Doctor I was expecting a LOR from fell through - where should I bother applying now, if at all?

[kubyx]

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I have been waiting on the physician (DO) I shadowed to write me a LOR, which she offered before I even approached the subject. Since then, she has gone completely silent on me to the point where I'm finally accepting that she's probably not going to write me one. I have no idea what happened as we had nothing but cordial and fun/interesting time spent together while I shadowed there.

At this point, I do not think I have enough time to find another DO/MD, shadow them, and then get a LOR from them. My stats are average/perhaps slightly below average - 3.45 CGPA, 510 MCAT. I do have fairly significant volunteering exposure, shadowing, and job experience in healthcare otherwise. Should I even bother applying this year without a LOR from a DO (or MD)? I have googled which schools don't require one, but all of the lists I keep finding seem outdated as I'm finding incorrect information when I look into the schools myself.

Thanks for any suggestions

Edit - I wound up getting the letter 😀

 

[austintr]

I would say to apply. She hasn't explicitly said no at this point, and sometimes doctors are busy as hell. I had a similar thing happen where I didn't hear back from one of my LOR writers for over a week after following up. After another message, he sent back something like "sorry, I've been really busy and have been working on making it the best letter I can since a standard copy and paste won't do you justice." So there could be a good reason you haven't heard back, especially if she volunteered to write the letter before you asked and since you had such a good shadowing experience.

Your stats are too good to pass on this DO cycle, in my opinion, if you have a good app otherwise. Most schools want their letters around the time of the secondary anyway, so you still probably have some time. Keep trying to get in touch with her, politely, of course, but try and make sure she understands the importance of her letter. And work on a plan B...see if you can find another DO to spend some time with, or that will sit down with you and go over your CV. Be ready to shadow him/her a bit and make sure you make it clear how much you need a letter. Call your local DO schools or look on the AOA website to find some good leads, if need be.

TL;DR: Work on getting a physician letter because your stats are great and not at all less than average. Keep in mind I'm just a fellow pre-med, however. Good luck!

 

[oogieboogie123r]

The physician I shadowed was the same way. I ended up going to their office to give them a thank-you letter that said something to the effect of "thank you in advance for writing this letter" and so on, yada yada. They emailed me about a week later, saying "I completely forgot!" And ended up taking another month or two to upload. I think if your physician says they would write it, they probably will.

You do mention you have significant volunteering experience. Does that include hospital? You can go through them to find a DO to shadow. You could try finding someone else to shadow with, maybe once a day for a week, and then asking.

 

[3member]

I agree that you should definitely follow up with the doc about the letter! I'm pretty sure she is busy like most docs and it slipped her mind.

 

[kubyx]

I have been bugging both her and her office staff for well over a month now, they know I'm on a timeline and have just kind of fallen off. No idea what happened, but I might just apply and try to find someone else in the meantime.

 

[3member]

I have been bugging both her and her office staff for well over a month now, they know I'm on a timeline and have just kind of fallen off. No idea what happened, but I might just apply and try to find someone else in the meantime.

Oh wow, sorry to hear that. If she's too busy to write you one then I'd say it probably wouldn't be a good letter anyway. I hope you are able to find another doc to shadow and get a LOR from. I'm not too sure when the deadline is when submission to DO schools is considered late, but what I'd do is keep looking for someone and if you are able to get a letter before that date, then submit. If not, you'll be set to apply for the next cycle! =)

 

[Alkaidius]

Ehh, "fell through" would mean that they explicitly told you they wouldn't do it. You absolutely need to email them MULTIPLE times for it (be courteous, though!). You are one tiny item on a VERY long shopping list that they need to get through.

 

[what456]

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[JB50]

It's an extremely annoying requirement to be honest. I had a similar experience as some of the others where my letter writer simply forgot to get it uploaded. It took multiple emails and some text messages until she actually called me on my cell phone to apologize. I was still very thankful for the letter though!

Don't be discouraged. Physicians are busy 🙂


That being said, I'm assuming you've already applied to a "throw away" school so you're at least verified. Please please please tell me you've started the app. You got solid stats!

 

[gonnifreah]

It's an extremely annoying requirement to be honest. I had a similar experience as some of the others where my letter writer simply forgot to get it uploaded. It took multiple emails and some text messages until she actually called me on my cell phone to apologize. I was still very thankful for the letter though!

Don't be discouraged. Physicians are busy 🙂


That being said, I'm assuming you've already applied to a "throw away" school so you're at least verified. Please please please tell me you've started the app. You got solid stats!

I have similar stats to OP but a slightly lower GPA and am in the same situation where my DO letter fell through. However, I just started shadowing a different DO but it has not been long enough to ask for a letter. Also.... I'm not verified for AACOMAS. Do I still have a shot if I submit and get verified in the next weeks? Then try to get my second DO to write me a letter? Thanks!!

 

[JB50]

I have similar stats to OP but a slightly lower GPA and am in the same situation where my DO letter fell through. However, I just started shadowing a different DO but it has not been long enough to ask for a letter. Also.... I'm not verified for AACOMAS. Do I still have a shot if I submit and get verified in the next weeks? Then try to get my second DO to write me a letter? Thanks!!

I can't necessarily give you amazing advice but from what I understand the DO cycle is further along than the MD cycle and it may be quite late at this point, especially considering you're not verified yet. Maybe @Goro can give you a quick "its too late" since he knows a bit more than the usual.

However, your stats are GOOD for DO schools, especially your MCAT (above average for DO). GPA is good enough as well. I think at this point it's just time.

 

[Goro]

My school requires a clinician LOR. You won't be late until late Nov, so there's still time to try to get one. Have you tried your own doctor or pediatrician? Or ask your parents' doctor?

I have been waiting on the physician (DO) I shadowed to write me a LOR, which she offered before I even approached the subject. Since then, she has gone completely silent on me to the point where I'm finally accepting that she's probably not going to write me one. I have no idea what happened as we had nothing but cordial and fun/interesting time spent together while I shadowed there.

At this point, I do not think I have enough time to find another DO/MD, shadow them, and then get a LOR from them. My stats are average/perhaps slightly below average - 3.45 CGPA, 509 MCAT. I do have fairly significant volunteering exposure, shadowing, and job experience in healthcare otherwise. Should I even bother applying this year without a LOR from a DO (or MD)? I have googled which schools don't require one, but all of the lists I keep finding seem outdated as I'm finding incorrect information when I look into the schools myself.

Thanks for any suggestions

 

[JB50]

My school requires a clinician LOR. You won't be late until late Nov, so there's still time to try to get one. Have you tried your own doctor or pediatrician? Or ask your parents' doctor?

Just a caution, some schools don't allow letters from a physician that has treated the applicant. I don't think it's universal but I remember reading it when fulfilling that requirement.