Is it bad to get a LOR from a FMG?

[cmudan]

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I would just like an honest opinion in the eyes of an admissions committee/dean. Are FMG's looked down upon in academia? I myself have no negative tendencies towards them, but plead ignorance on the subject.

Here is my situation: I am on an alternate list at my top choice school. They recommend sending updated materials including a LOR. I know an MD that would be more than willing to write a letter for me, and he is a FMG. Would they discount it due to the fact he's not from a well known program???

Am I stupid even contemplating this point? Help me out here.

Thanks,
cmudan

 

[idq1i]

I would just like an honest opinion in the eyes of an admissions committee/dean. Are FMG's looked down upon in academia? I myself have no negative tendencies towards them, but plead ignorance on the subject.

Here is my situation: I am on an alternate list at my top choice school. They recommend sending updated materials including a LOR. I know an MD that would be more than willing to write a letter for me, and he is a FMG. Would they discount it due to the fact he's not from a well known program???

Am I stupid even contemplating this point? Help me out here.

Thanks,
cmudan

Why would that even come up? 😕 A LOR is simply signed John Doe, M.D

 

[exmike]

Why would that even come up? 😕 A LOR is simply signed John Doe, M.D

Exactly what I was going to say.

 

[Spitting Camel]

Hey, am I the only one that doesn't know what a FMG is? 😕

 

[Adapt]

Hey, am I the only one that doesn't know what a FMG is? 😕

FMG means foreign medical graduate. That could be either from the caribbean or from any other non US med school. Hey AID, that's a crazy list of schools. Hopefully the last school can change to UCI. 🙂

 

[Spitting Camel]

FMG means foreign medical graduate. That could be either from the caribbean or from any other non US med school. Hey AID, that's a crazy list of schools. Hopefully the last school can change to UCI. 🙂

Thanks for the info! Where have you been, by the way? I haven't seen you on in a while!

I will be changing the sig soon, hehe, but I found out that Jlee and I not only went to the same high school, but also the same middle school! And he taught at my elementary school. Crazy!

Oh, and I know your name now. Some girl at my school who knows us both told me she knows you. How did you guys figure out who I was? Did I ever tell you? 😕

 

[Adapt]

Thanks for the info! Where have you been, by the way? I haven't seen you on in a while!

I will be changing the sig soon, hehe, but I found out that Jlee and I not only went to the same high school, but also the same middle school! And he taught at my elementary school. Crazy!

Oh, and I know your name now. Some girl at my school who knows us both told me she knows you. How did you guys figure out who I was? Did I ever tell you? 😕

We exchanged our names a long time ago in pms. I guess you don't remember. So you talked to Dianne? Yea I talked to her yesterday and asked if she knew you.

She went to my sister high school. She's really smart. She got valedictorian, has something like a 3.9 now in undergrad and got a 33 on her MCAT. She didn't get any Cali interviews though and is set on going to Ohio state for med school. Pretty crazy for a chick of her caliber. She applied late but still.

 

[cmudan]

Why would that even come up? 😕 A LOR is simply signed John Doe, M.D

Thanks for the perspective. Maybe I was just being too anal...

 

[Tezzie]

Why should it be bad? An FMG is still a physician and chances are he/she did his/her residency/fellowship at an American hospital. How is the university going to find out anyway?

What concerns me though is this : Are you certain that the school wants a LOR from a physician? How well does the physician know you? In your original applications did you include another LOR from a physician?

If i were you i would call up and ask who they expect the new LOR from. Maybe you can approach one of your current professors and ask them for a LOR. Someone that knows you well enough and can put in a nice word for you. I don't know why but i think that in this case they are not looking for a LOR from an MD. Maybe i am wrong though, so just give them a call.

Best of luck!

 

[Spitting Camel]

We exchanged our names a long time ago in pms. I guess you don't remember. So you talked to Dianne? Yea I talked to her yesterday and asked if she knew you.

She went to my sister high school. She's really smart. She got valedictorian, has something like a 3.9 now in undergrad and got a 33 on her MCAT. She didn't get any Cali interviews though and is set on going to Ohio state for med school. Pretty crazy for a chick of her caliber. She applied late but still.

Ohio State, huh? I wonder what CA is looking for!!! She has WAY better stats than me. She must be missing something somewhere else.

Hey, are you interested in meeting up for lunch or dinner? Me you and Mr Reddly maybe? pm me and let me know 🙂

 

[Blade28]

This is for a med school app? Or residency?

 

[sfgboy]

It totally doesn't matter if you get an LOR from an FMG. What's more important is the quality of the letter and the position of the person who's writing your letter. The Dean of Harvard Medical School is an FMG... and so is the director of the NIH.

http://www.nih.gov/about/director/cv/index.htm
http://www.hms.harvard.edu/jbm/

secondly, what admissions officer has the time to actually see where your LOR writer was educated?