Recommendations from Advisors

[jules0328]

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So, I am almost done with my post bacc this semester, for the most part. I still have to take orgo I and II. I will be taking Orgo I this summer session I (plan on taking Orgo II in the fall )and putting in 9 hour days in the library to study for the MCAT from June 31st until August 19th if I have to. I am also planning on taking Kaplan.

Problem is.....I want to apply to DO schools for 2006 and my school has a committee letter of recommendation service. My advisor recently told me that they would not meet with me until Orgo I and the MCAT scores had come in, this puts me at a bad spot because I was planning on applying June 1st like 12 am. And now, realizing that this stupid committee wont meet with me, I feel like I am screwed and dont know what to do. MCAT scores dont come out until October, so my apps wont be fully completed until at least December of this year. I really dont know what to do because as it is, my post bacc GPA is only around a 3.4 (if this semester goes as planned) and my overall gpa is about the same. While that isnt a bad GPA, I still dont think that my chances are too good due to the time.

I really dont want to go to another letter of recommendation service because then it may raise a red flag as to why I didnt use my school's committee in the first place. What to do? Anyone have any suggestions. NYCOM is my number 1 choice, and then its PCOM, after that, I am not too sure. I am only applying DO, because I really love the DO philosophy and tradition.

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions it would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[petstoreboy]

Get individual letters from professors and/or healthcare professionals that know you well. If you have professors you've conversed with well in class or have worked for, they can write a better letter for you than a committee that is objectively examining you. My school has some sort of a letter writing committee somewhere, but i opted to get letters from professors i taught for and in whose classes I did well. The main thing about these letters is to get letters from someone who can really describe what you're all about as an applicant.

 

[mx_599]

So, I am almost done with my post bacc this semester, for the most part. I still have to take orgo I and II. I will be taking Orgo I this summer session I (plan on taking Orgo II in the fall )and putting in 9 hour days in the library to study for the MCAT from June 31st until August 19th if I have to. I am also planning on taking Kaplan.

Problem is.....I want to apply to DO schools for 2006 and my school has a committee letter of recommendation service. My advisor recently told me that they would not meet with me until Orgo I and the MCAT scores had come in, this puts me at a bad spot because I was planning on applying June 1st like 12 am. And now, realizing that this stupid committee wont meet with me, I feel like I am screwed and dont know what to do. MCAT scores dont come out until October, so my apps wont be fully completed until at least December of this year. I really dont know what to do because as it is, my post bacc GPA is only around a 3.4 (if this semester goes as planned) and my overall gpa is about the same. While that isnt a bad GPA, I still dont think that my chances are too good due to the time.

I really dont want to go to another letter of recommendation service because then it may raise a red flag as to why I didnt use my school's committee in the first place. What to do? Anyone have any suggestions. NYCOM is my number 1 choice, and then its PCOM, after that, I am not too sure. I am only applying DO, because I really love the DO philosophy and tradition.

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions it would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

in no way would i EVER advocate applying late to anyone....however, if it makes you feel any better, my aacomas wasn't really done until around x-mas due to various delays and my own waiting and my secondaries were not completed until the end of january due to me being sick and other delays (plan for delays out of your control!). anyway, as you can see, i am going to kcom. they were incredibly fast! i interviewed on valentines and was accepted a few days later. i had about 5 or so other interviews i decided not to go on after that. i pretty much fell in love with kcom and plus it cost a lot of money for me to go.

my mcats were certainly not stellar (24, 25, 27...not necessarily in that order 😛 , my scores always ranged from 7-10....but mostly 8's and 9's...i sometimes got 11's on practice ones 😀 ) and undergrad gpa about 3.6 i did have a fantastic work record throughout college though. this included direct patient healthcare jobs...as well as home depot, chevron, uuummmm, yeah...

one plus for me, i believe, was that i had about the coolest, most useless undergrad degree one could get! just kidding... 🙄 (exercise science/phys. edu. and nearly completed masters in exercise & wellness) my interviewers really liked this degree i think. while it is not the most academically challenging of degrees, it does bode well for the DO philosophy

i did have a good letter of rec from a DO and exercise science professor as well as others. overall, i think i was a quality, but average, applicant for kcom.

as far as your letter of rec, i do not see why you cannot bypass a committee entirely!?? maybe others can comment on this as well. many of the secondaries have forms for recommenders to fill out and attach a letter if they want. obviously the committee distributing the letters is convenient...but i don't think it is something that the admissions committee is really going to give a crap about when they have thousands of apps to go through. just make sure the letter goes from the recommender directly to the school of choice. i know i was close enough to the DO and professor to get them to print up a couple letters on official letterhead to be sent to the schools if i set the envelopes and everything up for them in advance.

so...anyway...as long as you don't ask them to do like 15 schools for you, i am sure you can do 2 or 3 or so and bypass your school's committee. it does not HAVE to go through them. many schools don't really ask for more than 3 letters. do your favorite top choice schools early or something and do some back up schools through the committee later in the app season for convenience sake. like i said...as long as the letter is not being sent from you, the admissions is not going to care.

wow that was long...sorry everyone. hope it helped a little.

