LOR from a DO - Disappointed

[thisisansley]

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Hey guys,

I shadowed a DO in January at an Urgent Care near my home. This doctor also happens to be my next door neighbor so I've known him for about 10 years. At the end of my time shadowing, I asked him to write me LOR and he agreed, but when he sent it to me, he told me he had his secretary write it and it was a total form letter. Absolutely nothing specific about me, he incorrectly said he's only known me for 3 years, and the grammar was really awkward. Honestly I think the worst part is that it's painstakingly obvious that it could be a letter about anyone. I know the schools often require a LOR from a doctor, sometimes specifically a DO. Do I go ahead and include this letter? I really don't know what other option I have, but it is incredibly disappointing. Thoughts?

 

[fluorescing]

Hey guys,

I shadowed a DO in January at an Urgent Care near my home. This doctor also happens to be my next door neighbor so I've known him for about 10 years. At the end of my time shadowing, I asked him to write me LOR and he agreed, but when he sent it to me, he told me he had his secretary write it and it was a total form letter. Absolutely nothing specific about me, he incorrectly said he's only known me for 3 years, and the grammar was really awkward. Honestly I think the worst part is that it's painstakingly obvious that it could be a letter about anyone. I know the schools often require a LOR from a doctor, sometimes specifically a DO. Do I go ahead and include this letter? I really don't know what other option I have, but it is incredibly disappointing. Thoughts?

Well, this is what I would do if I were you:

I would show up at his house with a plate of cookies and my CV and list of qualities I would like him to highlight. I would explain to him how serious I am about applying to osteopathic schools and how important his letter will be. I would ask him to rewrite the letter personally instead of having someone else write it. If he says no, I would thank him and leave. I would not use the letter his secretary sent.

 

[NontradCA]

He has a secretary? He sounds like a douche. I wouldn't bother with him anymore, find a new physician to shadow and ask for the letter up front and early.

 

[Temperature101]

Hey guys,

I shadowed a DO in January at an Urgent Care near my home. This doctor also happens to be my next door neighbor so I've known him for about 10 years. At the end of my time shadowing, I asked him to write me LOR and he agreed, but when he sent it to me, he told me he had his secretary write it and it was a total form letter. Absolutely nothing specific about me, he incorrectly said he's only known me for 3 years, and the grammar was really awkward. Honestly I think the worst part is that it's painstakingly obvious that it could be a letter about anyone. I know the schools often require a LOR from a doctor, sometimes specifically a DO. Do I go ahead and include this letter? I really don't know what other option I have, but it is incredibly disappointing. Thoughts?

Some of them are open to let you write the LOR yourself and they might edit it a little bit. Talk to him to see if he is willing to do that...

 

[survivordo]

Obviously you have to use it if it is all you have... you're correct that some schools do require you to submit a DO letter. I would go talk to him, see if he can spruce it up a bit. It's not like he can make it WORSE.

Survivor DO

 

[Banned]

Hey guys,

I shadowed a DO in January at an Urgent Care near my home. This doctor also happens to be my next door neighbor so I've known him for about 10 years. At the end of my time shadowing, I asked him to write me LOR and he agreed, but when he sent it to me, he told me he had his secretary write it and it was a total form letter. Absolutely nothing specific about me, he incorrectly said he's only known me for 3 years, and the grammar was really awkward. Honestly I think the worst part is that it's painstakingly obvious that it could be a letter about anyone. I know the schools often require a LOR from a doctor, sometimes specifically a DO. Do I go ahead and include this letter? I really don't know what other option I have, but it is incredibly disappointing. Thoughts?

Go ahead and use it. I was a student rep on my school's admissions committee and most DO letters are bs anyway. Check the box. Move on.

Well, this is what I would do if I were you:

I would show up at his house with a plate of cookies and my CV and list of qualities I would like him to highlight. I would explain to him how serious I am about applying to osteopathic schools and how important his letter will be. I would ask him to rewrite the letter personally instead of having someone else write it. If he says no, I would thank him and leave. I would not use the letter his secretary sent.

