* * 2009-2010 Letter of Recommendation Thread * *

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After much searching, I finally found a DO to shadow through the AOA mentor program - 2 hours away from where I live. I'm going to shadow a shift in April, a week before the mcat no less. Seeing as how difficult this was for me, would it be ok to ask for a letter immediately after I shadow? (I.e., when I leave that day?) Or should I wait and email/call him a few days later? Should I bring my CV/other helpful stuff when I go there? I hate to carry a bunch of stuff around when shadowing....... What do you guys think?
 
not so calm now said:
After much searching, I finally found a DO to shadow through the AOA mentor program - 2 hours away from where I live. I'm going to shadow a shift in April, a week before the mcat no less. Seeing as how difficult this was for me, would it be ok to ask for a letter immediately after I shadow? (I.e., when I leave that day?) Or should I wait and email/call him a few days later? Should I bring my CV/other helpful stuff when I go there? I hate to carry a bunch of stuff around when shadowing....... What do you guys think?
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I would just ask him at the end of the shift, that way whether or not he will write it is taken care of. Then you don't have to worry about him not being able to take a call, or not answering an e-mail, etc. Also, then you can give him personally an address where it needs to be sent, or any other supporting materials you want to give him. Best of luck!
 
I recently found out one of my D.O. LOR writers wrote me a ONE paragraph LOR 😡!! soooooooo disappointed!!! I shadowed her for 2 weeks, which is about 30 hours, and I gave her my "detailed LOR package" too! Do doctors generally write short letters?
 
ODorDO said:
I recently found out one of my D.O. LOR writers wrote me a ONE paragraph LOR 😡!! soooooooo disappointed!!! I shadowed her for 2 weeks, which is about 30 hours, and I gave her my "detailed LOR package" too! Do doctors generally write short letters?
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Not sure. Both of my physician letters (MD and DO) were about 3 paragraphs. I would think the content of the letter would matter much more than the length, however.
 
ODorDO said:
I recently found out one of my D.O. LOR writers wrote me a ONE paragraph LOR 😡!! soooooooo disappointed!!! I shadowed her for 2 weeks, which is about 30 hours, and I gave her my "detailed LOR package" too! Do doctors generally write short letters?
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I'm not completely sure about what the "normal length" is. I know mine was 3 paragraphs. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that most are probably around 2-3 paragraphs (please don't chop my head off). But, i don't see anything wrong with one paragraph as long as it's not 3 sentences lol.
 
Hello all,

I'm a newcomer to this board, and ive found it very useful in my premedical preparation for DO school. Previous to about 4 weeks ago, I was set on going to med school, but we recently had a medical forum at our school, and a DO spoke, very ecstatically about being a DO. I really enjoyed the approach a DO takes and it fits my philosophy as a doctor very well, and now im really excited about becoming a DO.

I noticed that DO schools look for a letter from a DO when considering appliocants. I just wanted to know, how important is the letter from a DO into playing a factor? I havent really spoken to a DO, but I should probably get into contact with one for some shadowing opps or just to talk to them.

what do you guys recommend? i currently have a 3.69 with a science gpa around 3.6....and it should be increasing this semester. I am a 3rd year at my school, out of a 5 year program at northeastern, and i will be doing a 6 month coop to get some clinical exp. i havent taken my mcats yet but I am planning on doing a summer internship this summer and should be taking teh mcats next summer. any tips on extra preparation??

thanks in advance
 
so i checked out the sight, most of these people only have phone numbers up....but i dunno what I would say to them, i figure people with specialities are harder to follow? what do you recommend? what do I say to them?

2 are anethesiologists
1 surgeon
1 pediatrics
1 family care

is the family care my only real option?
 
For what it is worth, I applied to DO schools with an MD LOR and got multiple acceptance offers. So it can be done. In hindsight, it might have been easier with a DO letter and I was shut out of several schools that required a DO letter of rec (not really a big deal because all of the schools I was interested in accepted both).
I would absolutely look into getting a DO LOR, but only with the caveat that it is the best LOR you can get. I think that if you have a choice between a letter from an MD that really knows you or a DO who you just met, go with the MD. This is all totally subjective, but I know that the MD who wrote my letter really had a lot of good things to discuss about me; where as the DOs I knew I had met very recently. That meant that I could not apply to certain schools, but I also think it meant I had a better chance at the schools that I did apply to. Good luck with this application cycle!


