MSUCOM and Reference Letters??

[kellogg1234]

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Can anyone who applied to MSUCOM tell me: what are the reference letter requirements? Does one have to be a DO, one a prof? Also, if you got in, who were your reference letters from?

Thanks 🙂

 

[dancote]

I was told by the admissions officer I spoke with there that they want letters from people who know you really well. She said they are different than other schools in that respect. They could care less about the title of who wrote the letter, your best friend for all your life is better than some senator or important doctor. I still think you have to have a D.O. letter, but not positive. They send forms for the letters to your writers. That means I've gotta ask the folks that already wrote me my letters to do it all again!

-Dan

 

[gr8n]

Wheeeew,

let me tell you about the MSUCOM reference letter "headache!"

First, they DON'T care who its from...BUT THEY STRESS THAT THE PERSON SHOULD REALLY,REALLY,REALLY, REALLY KNOW YOU. (no kidding).

But, anyone who is willing to go through that ridiculous amount of typing on your behalf (like 5 or 6 ESSAYS) -they must feel that they like you and will put a good word in... OR they can just fill in the first and last pages...so you want to make sure that you ask someone who is willing to get the carpal tunnel syndrome on your behalf

Good luck!

PS,
I hope that you aren't an out-of-state applicant; their stats don't really give you the impression that they like to accept people from places other than good-ol' MI.....

gr8n
LECOM-Bradenton
c/o 2008
"You can't spell Doctor without the DO!"

 

[Ratch]

well, considering we are a state funded school taking, out of state applicants would not make us too favorable in the eyes of all the people supporting the school, as in all of the michigan residents. also, a number of my friends at school are from out of state. don't knock the school individually b/c it accepts more instate applicants, thats the same for most MD state funded schools, b/c they are state funded! the difference is simply that a large number of allopathic programs are university and hence state funded, while most DO programs are not university affiliated...

letters of reference, yes, people you know for sure. don't get some random physician to write one for you unless he or she actually knows you at some level. good luck.

Ratch
MSUCOM 07

 

[gr8n]

Sorry Ratch,

I wasn't trying to knock the school. NO WAY! I know that MSUCOM is among the top four (or so) Med schools in the NATION (MD or DO) for producing primary care physicians. I didn't mean to come across in a negative tone. I apologize 😳 .


____________________________
gr8n
LECOM-Bradenton
c/o 2008
"You can't spell Doctor without the DO!"

 

[Verbatim81]

hey...even though they say that they dont care who the letters are from... it would be wise to get a d.o. letter...esp if they know u well...msu's application is long... but worth it... the school is great and you get to be a spartan... what else do u need?... oh right, be a michigan resident...

 

[peppy]

OK, so exactly how many LORs of do they want? I am kind of nervous now. It feels like such an imposition to ask for this extra letter from my writers on top of the one they're sending to all the other schools.

 

[box29]

MSU-COM actually sends out a questionaire for your reference letters with about 6 questions if I remember correctly. There are specific directions so be sure to go over it so your recommender knows what to do. I think they only require 2 and do not want anymore than that. Be sure to follow the directions on the application to a tee...be very detail oriented...this was one of the most lengthy applications I had to fill out!

GOOD LUCK!

 

[racystacey07]

There are no formal requirements for the LOR, but you can only send in two (they will not accept any additional ones), and they must be completed on their special form to be accepted.

 

[deleted9493]

I was accepted in early october at MSUCOM and had no DO recommendation...nor did I have an MD recommend me. I was perfectly honest in telling them that my only exposure to osteopathic medicine was in my experience with a cardiologist and a general surgery resident. My father's primary care physician (who happens to be an awesome clinician) acted as further guidance/inspiration.


I had the nurse/clinical manager from my medical/surgical unit at the hospital write the essays...as well as my pastor and organic chemistry professor.


I firmly believe that premeds fall into the trap of forgetting about the personality of their application and go into "meet the requirements of numbers/essays" game. At that point, what is not realized is that adcoms have seen thousands of such applications and can easily pick out the sincere/personable from those that are (quite frankly) not.
The fact that MSUCOM accepted me without a DO recommendation is indicative of and congruous with (I think) the laid-back style of the school.


I'm of the opinion--and some are certain to disagree-- that being yourself in all aspects of your application maximizes your potential of acceptance. I definitely don't claim expertise here but this seems to be true based on my limited experience.

 

[kellogg1234]

Thanks for all your help...very good to know!

