). Mine took 3 months.

Give a little more time, and when you're at the end of your rope, consider just visiting the professor at school. Does she have office hours you could take advantage of?
Click to expand...

If I knew she was working on it I wouldn't be to concerned. The problem is I haven't even gotten her the instructions for writing the letter and haven't specifically asked her to write a letter since my senior year so I don't think she is working on writing it. The email she responded to I just asked if I could get her phone number because I needed to talk to her about writing a LOR for me.

YiSheng, that is a good idea. I guess it doesn't hurt having an extra letter that you never use. Thanks for the advice.
 
I had a very similar issue. I was out of school for 5 years before I decided to apply to med school. I got in touch with my school and found out that out of the 3 science professors that I had regular contact with, only one remained with the school. One had actually died, and the other had retired and was off God knows where. I spent 6 months going back and forth trying to get a letter from the only remaining professor. I finally felt like I was getting so far behind in the application cycle, I contacted the schools I was mainly interested in, explained my situation, and asked them if a more generic science letter would be ok to start with. They said anything that completed my app was a plus and to send the other letter in ASAP. I got a generic science letter from another prof I only took one pre req class and continued to stay on the other professor. After 8 months, I finally got a letter from him. It was a frustrating situation, but you have to remember that these profs are hounded all the time for letters, along with their other regular teaching duties, so several months is not unheard of waiting time for a letter.
 
I have a LOR that is signed by 2 doctors. One is MD and the other is DO. The letter is written by the MD. I've helped out at the clinic and shadowed these 2 docs for a few months, but I've spend more time with the MD doctor, because it's his office and I originally asked him. I just want to know how adcoms will look at a LOR signed by 2 physicians. Will it look bad that I didn't get another individual letter from the DO? I really didn't shadow him as much as I did with the MD. I'm also applying to one DO school, the rest are MD schools.
 
ilostmytail said:
I have a LOR that is signed by 2 doctors. One is MD and the other is DO. The letter is written by the MD. I've helped out at the clinic and shadowed these 2 docs for a few months, but I've spend more time with the MD doctor, because it's his office and I originally asked him. I just want to know how adcoms will look at a LOR signed by 2 physicians. Will it look bad that I didn't get another individual letter from the DO? I really didn't shadow him as much as I did with the MD. I'm also applying to one DO school, the rest are MD schools.
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I am somewhat confused here. If the MD and DO both sign the letter, then how would anyone know that the MD is the one who wrote (or typed im guessing) the letter?

So, I think this will be fine for the DO school or schools you are applying to.
 
I know that I can't send one via TMDSAS, but can I send a DO letter to TCOM directly?

Any input is appreciated.
 
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