Edit--> I shadowed an Anesthesiologist on rounds in a SICU. That was really cool and I learned a lot
 
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Doesn't really matter what specialty, though family practice may be a little more conducive/flexible in having you come in and shadow him/her.

When you call just say you are a student applying to DO schools and would like to do some shadowing/observation with the intent of getting a letter of recommendation. Just be up front, and be sure you state that you are looking for a letter so you aren't surprised later when you ask for one and they are too busy to write it.

If they are involved in teaching/education to some degree they probably already realize that most DO schools like to see their applicants submit a DO letter, so it shouldn't be huge surprise to them.
 
Just realized the other day, as I was talking to the DO that's going to be writing my letter, that it's not going to have anything about the 'osteopathic philosophy' in it, or my suitability for it..

The doc is a pathologist that doesn't incorporate any OMM into her practice (surprising, I know...). When asked why I was going the D.O route, I told her that I wasn't invested in either route, I wanted to practice medicine and I didn't see a functional difference between D.O and M.D.
Her response: "Yeah. Honestly, a doctor's a doctor's a doctor."

Neither of the D.O's I've shadowed (orthopod, pathologist) have really touted/differentiated the "D.O philosophy" from allopathy, or made it seem like it affected their practice at all. I started out sold on osteopathy as more holistic/person-centered/different from allopathy, but if anything the D.O's I've shadowed have totally convinced me otherwise.

I'm sorta worried that schools that seem pretty high on the "D.O philosophy" (Western, for one) will view this as a weakness in my app..
I mean, if my answer to "Why D.O?" is "Because I want to practice medicine, I identify with your school's mission statement, and you have a program specific to my region that makes me giddy just thinking about it" (NW track), and don't mention "The healing touch" or OMM, will I be sunk?
 
At my letter and for my interviews, OMM was never mentioned (okay, maybe just once). It reality, it depends on the school. I know ATSU-SOMA and LECOM-Erie didn't really emphasize OMM and were more concerned with just making quality physicians. Hope that helps.
 
I don't think my DO LOR went into osteopathic medicine at all; just mentioned that I was interested in osteopathic manipulation, or something like that. I really wouldn't worry about it.

If anything, you'll have plenty of chances to explain why you like osteopathic medicine yourself.
 
ya it wont really matter much if they talk about that or not.....i dont think schools are out to only get those dedicated to OMM, just people they think will be great physicians
 
amakhosidlo said:
Just realized the other day, as I was talking to the DO that's going to be writing my letter, that it's not going to have anything about the 'osteopathic philosophy' in it, or my suitability for it..

The doc is a pathologist that doesn't incorporate any OMM into her practice (surprising, I know...). When asked why I was going the D.O route, I told her that I wasn't invested in either route, I wanted to practice medicine and I didn't see a functional difference between D.O and M.D.
Her response: "Yeah. Honestly, a doctor's a doctor's a doctor."

Neither of the D.O's I've shadowed (orthopod, pathologist) have really touted/differentiated the "D.O philosophy" from allopathy, or made it seem like it affected their practice at all. I started out sold on osteopathy as more holistic/person-centered/different from allopathy, but if anything the D.O's I've shadowed have totally convinced me otherwise.

I'm sorta worried that schools that seem pretty high on the "D.O philosophy" (Western, for one) will view this as a weakness in my app..
I mean, if my answer to "Why D.O?" is "Because I want to practice medicine, I identify with your school's mission statement, and you have a program specific to my region that makes me giddy just thinking about it" (NW track), and don't mention "The healing touch" or OMM, will I be sunk?
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There are a lot of D.O.s that dont use OMM, dont sweat it (although the orthopedic surgeon I shadowed said that his OMM classes taught him hwo to give great manual exams). It's not that not knowing a lot about the osteopathic philosophy will hurt you as much as knowing a lot about it will definately set you apart from the pack.

"the difference a D.O. makes" is a great book on osteopathy and has a brief history on it as well!
 
So far ive asked a few of my professors for letters and i just asked for the last one i need. My question is were do these letters go? They have been asking me were to diriect them and i heard that schools dont want you to even touch these letters. My physic professor said that it would be better to personalize the letter by saying dear "school" instead of to whom it may concern. I said i woud get her the list of schools but is that allowed? She said she would seal the letter so that i wouldnt see them. Is this how it works? I have heard of interfolio etc but im confused, can someone clarify this for me? Do i keep them and then when the schools ask for them I send them out? or do i do it through an agency or send it to AACOMAS? Im also applying allo as well am i going to have to do anything differently because of this?
 
