Letter of Rec from MD

[KYmed]

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So I'm a reapplicant about to be verified in about a week, and the MD from which I have requested a letter has not submitted it yet. He submitted the letter for me last year, and I think it is a good one. This year, he said he would submit it for me about two months ago, but he hasn't yet. I've sent him two reminders over the past month, and he didn't respond to the last one. I have a committee letter and a personal letter from an asst. dean of a medical school that is not one of those to which I'm applying. I guess I don't really NEED the letter from the MD I shadowed, but I'd like to have it as my third letter. At what point do I just take that letter off my app? I have my secondaries written to submit as soon as I get them, and I really don't want to hold up my app.

 

[Euxox]

Don't worry about the letter. In most cases, I don't think a shadowing LoR adds much value. After all, shadowing is a passive activity. When the doctor writes your LoR, he or she won't be able to attest to things such as your creative thinking ability, your leadership skill, or your sense of ethics because all you have been doing is standing in the corner watching him/her work.

I don't think the letter would add much value to your application and you need to be complete ASAP, so I would remove the letter and submit without it.

 

[KYmed]

Thanks for the response. Your probably right. If he doesn't submit by the time I'm about to be verified, I'll go ahead and remove it. I assume that would be one of the cases where my application wouldn't be delayed by making that type of change.

 

[mtbski]

One thing to be mindful of is if you already designated that MD letter to schools, you will have to call them to tell them you want them to review your app without it. Otherwise this could hold up your app getting marked as complete at those schools