 

[mx_599]

My advisor recently told me that they would not meet with me until Orgo I and the MCAT scores had come in, this puts me at a bad spot because I was planning on applying June 1st like 12 am. And now, realizing that this stupid committee wont meet with me, I feel like I am screwed and dont know what to do.

i'll tell you what to do. screw them!! don't let what an advisor tells you ruin your chance of having an early application!!! i think you can start the aacomas in may and then the secondaries over the summer. i wouldn't know...i always applied late, probably also why i was rejected much....

i guess not having the mcat score could be problematic. but i think everything can be done ahead and then like as soon as you get the score back you could probably have an interview lined up in oct/nov.

that is silly to wait to meet with that advisor. read my previous post. i am sure if you have a good rapport with a few recommenders you can get them to send letters directly..assuming you trust they didn't write anything damaging you.

 

[mx_599]

So, I am almost done with my post bacc this semester, for the most part. I still have to take orgo I and II. I will be taking Orgo I this summer session I (plan on taking Orgo II in the fall )and putting in 9 hour days in the library to study for the MCAT from June 31st until August 19th if I have to. I am also planning on taking Kaplan.

if at all possible, i would try to study a little sooner than the 31st. even if you just start with the kaplan flash cards or something like in early june or may. they are great to look at while you do your cardio excercise on an eliptical glider. 🙂

 

[mx_599]

NYCOM is my number 1 choice, and then its PCOM, after that, I am not too sure. I am only applying DO, because I really love the DO philosophy and tradition.

if i remember correctly, nycom didn't even have a secondary app. i think they just use the aacomas and then i got an email saying they would contact in the future if more action was to be taken...never heard from them again

 

[C8H10N4O2Junkie]

Way to dominate there, mx! 😀 Solid work. He gives you good advice. I definitely don't think you should feel like you are in a hopeless situation. One thing I might mention... I waited until Aug. to take my MCAT--so basically I had one shot at it or I had to wait another year to apply. I was not at all confident that I would score competitively, so I held off until my scores were released to even fire in my primaries through AACOMAS or request my LOR. (I didn't want people to feel that they were wasting their time writing letters if I stood a very small chance of getting in.) Turns out, my MCAT was definitely not spectacular, but not embarrassing either. Pretty much average for osteopathic schools. If memory serves, I completed AACOMAS around the end of October, but AACOMAS is SLOW and there was some delay in my LOR; thus, my file was not complete until the first part of the year--right around Winter Break. I did have interview requests within a few weeks from 2 of the 3 schools I had applied to. I interviewed in mid-Feb. (the 17th and 18th) and was accepted at both. I do know that my late application probably cost me the opportunity to interview at the third school in time to give it any consideration. I received an invitation in March to interview at the end of April, which I promptly declined. (When you interview after the first part of the year, you are only given a few weeks to accept or decline an invitation of acceptance before the deposits are due.)

I guess my point in all this is to say that yes, you would be a little bit better off to be in the first wave of applicants; however, all is not lost if you are not. Just try not to wait as long as I did or it may put you at a slight disadvantage. Have your AACOMAS ready to go so that all you will have to do is submit your MCAT score to complete your file. Trust me, they take the full 6 weeks TO THE DAY. It can also be pricey to apply if you are not confident in your MCAT. (I say this without knowing at all where you stand, but based on my own experience.) I would get a few early LOR from those individuals as opposed to a committee and hit NYCOM and PCOM. Depending on how many schools you were planning to apply to, maybe send individual letters to all of them. Many profs., if they know you well, are more than willing to help you get into school. It reflects well on your undergrad. 😉

Oh, and one more thing. When I took the MCAT last August, there were only a couple short passages on it dedicated to organic chemistry--and they weren't really too bad. Definitely a focus on molecular biology and genetics... For whatever that's worth.

 

[C8H10N4O2Junkie]

Wait, you might want to check some of the previous threads... I think PCOM may be the school where people have run into some complications with their LOR from the admissions office... Yikes!