I feel ya on this one. Trying to ask for and organize all the letters is a pain. Interfolio will be your hero. You can set up an account with them and they walk you through how to use their service. It costs a little bit of money, but it is well worth it. It allows your letter writers to upload the letter directly on the website without having to use snail mail.
 
can you please explain what snail mail is? is this the regular postal service? can the letter writers upload adressed letters to specific schools through interfolio?
 
Snail mail is just a joking term for the post office b/c it takes longer than email.

Letters of Recommendation for medical school should never come in contact with your hands. They go straight from your professor either directly to the school or to an electronic letter system. If you get to see the letters, then they aren't confidential and if a med school knows you have seen the letter, it will not be weighed as heavily in the admissions process.

Does your school have a premed advisor? they might be of great help to you on this . I do not have any experience with Interfolio, but I have heard lots of great things about in on here. (My school did premed committee letters and then all additional letters we had from other professors or physicians were sent straight to the premed advisor and she uploaded them on to Virual Eval, which is similar to Interfolio). I do believe that letter writers can upload letters straight to interfolio, but you should find their website to check it out.

You can still have letters sent straight to each medical school through regular mail, but i would not recommend this. The school then has to do extra work to upload your letter into the computer and you also have to do the extra work of contacting each school to make sure they have gotten every letter from all of your writers. With an online service such as Interfolio, you only need to verify w/ interfolio that they have recieved all of your letters. After you have verified that Interfolio has all of you letters (none of which you will be able to see, they will be marked confidential) you will then tell interfolio which medical schools you are applying to and Interfolio will send them your letters electronically.

Your physics prof is correct in that it is better to always address letters to specific schools in most cases, but for med school this isnt so. Usually LoR's are for something specific like grad school or a grant, but because one letter will go to A LOT of schools electronically, it is impossible to have different letters to different schools. Well, there might be a way to have certian letters go to certian schools, but I dont know for sure and honestly I think it would be more trouble than its worth. Any admissions committee would rather you spend extra rockin your personal statement than sorting though specifically addressed letters online.

I would also suggest contacting a Recruitment Coordinator or Admissions Coordinator of a couple med schools to see what they suggest. I have been contacting the Recruitment Coordinator at my top choice in-state school and she has been so helpful to me! We're practically email buddies I talk to her so much!

And way to go asking for your letters already!
 
^^hey thanks for the help. I Iguess Ill just start up an account. I was looking at interfolio and its kind of pricey but it seems definitly worth it. I'm gonna do that do you think schools recieve them electronically through paper? or whicih would you think they prefer.
 
lol sorry. i was curious as to school preference in recieving the actuall lor's. would they prefer them electronically or in paper format. you mentioned they actually place them into electronic format after recieving paper copies so im assuming that electronic would be prefered and it is cheaper.
 
kypreos said:
lol sorry. i was curious as to school preference in recieving the actuall lor's. would they prefer them electronically or in paper format. you mentioned they actually place them into electronic format after recieving paper copies so im assuming that electronic would be prefered and it is cheaper.
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The schools subscribe to Interfolio and get the LORs from them electronically.
 
I had a letter from a physician and he didnt know how to convert a word doc letter to PDF so he just mailed his and my advisor converted it for him.
yes, schools prefer electronic.
 
So I wanted to know how seriously schools consider LOR from a non-sciene faculty, I know that you have to get 1 letter from them but I talked to my history professor and he said he'll write it but since he doesn't know me that well, it wouldn't be a strong letter, so I was wondering if I should have him write one anyways. Secondly, if I did research with a science faculty can I use a letter from him as a science requirement. Finally, can I use a letter from the instructor of senior design in food science as a sciene LOR. Thanks in advance for all of the comments and help.
 
I would recommend that you ask him if its ok to write the letter for him and then have him sign it. That way, you can make the letter more personal, the professor doesn't waste time writing a mediocre letter and everyone is happy. If he doesn't accept that, have him write it but ask if you can read what he wrote before using it. Also have a backup professor.

As for using the research professor, I think most DO schools will accept it. Some however, require that you have taken a course with that professor, for example if you've done research for credit under that professor, it would be acceptable. I was able to use my research as a science LOR because I took research for credit as well as volunteer. I would call the schools and ask them what is their policy on science LOR.