I recommend not confronting the doc in person. It's smacks of self-entitlement and is very untoward, not to mention a bit weird, and sets you up for a major awkward encounter.

He has a secretary? He sounds like a douche. I wouldn't bother with him anymore, find a new physician to shadow and ask for the letter up front and early.

lol. Any halfway decent doctor has a secretary. Good luck finding one without a secretary. Doctors setting up their own appointments, opening the mail, and answering the phones? Not even once.

 

[pdeco1]

Do you have other strong letters?

Its bad form to read the letters, they are supposed to be confidential. Interfolio distinguishes them as such. You ask the writer to upload the document to interfolio or a similar service. When asking for a letter make sure the writer is willing to personally write you a "strong" letter of recommendation.

His lack of care in writing this letter may indicate how he views you as a candidate. He may not want to write you a strong letter of rec., maybe he is burnt out, or doesnt understand the importance of the letter. Who knows. Either way I would handle the situation delicately.

 

[HopefulReapp]

You can think about it a few different ways. I think the most important part about having a letter from a physician is just that--- That you HAVE a physician who went though all the schooling, training, and crap who believes that you are fit for the position. As long as the letter isn't recommending you "with reservations", I'm pretty sure it's just a check on a list. The only difference comes if it is truly a great letter, but how many people have one of those?

 

[deleted480308]

You are fooling yourself if you think every applicant convinces someone who makes $200k/yr to sit down for an hour and was poetic about how that candidate will save the medical profession....take your form letter and be thankful

 

[TopTomato]

You are fooling yourself if you think every applicant convinces someone who makes $200k/yr to sit down for an hour and was poetic about how that candidate will save the medical profession....take your form letter and be thankful

Yeah but you know what? The thing is, is that this doctor who wrote him a letter had to go through the same process we all are going through. I'm sure another doctor helped him get into medical school when he was just a pre-med hopeful. It would be nice of him to pay it forward and help other people just like he was helped. I mean I don't plan on forgetting where I came from, even if I do end up making $200k/yr.

 

[fluorescing]

Go ahead and use it. I was a student rep on my school's admissions committee and most DO letters are bs anyway. Check the box. Move on.



I recommend not confronting the doc in person. It's smacks of self-entitlement and is very untoward, not to mention a bit weird, and sets you up for a major awkward encounter.



lol. Any halfway decent doctor has a secretary. Good luck finding one without a secretary. Doctors setting up their own appointments, opening the mail, and answering the phones? Not even once.

I only recommend him going to him in person because they're neighbors. Otherwise, it would be a bad idea.

One of the docs I asked for a letter is an ER doc. He doesn't have a personal secretary, but he calls his lawyer wife his secretary. She apparently helps him with his letter writing because she's far more eloquent in writing.

 

[TriagePreMed]

If you've known this guy for 10 years and he's been this douchey when it comes to a letter for a kid he knows relatively well, I wouldn't go with cookies (like someone else suggested) and ask him for anything else. This is the type of guy that could get offended and then write something disastrous about you. Letters really don't make your application. They are more of a formality and a way of screening people in case they are total jerks. Take what you have. It won't be the first fill-in form letter a medical school gets.

 

[pattr]

OP, try drafting a letter yourself with qualities and experiences you'd like to be included, correct the amount of years you have known each other, and make sure the grammar is up to standards. then offer the letter to him as an example that he could potentially go off of if he wanted to. As others have noted above, include your CV and your personal statement to medical school and a handwritten thank you note or some kind of small gift/token of gratitude.

It sounds like he just doesn't have the time to write an in-depth letter, so it's fair to offer this kind time/effort-saving measure to this doctor whom you've known for quite a while now.

Also, provide an addressed envelope, email address, or whatever medium so that he can send the letter to your letter service (Interfolio, etc.) confidentially if he so wishes.

Good luck.

 

[NeuroLAX]

OP, try drafting a letter yourself with qualities and experiences you'd like to be included, correct the amount of years you have known each other, and make sure the grammar is up to standards. then offer the letter to him as an example that he could potentially go off of if he wanted to. As others have noted above, include your CV and your personal statement to medical school and a handwritten thank you note or some kind of small gift/token of gratitude.