MSU does like the in staters, and hopefully that will work to my benefit. Now to find someone who doesn't mind a week or two or carpal tunnel 😉

 

[tazzysoze]

Hi, I just received the MSUCOM secondary and letter request form. It says they accept a letter form anyone as long as he/she knows you very well, but is it sketchy to get one of the letters from a close friend? It says they accept family friends and colleagues, but would a friend letter carry that much weight? Or even worse, would it be a negative thing to an application? Thanks in advance!

 

[Ypo.]

Hi, I just received the MSUCOM secondary and letter request form. It says they accept a letter form anyone as long as he/she knows you very well, but is it sketchy to get one of the letters from a close friend? It says they accept family friends and colleagues, but would a friend letter carry that much weight? Or even worse, would it be a negative thing to an application? Thanks in advance!

The best thing to do is call them-but I wouldn't get a letter from your best friend that is your age. If it is someone older who knows you and your family your whole life-it would be acceptable. The person who writes it would need to be credible-and your buddy from OCHEM class might not cut it. But if this is the only person you can get-then you should go with them. The important thing is that the recommender know you well. I think it would be best to get a letter from someone who knows you well, but also has credibility. Thats just my take-like I said-you should call Lorie Culham at the admissions office-she is very helpful and easy to approach.

 

[subtle1epiphany]

Yeah, when I was filling out the MSU-COM secondary I got close to just throwing it out. It was so long and detailed, only one essay, but an exhaustive application nevertheless. Especially since there were so many separate files to manage...that made it a very daunting task. I wish it was just one large file, or a PDF which I find the best.
But, let me tell you, I never thought I would be invited to interview and I'm completely stoked! It has such a great reputation and I've heard it's a wonderful school.

Regarding the LOR specifically, I just submitted the same packet of committee letters and physician letters (one MD in the packet, and a DO separate) I sent to every school. It didn't make a difference.
Don't sweat it as much! I'm trying to chill out more, things will work out, they tend to settle and balance out.
Best of luck!

 

[tazzysoze]

Regarding the LOR specifically, I just submitted the same packet of committee letters and physician letters (one MD in the packet, and a DO separate) I sent to every school. It didn't make a difference.
Don't sweat it as much! I'm trying to chill out more, things will work out, they tend to settle and balance out.
Best of luck!

Hey, did MSU say anything about the letters you sent in? They seem to be pretty strict about this. If they were okay with your letters, maybe I can just send in my packet?

 

[subtle1epiphany]

Hey, did MSU say anything about the letters you sent in? They seem to be pretty strict about this. If they were okay with your letters, maybe I can just send in my packet?

Heard nothing from them regarding my letters. No complaints.
I checked my status twice, first email said I had nothing in, the second that I was complete. Timetable was as follows, since I keep an excel worksheet with all pertinent dates 😉 :
Secondary Sent = 16-Aug-2004
Complete = 31-Aug-2004
Interview Invite = 22-Sep-2004

Hope that helps, best of luck!

 

[Ypo.]

Hey, did MSU say anything about the letters you sent in? They seem to be pretty strict about this. If they were okay with your letters, maybe I can just send in my packet?

The admissions officer that I spoke to was very specific-the letter needs to address the five questions. It can do this in a numbered way ie 1. 2. or it can do it in a letter format-but its needs to address all five questions. I hope that helps. Most letters do address all five points...you may need to throw in an extra paragraph on what you know/have done to learn about osteopathic medicine-I wrote a paragraph for my letter writers-as I had only recently learned about osteopathic medicine-and they had no clue what I had done to expose myself-then they incorporated that info into their letters.

 

[kellogg1234]

My letters of reference worked! I got my acceptance letter today (I didn't trust the phone call, I like to see things in writing!)

So if anyone wonders, I ended up using two close friends for references. Both work in the medical field however, one as a psychologist, one is in school at MSUCOM. Yeah how funny is that. They knew me better than a random professor or doctor, was my theory, and they took the time to answer every question fully and very thoroughly.

Just thought that might help someone out there. Best of luck 🙂

 

[Ypo.]

My letters of reference worked! I got my acceptance letter today (I didn't trust the phone call, I like to see things in writing!)

So if anyone wonders, I ended up using two close friends for references. Both work in the medical field however, one as a psychologist, one is in school at MSUCOM. Yeah how funny is that. They knew me better than a random professor or doctor, was my theory, and they took the time to answer every question fully and very thoroughly.

Just thought that might help someone out there. Best of luck 🙂

Congratulations - thats wonderful! Thanks for posting the LOR info for everyone else. 👍

 

[marie337]

I basically just took the form to two of the people who had already written letters for me and explained it to them. They can just fill in the sections about who they are and then attach a copy of the letter that they had previously written. I got accepted this week, so it must have been okay. I had one letter from a DO that I work for and another from my academic advisor. I hope this helps.