And lastly, I recommend using Interfolio to organize and send all your LORs. It will save you money and time. Good luck. 🙂
 
Is there a list of which DO schools require a letter from a DO (not DO/MD, strictly a letter from a DO)... I have tried finding a DO to shadow but I have been unsuccessful so I am going to have to apply strictly to those schools that do not require a LoR from a DO

-thanks
 
From the off top of my head, UMDNJ, PCOM, NYCOM, UNECOM, Touro-NY, AZCOM, & CCOM don't require a DO letter (I know because I applied to those without a DO letter).

Go to AACOM website. Find the College Information Book 2010. And look up individual schools information. It will list whether they require a DO letter or not.

I could also tell you that LECOM, ATSU, and NSUCOM require a DO letter.

Lot of the schools, however, require a physician letter (MD/DO) so make sure that you at least have a MD letter when you apply to these.
 
I have an MD letter from a doctor i've been shadowing for a while, I just never found a DO to shadow

thanks
 
WVSOM also requires a DO letter. Isn't there something on one of the DO association websites that lists DO's who will let you shadow them broken down by zip code?

I thought I swore I saw this somewhere. Also, you could just spend an afternoon going through the phone book. Couldn't hurt...
 
I'm applying to Nova this year and they want 3 letters (2 science, and 1 liberal arts) if I don't use the committe letter.

My problem is that I got mostly B+ or B's in my biology and chemistry classes and didn't know the teachers well enough. So, could I use my math teacher instead or will the school reject me because of that? Could I also use my organic chemistry laboratory TA as science? 😕
 
lmnguye4 said:
I'm applying to Nova this year and they want 3 letters (2 science, and 1 liberal arts) if I don't use the committe letter.

My problem is that I got mostly B+ or B's in my biology and chemistry classes and didn't know the teachers well enough. So, could I use my math teacher instead or will the school reject me because of that? Could I also use my organic chemistry laboratory TA as science? 😕
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A letter from a TA is not a good option. A math letter may only count as the liberal arts one, call Nova and ask them about math. Maybe you should talk to a few of the bio/chem professors and see if they think they know you well enough. Good luck!
 
elftown said:
I'm searching for this now but can't exactly find it. I'm about to "Add Document/Request Letter" on Interfolio and am selecting the option to print out a request form.

The default document title that will be seen by the letter receiver is, "Recommendation from Dr./Mr./Mrs./Ms./Professor [Last name]." Should we make this more specific (like in parentheses, Professor of X, or Director of Y)? How did you all title your letters?

Also, even though basically all professors are Dr.'s, should we title the letters as such or use Professor [Last name] since we are applying in the medical field?

If anyone is able to offer any help, I appreciate it.:]
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Is this just the form to give to your letter writers (which will be thrown away), or will this dictate what the schools actually see on your LORs??
 
I have 2 out of 3 letters of recommendations up on Interfolio currently. Unfortunately, one of the letters is a very standard form letter. I should be thankful that this person wrote me a letter, but I am disappointed with the content. They didn't include their proper title at the school (Dean of Lvl 1 Education) rather they used Adjunct Professor. Spelling errors and just an overall underwhelming letter 🙁

Do I look for another letter writer? I am waiting for the final academic letter to be uploaded and see what the content is. I'm sure it's preferable to submit 3 glowing academic letters vs 2 glowing and 1 standard, correct?

I'm still waiting to log more hours with doctors in the area before I ask them for LoR's. Ultimately, I would like 3 academic letters and 2-3 DO/MD letters.
 
ChiroDC said:
I have 2 out of 3 letters of recommendations up on Interfolio currently. Unfortunately, one of the letters is a very standard form letter. I should be thankful that this person wrote me a letter, but I am disappointed with the content. They didn't include their proper title at the school (Dean of Lvl 1 Education) rather they used Adjunct Professor. Spelling errors and just an overall underwhelming letter 🙁

Do I look for another letter writer? I am waiting for the final academic letter to be uploaded and see what the content is. I'm sure it's preferable to submit 3 glowing academic letters vs 2 glowing and 1 standard, correct?

I'm still waiting to log more hours with doctors in the area before I ask them for LoR's. Ultimately, I would like 3 academic letters and 2-3 DO/MD letters.
Click to expand...

