LOR Question...

[hossamass]

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I'm currently in the process of assembling my CAS application materials, and have a question about letters of recommendation. My school does not have an ophtho department, and thus I am unable to obtain any letters from our department chair, etc. Also, as a third year, I was unable to complete an ophtho elective, and do not have my first elective in the field until this coming August. So, my question is would it be advised to wait until completing the August elective and try to gather a letter from an ophthalmologist and get it submitted before the target date, or try to gather all three letters at this time, even though one would not come from ophtho. At this point, the letters I would be submitting would come from general surg, medicine, and pediatrics.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for the assistance!

 

[4424]

I'm currently in the process of assembling my CAS application materials, and have a question about letters of recommendation. My school does not have an ophtho department, and thus I am unable to obtain any letters from our department chair, etc. Also, as a third year, I was unable to complete an ophtho elective, and do not have my first elective in the field until this coming August. So, my question is would it be advised to wait until completing the August elective and try to gather a letter from an ophthalmologist and get it submitted before the target date, or try to gather all three letters at this time, even though one would not come from ophtho. At this point, the letters I would be submitting would come from general surg, medicine, and pediatrics.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for the assistance!

I would submit 2 of your letters now and submit an ophtho one as a "late" letter. I would think that it would be important to have at least 1 from ophtho. The target date is in Sept anyway, so you can either wait til then or submit 2 now and 1 later. But I would assume that it would in ur best interest to make sure 1 was an ophtho one.

 

[GuP]

I agree with 4424. Ophtho is a relatively small field. Therefore, a letter from another ophthalmologist carries a lot of weight (esp. if he/she says you will cure blindness). I once e-mailed a PD and he said that research and great letters from attendings that know you well are key factors that you CAN control. Hope this helps!

 

[kulkarka]

It's a tough call...I would probably wait to get the ophtho letter if you can. As far as submitting a "late" letter, you cannot do that this year. This year, it looks like they took away the option of sending in a LOR after you have submitted your application. You have to submit your entire application, with 3 (no more or no less) letters, all at the same time. Hope this helps...

 

[babyblue_39]

Better late w/ an Ophtho letter than early w/o. If you can't do a late letter, wait until you've got that Ophtho letter to submit your application. That Ophtho letter is too essential. Although everyone stresses out about how early they get their apps in, in the end most programs wait until they have most if not all applications in hand before doling out interviews. Earlier is better .. but its not essential unlike an Ophtho LOR.

 

[hossamass]

Thank you for responding. I appreciate the assistance/advice!

 

[Spyder007]

I'm currently in the process of assembling my CAS application materials, and have a question about letters of recommendation. My school does not have an ophtho department, and thus I am unable to obtain any letters from our department chair, etc. Also, as a third year, I was unable to complete an ophtho elective, and do not have my first elective in the field until this coming August. So, my question is would it be advised to wait until completing the August elective and try to gather a letter from an ophthalmologist and get it submitted before the target date, or try to gather all three letters at this time, even though one would not come from ophtho. At this point, the letters I would be submitting would come from general surg, medicine, and pediatrics.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for the assistance!

Dude, that sucks. Can't send a late letter? I think then that it is quite key that you wait to get the ophtho letter. Our own program director said this if vital as most ophthalmologists will have no idea how much of a big shot the medicine/surgery/peds guy is who wrote your letter, regardless of how famous they are. Ophtho is a very small community, and everyone pretty much knows everyone else to some degree even if not personally.

 

[sparticus]

Dude, that sucks. Can't send a late letter? I think then that it is quite key that you wait to get the ophtho letter. Our own program director said this if vital as most ophthalmologists will have no idea how much of a big shot the medicine/surgery/peds guy is who wrote your letter, regardless of how famous they are. Ophtho is a very small community, and everyone pretty much knows everyone else to some degree even if not personally.

A former schoolmate of mine who matched in ophthalmology, in hindsight, recommended submitting all 3 LOR's from Ophthalmologists. I have three, two from research (one is from a big wig) and one from an elective. I also have one from an FP attending (strong LOR) and a surgery attending. What do you recommend?

 

[Spyder007]

A former schoolmate of mine who matched in ophthalmology, in hindsight, recommended submitting all 3 LOR's from Ophthalmologists. I have three, two from research (one is from a big wig) and one from an elective. I also have one from an FP attending (strong LOR) and a surgery attending. What do you recommend?