 

[katiedid919]

Just so you know PCOM is VERY fussy about who the LORs come from. I basically wasted money applying their because my pre-med advisor only put that she was my advisor and didn't specify that she was my "premed" advisor, so they wouldn't accept her letter and didn't get around to telling me that until about 2 weeks ago (after I had been calling for over a month!). Anyway, I'm pretty sure they have to be from your pre-med comittee if you have one at your school (i'd look into that though because i'm not completely sure).

Also, I applied extremely late to 5 DO schools (like initial application in December and secondaries in February-March), with mediocre MCAT scores but very high GPA and great ECs. I got into OU-COM and am waiting on a response from LECOM after my interview last week. These weren't my top choices for school (those were CCOM and NYCOM), but I'm thrilled to know I'm going to medical school this fall! I really think that I didn't get into the CCOM and NYCOM simply because I applied so late--so you are taking a big chance waiting, but if PCOM is one of your top choices you really need to watch how you go about getting LOR. I lost my enthusiasm for possibly attending PCOM during the application process, because of the lack of organization within admissions and also the rudeness of the staff. I'm just mentioning this because I think its helpful to know how the school is in the application process so you know how to manage your application. Oh also, DO letters are sooo helpful! I think the two I had played a huge role in why I got into OU-COM. Hope this is somewhat helpful...
~Kt

 

[lgriffie]

You can still turn in your ACOMAS application on June 1st and I would recommend it if that is what you want to do. Because you have not taken the MCAT, most places won't even look at you until your MCAT score come in in October. Until then, you will be on a hold basis with them. In the meantime, prepare you LOR committee for the road ahead, meet with them and get them to know you. Letters of Recommendation are not turned in until secondary applications are submitted. Since you are taking the MCAT in August and you get your scores back in October, make sure you have ACOMAS primary application already turned in and processed (since it can take up to a month to process) and then when your scores come in, your application is already sitting in the adcoms office. Then go to you LOR committee and get them to start writing your LOR and while they are doing that, hopefully your secondary application from your school of choice is on it's way. So your LOR committe refusing to write you a letter until your MCAT scores are released is not what is holding you back from applying early, it is your MCAT scores themselves. You will be fine, just get your primary application in this summer and then wait for you scores to arrive.

Lindsay

To sum things up, you can submit your primary application through ACOMAS without your MCAT scores. They will catch up with your application as long as you go to the MCAT website and release them to ACOMAS they day they are posted. LOR are sent in till second applications

 

[jules0328]

Thanks everyone for all of your helpful responses. Urghh...this process aggravates me. I dont know exactly what to do at this point, simply because I am not absolutely friendly with any of my professors. I have talked to about 4 of them out of 6 personally, lecture classes are pretty big. Plus, my situation gets worse because I was shadowing DO's at a local hospital howerver, I recently moved and have not been able to go back since January, I did send a thank you card acknowledging all the doctors who took me in. Now, I sort of sit here not knowing what to do because, I only shadowed for about 3 or 4 weeks and didnt get enough of an opportunity to get get close to any one DO for a LOR. I have a LOR from an MD though, but I know it isnt the same thing. I have a Masters Degree in Ex.Phys and have tons of healthcare experience, from cardiopulmonary wellness/rehabilitation to working at a hospital for 2 years with quads, paras, cardiopulmonary patients, etc....nevertheless, no DO's were at the hospital that I worked at.

As of now, I see myself having an MD letter of recommendation and I also have a LOR from my former Director. But I feel weird asking a professor who I barely know for a LOR without going through the comittee.....

As far as studying early for the MCATs, but I am taking 3 lecture and 3 lab science classes this semester and I literally find no time for anything but these classes at this point, I have even stopped exercising because there is so much work that is demanded from us at my school, its insane! Anyway, back to LOR's, how many do the schools really require? I am really striving to go to NYCOM at this point and would like to stay in NY.

 

[lgriffie]

Most require 2-3 LOR's. You may want to look at the requirements of your school now and it should say on their website. Also look as to whether it has to be a DO or not that writes the letters. I didn't not have a DO write me a letter at all. I had one MD because he worked side by side with the DO I worked for but I did more work for the MD and felt he would write better about me than the DO that I barely knew. Nobody cared that it was an MD letter. On another app, it just asked for someone that works in the healthcare field and since I do research, my head boss for 3 years is actually an RN/PhD so I had her write me one. Not all schools ask for a DO letter. It may say they prefer it but that doesn't mean squat.