Personally, I wouldn't use that letter. An underwhelming letter could risk to hurt your application and would be better off out of it. How well do you know the person? Would there be a way for you to nudge them to revise it?

Either way, it looks like you're planning quite a number of LORs; I wouldn't worry too much about it if one of six letters wasn't outstanding.
 
ChiroDC said:
I have 2 out of 3 letters of recommendations up on Interfolio currently. Unfortunately, one of the letters is a very standard form letter. I should be thankful that this person wrote me a letter, but I am disappointed with the content. They didn't include their proper title at the school (Dean of Lvl 1 Education) rather they used Adjunct Professor. Spelling errors and just an overall underwhelming letter 🙁

Do I look for another letter writer? I am waiting for the final academic letter to be uploaded and see what the content is. I'm sure it's preferable to submit 3 glowing academic letters vs 2 glowing and 1 standard, correct?

I'm still waiting to log more hours with doctors in the area before I ask them for LoR's. Ultimately, I would like 3 academic letters and 2-3 DO/MD letters.
Click to expand...

Is interfolio easy to use, thinking about useing it. Do they just send in the LOR to interfolio. Thanks
 
Semicolon said:
Personally, I wouldn't use that letter. An underwhelming letter could risk to hurt your application and would be better off out of it. How well do you know the person? Would there be a way for you to nudge them to revise it?

Either way, it looks like you're planning quite a number of LORs; I wouldn't worry too much about it if one of six letters wasn't outstanding.
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I don't know. He stated that he would "highly recommend me" but he also wrote that peers would tell him I was interesting to talk to...

I was under the impression I needed to have 3 academic letters to submit as well as shadowing letters. I suppose I could always have a Chiropractic friend of mine write a letter if push comes to shove 😀 (just teasing).
 
Titans said:
Is interfolio easy to use, thinking about useing it. Do they just send in the LOR to interfolio. Thanks
Click to expand...
Very easy to use. You simply create a request form, which will allow Interfolio to attach it to your account easier.

With my requests I gave my writers a prepaid priority mail envelope addressed to Interfolio along with my request form etc. They simply put the letter and the request form in the envelope and mailed it in. You preview the scan and approve if it you like the scan quality.
 
Yeah, I thinking about signing up. Sounds like the easiest way to deal with LOR. Thanks for letting me know. Do you know how long they keep the LOR on the site
 
Titans said:
Yeah, I thinking about signing up. Sounds like the easiest way to deal with LOR. Thanks for letting me know. Do you know how long they keep the LOR on the site
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You sign up for a 1, 3, or 5 year subscription.
 
Yep, think I'm going to sing up for the three year plan.
 
Hey All,

So I saw a great thread about this awhile ago and now I can't find it again. Anyways, I have been at my current job almost 5 years, and I am going to have one of the managers write me a LOR. We have discussed a few of the things that I want him to mention, but as a general guide what kind of things should he mention? So things like work ethic, responsibilities, but what else? I'm sorry my mind is like completely blank. Thanks!

Also, part of my job involves driving so would it be good for the manager to discuss my driving record?
 
So i just called Midwestern CCOM, and they said they want LOR's send in with the primary application. I will not have my LOR's in until maybe the second week of June, and i was wondering, if i send in my app earlier WITHOUT my LOR's, do they not process my app untill they come in? Would this already put me at a disadvantage?
 
The second week in June is still very early. I don't know whether or not you can submit and then add, but you can just gather them on interfolio and send them to the colleges in one packet after they arrive. I won't have my LOR's until then either, and I'm not at all worried. I'm utterly amazed that people submitted on May 1st, more power to them.
 
Ari1584 said:
So i just called Midwestern CCOM, and they said they want LOR's send in with the primary application. I will not have my LOR's in until maybe the second week of June, and i was wondering, if i send in my app earlier WITHOUT my LOR's, do they not process my app untill they come in? Would this already put me at a disadvantage?
Click to expand...

When I applied last application season, it did not call for LOR's until you received the secondary app via email. So I sent them in w/ my secondary, and got an interview, and acceptance. Maybe they misunderstood you when you called, or maybe they are changing the process to get LOR's before they send out secondary's b/c they are getting so many primary applications.
 
OP,

You posted this same question in the pre-MD forum about another school as well. How many schools have said you need LORs w/ your primary? Perhaps you asked the question wrong when you called. Having more than one school change LOR policies sounds unusual. I would call them back.
 
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