If I remember correctly, the application last year required atleast one non-ophtho letter. Maybe things have changed this year. If not, I think submitting one letter is sufficient (I personally sent 2 optho and 1 medicine letter). I know of plenty of people who successfully matched with just one letter from ophtho.

 

[rubensan]

A former schoolmate of mine who matched in ophthalmology, in hindsight, recommended submitting all 3 LOR's from Ophthalmologists.

i don't agree with this strategy. i believe that ophthalmology programs want to see that you have excelled in ALL aspects of medical school. everyone will have strong LORs from ophthalmology. what can set you apart from the pack are outstanding LORs from surgery and/or internal medicine. remember, ophtho is both a medical and surgical field.

my recs:
A. 1 (max 2) LORs from ophtho
B. 2 (min 1) LORs from surgery/and or medicine.
C. if you feel that you need/want another LOR from ophtho/research, go for it, just don't submit it with the CAS. rather, have the writer print out 10 or so signed copies, put them in sealed envelopes (with a signature across the seal) and carry them with you to interviews. there is no harm in asking to add an extra LOR to your file at the interview. some programs (doheny and oklahoma are some of them) actually encourage you to do this.
D. once you have interviewed and decided on your top 3 programs, ask a "big wig" if they "feel that it would help your cause" to make phone calls on your behalf. remember, the american academy of ophtho (AAO) annual mttg is right in the heart of application/interview offer season. use it to your advantage.

Good Luck!

 

[Jokestr]

To Hossamoss,

Just one last piece of advice...If you choose to wait and include an ophtho letter in your CAS packet, you may want to prepare before hand. By this I mean, meet with one of the attending's where you will be doing your ophtho rotation when the rotation starts. Discuss your situation and let them know ahead of time that you want to ask them for a letter. This way, they can observe you over the month, and have the letter written on the last day of your rotation. If you don't plan ahead, you risk waiting an extra 1,2,3 or 8 weeks for them to stop procrastinating and write your letter. Also, you are fresh on their mind, so it will be much easier for them to write.
Good luck

 

[sparticus]

i don't agree with this strategy. i believe that ophthalmology programs want to see that you have excelled in ALL aspects of medical school. everyone will have strong LORs from ophthalmology. what can set you apart from the pack are outstanding LORs from surgery and/or internal medicine. remember, ophtho is both a medical and surgical field.

my recs:
A. 1 (max 2) LORs from ophtho
B. 2 (min 1) LORs from surgery/and or medicine.
C. if you feel that you need/want another LOR from ophtho/research, go for it, just don't submit it with the CAS. rather, have the writer print out 10 or so signed copies, put them in sealed envelopes (with a signature across the seal) and carry them with you to interviews. there is no harm in asking to add an extra LOR to your file at the interview. some programs (doheny and oklahoma are some of them) actually encourage you to do this.
D. once you have interviewed and decided on your top 3 programs, ask a "big wig" if they "feel that it would help your cause" to make phone calls on your behalf. remember, the american academy of ophtho (AAO) annual mttg is right in the heart of application/interview offer season. use it to your advantage.

Good Luck!

You mentioned Medicine or Surgery LOR's, are these looked more highly upon than a LOR from FP or OB/GYN or PEDs? I have read people mention LOR's from core rotations but these are different between schools. In your opinion what is the order of "impact", by department, for LORs (from highest to lowest)? Thanks.

 

[rubensan]

You mentioned Medicine or Surgery LOR's, are these looked more highly upon than a LOR from FP or OB/GYN or PEDs? I have read people mention LOR's from core rotations but these are different between schools. In your opinion what is the order of "impact", by department, for LORs (from highest to lowest)? Thanks.

the "impact" of LORs has been discussed before and i do not believe a concensus was ever reached. i harp on strong LORs from IM/GSurg because that is what my advisor (program director) recommended to me. i submitted my CAS with a LOR from ophtho, IM and GSurg and matched at my top choice. others have matched well with LORs from peds or OB/GYN. perhaps most important to understand is that a LOR will make the most "impact" if it is STRONG, regardless of which core rotation it came from. to me, acceptable core rotations include: IM; GSurg; peds; and OB/GYN (in no particular order).

Good Luck!