DO LOR's

[Strudel19]

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Please excuse my ignorance, I'm not trying to troll...

Not all DO applicants have lower stats than MD applicants, but the vast majority aren't as academically strong (or so it seems based on GPA) students as their MD applicant counterparts. How do people who write your LOR's attest to your academic strength and suitability for medical school coursework when the numbers might clearly indicate that you might not be prepared as you should be. Do they write about everything else and don't emphasize or leave academic abilities on the back burner?

Thanks

 

[AlteredScale]

Please excuse my ignorance, I'm not trying to troll...

Not all DO applicants have lower stats than MD applicants, but the vast majority aren't as academically strong (or so it seems based on GPA) students as their MD applicant counterparts. How do people who write your LOR's attest to your academic strength when it might not be strong at all? Do they write about everything else and leave academic abilities on the back burner?

Thanks

You give them an academic transcript and prove to them that you have improved since taking their class.

It's advised strongly that you get LORs from courses that you have done strongly in. And if you messed up all your science courses then an SMP/post-bac is necessary, perform well in those and get your LOR's from those professors.

 

[crazy87]

Only one of my LOR writers (out of like 6 or 7) asked for my transcript of all my classes.

 

[Shinobiz11]

I only asked for letters from professors I had for more than one class, had a great relationship with and did very well in their class. They knew i was capable and only asked for a CV/mock app so they could write about my ECs. Benefits of going to a smaller school.

 

[BJJ]

My professors wrote about how well I did academically in their class. "So and so was at the top 10% of the class" as well as stating something along the lines of "So and so expresses altruism, maturity blah blah as expressed by his multiple activities outside of his schoolwork." That was probably my most generic LOR.

My 2 DO LORs didn't touch on my academic aspects at all because being a physician is much more than being a smart person who gets good grades and they witnessed my interactions with people, not how well I did in my classes. You must have great communication skills, ability to express difficult concepts to a scared patient who has little idea of how the human body works. This is a huge factor in being an effective physician otherwise GPA/MCAT would be the sole criteria in getting into medical school and an interview wouldn't be very necessary.

My DO LORs that I received from working alongside DOs in the ED said things along the line of "so and so and I have worked together for over a year, and in that time, his professionalism, strong work ethic, and dedication to the task at hand are only a few reasons why I believe that he would be a good doc." and "I have seen him exhibit great maturity and professionalism for his age. He has proven to be organized, efficient and dedicated to completing his work in a timely fashion, something that is extremely important and sometimes, very difficult to do in a busy environment. I can always depend on him to get the job done swiftly and with skill."

Essentially LORs shouldn't really touch solely on academics IMHO. That's what your transcript and MCAT is for. LORs is for how well you have interacted with professionals and why they believe you would make a good physician. Your application in its entirety isn't to prove to medical schools that you can handle the curriculum, but why you will be a good physician once you graduate.

 

[baxt1412]

i have no idea what my letters say, except that i know i have the same letters for my MD app and my DO app.

 

[BactiDoc]

I provided a resume that gave my GPA's and such, plus all my ECs and anything else he may have needed. It was helpful that we work at the same hospital too and other docs there know me well due to my position in the facility.

 

[DaddyBex28]

I have no clue what my letters said either. But based upon my relationships with the professors, physicians, and others I had a good idea where I wanted to send my letters.

For example, my boss is an MD so I did not send his letter to any DO schools knowing his opinion about osteopathic medicine.

However, I was open about DO schools to my volunteer coordinator, one professor I bonded with, and (obviously) a DO physician.

Other professors I didn't bond so well with, I sent those letters sparingly, mostly to fill up the extra letters needed by academic faculty