It sounds like he just doesn't have the time to write an in-depth letter, so it's fair to offer this kind time/effort-saving measure to this doctor whom you've known for quite a while now.

Also, provide an addressed envelope, email address, or whatever medium so that he can send the letter to your letter service (Interfolio, etc.) confidentially if he so wishes.

Good luck.

^ Not a bad idea, OP.

 

[mycooles]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that most physician LOR's were more of a formality then anything. I understand about wanting to get all stellar LOR's especially in this situation, but for the most part how can most physicians give extremely strong recommendations if all you do is observe them work. Catch my drift?

 

[pepes1lv1a]

Also correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't LORs considered more legitimate if they're submitted confidentially, e.g. through Interfolio or directly sent and sealed from the writer?

 

[Temperature101]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that most physician LOR's were more of a formality then anything. I understand about wanting to get all stellar LOR's especially in this situation, but for the most part how can most physicians give extremely strong recommendations if all you do is observe them work. Catch my drift?

You are not wrong. But if it is a bad LOR, it might be an issue...

 

[doctorold]

Well, this is what I would do if I were you:

I would show up at his house with a plate of cookies and my CV and list of qualities I would like him to highlight. I would explain to him how serious I am about applying to osteopathic schools and how important his letter will be. I would ask him to rewrite the letter personally instead of having someone else write it. If he says no, I would thank him and leave. I would not use the letter his secretary sent.

If he says no, don't forget to take the cookies back 🙂

 

[coolingglasses]

Also correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't LORs considered more legitimate if they're submitted confidentially, e.g. through Interfolio or directly sent and sealed from the writer?

They are, but the confidentiality is often a lie. Letter writers often ask requesters to write the letter, or review the letter before they send out a sealed copy (thus retaining the confidentiality agreement). I get why the agreement exists, but it's kind of a joke. Writers often want to make sure they provide a good letter and may not feel confident that they've done so.

And let this thread be a lesson... always ask if the writer can give you a strong letter of recommendation.

 

[pattr]

They are, but the confidentiality is often a lie. Letter writers often ask requesters to write the letter, or review the letter before they send out a sealed copy (thus retaining the confidentiality agreement). I get why the agreement exists, but it's kind of a joke. Writers often want to make sure they provide a good letter and may not feel confident that they've done so.

And let this thread be a lesson... always ask if the writer can give you a strong letter of recommendation.

👍
"Do you think you know me well enough to write a strong letter of recommendation?"

 

[go1]

Well, this is what I would do if I were you:

I would show up at his house with a plate of cookies and my CV and list of qualities I would like him to highlight. I would explain to him how serious I am about applying to osteopathic schools and how important his letter will be. I would ask him to rewrite the letter personally instead of having someone else write it. If he says no, I would thank him and leave. I would not use the letter his secretary sent.

More importantly, if he says no, would you give him the cookies anyways or take them with you?

 

[razor]

Its bad form to read the letters, they are supposed to be confidential. Interfolio distinguishes them as such. You ask the writer to upload the document to interfolio or a similar service.

Each of my letter writers just handed me the letter in person even though I provided a stamped envelope addressed to Interfolio. My letter writers WANTED me to review it and make sure it was what I expected. I stuffed my LORs in the envelopes and dropped them in the mail.

 

[razor]

woops, sorry coolingglasses. I just realized you said the exact same thing about reviewing letters.

 

[razor]

Also correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't LORs considered more legitimate if they're submitted confidentially, e.g. through Interfolio or directly sent and sealed from the writer?

I hope Interfolio doesn't have a forensics team dusting the envelope for fingerprints, thereby proving that it was my fingers, and not the author's, that sealed it.

 

[WildEMDoc]

Your DO letter sounds a lot like the one I used. Really bland, full of spelling errors, etc, not really a good letter.

Didn't really seem to matter to DO schools for me. I did have a really strong MD letter that I sent to most schools as well, so maybe that made up for the crappy DO letter.