Lindsay

 

[mx_599]

I dont know exactly what to do at this point, simply because I am not absolutely friendly with any of my professors. I have talked to about 4 of them out of 6 personally, lecture classes are pretty big.

but don't forget, many of these professors/physicians remember what it was like to be in your shoes. they generally want to see us succeed and are fairly altruistic in this perspective. what i have done in the past is approached a large lecture hall type prof. from a class where i did well and present them with a "file", well organized, on me. things like essays about me, transcripts, etc... this will allow them to write a decent letter for you. many of them have somewhat generic ones sort of set up. you will certainly not be the first to approach them for a medical LOR. it might not be as personal as if you knew them well and were their TA, but it will satisfy the requirement of a science LOR that many schools want. trust me, thousands of other applicants get science LOR w/o being "close" to their professors. not everyone can be a TA...which would be optimal for getting a great letter 🙂

Plus, my situation gets worse because I was shadowing DO's at a local hospital howerver, I recently moved and have not been able to go back since January, I did send a thank you card acknowledging all the doctors who took me in. Now, I sort of sit here not knowing what to do because, I only shadowed for about 3 or 4 weeks and didnt get enough of an opportunity to get get close to any one DO for a LOR. I have a LOR from an MD though, but I know it isnt the same thing.

a MD one can be just as good. depends on the school. you should get a DO letter as well to satisfy any potential schools that require it. again, like the prof., one of those DOs will probably write you a fantastic letter even if they don't know you well. they want to see you do well in their chosen career. don't feel funny asking them.

I have a Masters Degree in Ex.Phys and have tons of healthcare experience, from cardiopulmonary wellness/rehabilitation to working at a hospital for 2 years with quads, paras, cardiopulmonary patients, etc....

funny...i have a MS in exercise science as well. KCOM really liked this in the interview i think. one of my interviewers was a PhD in physiology...it was perfect. my other interviewer made it sound like they love exercise science as a "pre-med" degree. i have experience in cardiac rehab, stress testing, etc...sounds like we have somewhat similar academic/work experience. i got an awesome letter from one of my MS professors in exercise science. she is an exercise physiologist i guess you would say. kcom probably liked her letter too. can you get a letter from your graduate professors? mentor?

As of now, I see myself having an MD letter of recommendation and I also have a LOR from my former Director. But I feel weird asking a professor who I barely know for a LOR without going through the comittee.....

don't feel weird. first off, i agree with the above posters. you need to check into individual schools if they mean that much to you. like nycom and pcom. i don't know how your school does things, but all ASU did was copy letters, stamp 'em with their approval to say they were not coming from my hands, and distribute them. maybe your school does a composite letter type thing...like a summary of letters in one. but i think you might be stressing for nothing. contact admissions via email at pcom and make-up a lame excuse that one of your recommenders felt more comfortable sending their letter directly to the medical schools rather than through your committee and see what they say. they might not really care as long as it is not being mailed by YOU. i mean don't let me ruin anything for you at pcom, but i think you are worrying for nothing.

As far as studying early for the MCATs, but I am taking 3 lecture and 3 lab science classes this semester and I literally find no time for anything but these classes at this point,

i understand....but don't underestimate the mcat. it sucked for me....as it does for many. even if you looked at flashcards just a little like i suggested. i think if you wait till july to start you might short change yourself a tad. but you might be a lot smarter than me and it will be no big deal. don't forget, august will come very soon once you start in july only giving you about a month!

I have even stopped exercising because there is so much work that is demanded from us at my school, its insane!

nothing worse than an exercise physiologist who stops exercising 😀

Anyway, back to LOR's, how many do the schools really require?

good question. this can get tricky. many say 2-3 like the other poster stated before. however! if they do not explicitly say no more than that....hit them up with extras! ...but only if they are great letters, don't piss them off with extra crap. here is a perfect example, often times i would use my obligatory Ochem letter (which was a huge lecture hall type one) that was not very personal to satisfy the "science" LOR or whatever. however 3-4 of my best letters were from employers/MD/DO/masters professor. so if it did not look like i would make the admissions committee mad, i always sent extras beyond the required ones.

I am really striving to go to NYCOM at this point and would like to stay in NY.

here is the email i got from nycom. maybe i wasn't good enough. i think it was because i applied so late.

Dear Applicant,

We are pleased to acknowledge receipt of your AACOMAS application and profile.

The Admissions Committee will be reviewing applications throughout the period from November to May. Selections for interviews will be based upon the AACOMAS primary application. Supplemental applications will be sent only to candidates who are chosen to be interviewed. Since all notifications will be sent out by mail, it is important that you notify AACOMAS directly of any changes in your address and contact information. Invitations for interview will be sent continuously from November until May. Candidates not selected for interview will be notified at the end of the process.

