Possible Letter

[Futbolfandango]

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So this past week I met with a DO. He is distant family and I would see him at reunions and such maybe once or twice a year since I have been a child. However, I have not really had much of a relationship with him. We met and talked for a few hours basically about why I want to become a doctor & he told me his story & gave advise.

Obviously, I know the situation better than you guys but I haven't shadowed him (yet) so I was wondering if you guys had some advice. Is it okay to ask for a letter of recommendation if he has known me as a person for this long but I have not had any medical experience with him besides our few hour long talk described above?

 

[HalfListic]

So this past week I met with a DO. He is distant family and I would see him at reunions and such maybe once or twice a year since I have been a child. However, I have not really had much of a relationship with him. We met and talked for a few hours basically about why I want to become a doctor & he told me his story & gave advise.

Obviously, I know the situation better than you guys but I haven't shadowed him (yet) so I was wondering if you guys had some advice. Is it okay to ask for a letter of recommendation if he has known me as a person for this long but I have not had any medical experience with him besides our few hour long talk described above?

You might get some different answers here, but this is what I think:

If you feel like he will give you a great letter, go for it. Schools sort of check the letter requirements off their list and make sure they dont bring up any red flags.

If he would only give a luck warm letter...just go shadow a DO, impress them, and get a strong letter.

 

[DrWily]

How distant is distant? I'd think a letter from a family member would be pretty weak unless you use it for MSUCOM since they just want one from someone close to you. Are we talking like, same last name here? Raise some eyebrows.

 

[MedPR]

I've never once been asked "So how did you find Doctor X to shadow?". Is it disingenuous to shadow a family member and not disclose that info on your app? Maybe. Is it a big deal as long LOR is written in a professional capacity? I don't think so.

 

[Futbolfandango]

How distant is distant? I'd think a letter from a family member would be pretty weak unless you use it for MSUCOM since they just want one from someone close to you. Are we talking like, same last name here? Raise some eyebrows.

Mom's brother-in-law's brother. Not same last name.

Thanks everyone else for the comments/advice!

 

[DrWily]

Mom's brother-in-law's brother. Not same last name.

Thanks everyone else for the comments/advice!

go for it