Letter from D.O. neccessary?

[PittMedicine]

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Just wondering if its necessary to have a D.O. letter of recomendation? Stats are good, w/ 30 MCAT and 4.0 GPA.

 

[Sundarban1]

Just wondering if its necessary to have a D.O. letter of recomendation? Stats are good, w/ 30 MCAT and 4.0 GPA.

If you look at the admissions web pages for a lot of the schools you will see that although not required, letters from osteopathic physicians are highly preferred. I believe NOVA (maybe others) actually requires a DO letter. I'm sure there are others.

 

[Dr. MAXY]

I think it's a requirement for most DO schools. Good Luck

 

[Doctor Bagel]

a few schools require it, but most schools will accept a letter from an md instead. the only schools i applied to that specifically required a do letter were osucom and wvsom.

 

[Jezzielin]

Just wondering if its necessary to have a D.O. letter of recomendation? Stats are good, w/ 30 MCAT and 4.0 GPA.

Don't let stats like that let you feel like you are a shoe-in. Even though that might be true, keep pushing on and make you apps as good as possible! 🙂 It will be worth it when it is all over. Not too hard to get in there and shadow, though. Awesome stats, good luck! 👍

 

[OSUdoc08]

Just wondering if its necessary to have a D.O. letter of recomendation? Stats are good, w/ 30 MCAT and 4.0 GPA.

Just go shadow a DO over the Christmas break, and then get a letter. It's not that difficult. Contact your local state osteopathic association or nearest osteopathic medical school for willing participants.

 

[guppy249]

Check each school's admissions webpage to see if it is just suggested or if it is actually required. I know Pikeville not only requires D.O. letter, but that D.O. has to be a member of the AOA!

That being said, while a D.O. letter is preferred, every admissions counselor I have spoken to says that a letter from a M.D. who knows you and can attest to your interest in holistic medical practice is better than a letter from a D.O. who does not know you very well.

Good luck!

 

[Fermata]

It certainly wouldn't hurt to have one.

 

[atrovariousg]

I actually have a 4.1 (extra credit) and a 36 MCAT, but it wasn't untill I posted here, with bogus stats and asked about LOR's that I got an interview.

And the Mav's and Cowpokes 👎

 

[OSUdoc08]

I actually have a 4.1 (extra credit) and a 36 MCAT, but it wasn't untill I posted here, with bogus stats and aske about LOR's that I got an interview.

👎

 

[HunterGatherer]

If you live in a big city or near hospitals where DO students do their rotations it should not be an impossible task if you try at it for a bit. A good number of people are getting DOs from just 1-2 shadowing sessions so I think it is worth the effort.

 

[ShyRem]

I did not have a letter from a DO. About half the DO schools require one - the rest only "recommend" one. I found out which ones didn't require one by going to their website and actually reading each school's requirements.

 

[Hoberto]

I have no physician letter and have acceptances from 3 DO schools, so not all of them require one. It may be best to check web sites or call admissions offices.

No letter required from OUCOM, MSUCOM and WVSOM.

 

[dr.z]

It certainly wouldn't hurt to have one.

Not all schools require one but having one will help you apply to more schools.

 

[jbone]

I was accepted into a number of schools that required a letter from a DO only, and I only had a MD letter. I explained to them of my situation (my MD letter was from someone who really knew me and could tell them of my desire of becomming a physician) and for the most part, they accepted the MD letter just fine. I would call first to make sure though. FYI, OSU told me hell no, but oh well 👎 . Good luck.

 

[strawberryfield]

I was accepted in to two schools with no DO letter (KCOM and AZCOM). I had a letter from an MD that knows me very well though.

 

[FrogE7]

I know someone with a 33 MCAT and a 3.3 who got rejected because there was no DO letter. It is a pain, but really, so is applying. Best get used to it now, then later.