We look forward to reviewing your application and wish you success in your academic pursuit.

Sincerely,

Rodika Zaika
Director of Admissions
New York College of Osteopathic Medicine
Of New York Institute of Technology

see...you should be golden with nycom if their system is the same next year and they go off the aacomas app first. by the time you even need any additional info for them, ie letters, it will probably be well into the fall semester and things will be okay with your dorky advisor "meeting" with you.

i still have all my admissions crap sprawled out everywhere if you have a specific app. question about pcom or maybe a few others if you do not limit yourself to that geographical area. you know...you only have to be in kirsville, MO for 2 years and then you could move back east for your 3rd and 4th years. that might not be so bad for your wanting to stay close to new york. i know i didn't start yet, but kcom seemed great! (they have a wellness program and advocate exercise which would mesh well with your experience)

 

[jules0328]

WOw, thank you so much for all of that information. That was really hellpful and gave me more food for thought.
I really appreciate you laying things out like that. I will definitely think about all of that.

I have to go study for chem now, thanks again.

 

[JohnDO]

You can find info on what schools require what letters here: http://www.aacom.org/colleges/

Click on the school and then scroll down to "Supplemental Requirements". Most schools require either a committee letter or two science and one nonscience letter, plus a physician letter. PCOM was the only who seems to be solid on a committee letter.

"# Letter of evaluation from the premedical committee, premedical advisor, or Dean of the college granting the undergraduate degree. Individual faculty letters do not fulfill this requirement."

I'll just echo others in saying that you shouldn't feel weird about asking for letters. You'll find that many professionals are willing to do what they can to help you out.

 

[jules0328]

THank you all for your kind words of encoragement1

 

[dok101]

It's really unfortunate that PCOM is not more flexible regarding letters of recommendation. They were one of the Osteopathic schools that I was looking into, but the pre-medical committee letter will not be something I will be able to obtain. I wonder if PCOM Georgia has the same requirement.

 

[kaikai128]

They will allow your "pre-med" advisor to write a letter. I just asked my advisor to make sure she mentioned that she had been my advisor during my entire undergrad "pre-med" period. PCOM accepted that letter from a regular school of science advisor in leiu of a committee letter. I am not sure if this is something feasible for you, but I wanted you to know that there were possibly other options.

 

[dok101]

Thanks for your input, kaikai. Hopefully when the time comes, I'll be able to produce something that will satisfy their requirement.

 

[King'sChicky 04]

Just so you know PCOM is VERY fussy about who the LORs come from. I basically wasted money applying their because my pre-med advisor only put that she was my advisor and didn't specify that she was my "premed" advisor, so they wouldn't accept her letter and didn't get around to telling me that until about 2 weeks ago (after I had been calling for over a month!). Anyway, I'm pretty sure they have to be from your pre-med comittee if you have one at your school (i'd look into that though because i'm not completely sure).

Also, I applied extremely late to 5 DO schools (like initial application in December and secondaries in February-March), with mediocre MCAT scores but very high GPA and great ECs. I got into OU-COM and am waiting on a response from LECOM after my interview last week. These weren't my top choices for school (those were CCOM and NYCOM), but I'm thrilled to know I'm going to medical school this fall! I really think that I didn't get into the CCOM and NYCOM simply because I applied so late--so you are taking a big chance waiting, but if PCOM is one of your top choices you really need to watch how you go about getting LOR. I lost my enthusiasm for possibly attending PCOM during the application process, because of the lack of organization within admissions and also the rudeness of the staff. I'm just mentioning this because I think its helpful to know how the school is in the application process so you know how to manage your application. Oh also, DO letters are sooo helpful! I think the two I had played a huge role in why I got into OU-COM. Hope this is somewhat helpful...
~Kt

Hey,
I interviewed on April 18th at LECOM. When did you interview? I just found out today that I am on a waiting list. Have you heard anything? Do you think because I was so late in the interviewing process that is why I was placed on an alternate list?

Let me know, anxiously waiting for acceptance....

 

[katiedid919]

Hey,
I interviewed on April 18th at LECOM. When did you interview? I just found out today that I am on a waiting list. Have you heard anything? Do you think because I was so late in the interviewing process that is why I was placed on an alternate list?

Let me know, anxiously waiting for acceptance....

I'm on the waitlist too, but I'm not staying on the list. I do think its because I applied so late--and that's probably the same case for you as well. Well i hope one less person on the wait list with you makes it more likely for you to get a spot! Good luck!