DO letter for MD schools?

[birdie]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I have a great letter of rec from a DO who I job-shadowed and did some clinical research with and I'm wondering if its ok to also use the letter for MD schools. He doesn't specifically gear the letter towards osteopathic school. He just says something like, "I think she would make an excellent physician either through an allopathic or osteopathic medical school". But would MD school look at this DO letter as a diversion or turn off?

 

[shanet74]

No, they would not look down on the letter. If the letter is well written, then that may be the strongest letter you have in your arsenal. The schools will simply see your devotion to being a physician. DO/MD don't matter. Obviously, the best letter you can get is a letter from a doctor that graduated from the MD/DO school your applying to.

 

[lattimer13]

one of my letters of rec for med school was from a DO that I worked for over a summer as a medical assistant. it was one of the three that i chose to submit to my state MD school (my #1 choice). he gave me a copy of it, and not to brag, but it was an awesome letter. i know it had a huge affect on my application and my acceptance to medical school.

i would say use it if you like. all that really matters is that the letter is from a physician that is endorsing you for medical school. DO and MD are both physicians. please, let's not get into the DO vs MD debate.

 

[vivekap2007]

i agree with the above posters; additionally if you apply to any DO schools then that LOR would be a huge plus to your application but for allopathic i don't think whether the writer is a MD/DO matters, just what they say.

 

[kcol22]

Use it! My only letter from a doctor was from a DO and I had great luck in the process. So far, accepted at: NYU, Albert Einstein, Miami, Tulane, USC, UofA, and Vanderbilt (with a full ride scholarship). Still waiting to hear post-interview from Harvard, Penn, Columbia, WashU, UCLA. I don't feel anyone looked down on my letter.