Should I get a LOR from him?

[highballa33]

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[yzf600]

probably a waste of time if they find out it's from your cousin...

might be useful to send it in if you are put on hold or waitlisted.

 

[Dr JPH]

What will you say in your interview if someone asks "how do you know this doctor who wrote this letter for you...he didnt mention you shadowing him?"

 

[122206DO]

I agree, it seems that you have enough LOR, and as long as they're positive, you'll be fine...A LOR from someone such high positioned will definitely raise some questions from interviewers IMO...

 

[highballa33]

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[DrBowtie]

A LOR's credibility is thrown out the window if it's from a relative.

 

[mletter]

If you have all those other recommendation letters than I wouldn't worry about having the additional MD letter. Also, why don't you go shadow your cousin?? That way he would be able to say something about your interaction with patients, ect. Many schools prohibit letters of rec from relatives, just so you know.

 

[highballa33]

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[highballa33]

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[momgracea]

He moved to Florida recently and I'm in NYC. I'm considering falsifying some information about shadowing him, however I never mentioned it in my resume or personal statement. I'll have to figure it out. I'm still wondering if a simple letter describing my personality and interest in medicine is of some value. The fact that we are related will NOT be mentioned of course.

Why, oh why would you risk doing that? The consequences of being caught in a lie far outweigh any potential benefit from his LOR!!

 

[DrBowtie]

Why, oh why would you risk doing that? The consequences of being caught in a lie far outweigh any potential benefit from his LOR!!

Ditto. It's an additional LOR. Not a big deal.

 

[cubbbie]

He moved to Florida recently and I'm in NYC. I'm considering falsifying some information about shadowing him, however I never mentioned it in my resume or personal statement. I'll have to figure it out. I'm still wondering if a simple letter describing my personality and interest in medicine is of some value. The fact that we are related will NOT be mentioned of course.

Even if he weren't your cousin and you did actually shadow him, it's still a fairly useless letter. A lot of the schools I applied to specifically said not to waste time with those kinds of letters.

 

[Wizard of Oz]

As long as he doesn't have your last name, nobody is going to look into it too closely. Most places get over a thousand LOR's.

What's more important is that the writer can actually vouge for your medical potential. The adcom will assess your personality for you at the interview. They need to hear from somebody who has firsthand knowledge of your ability as a physician. Has your cousin seen you carve a turkey?

If it's the best you've got, go with it. If you've actually done some shadowing and have a premed committee letter, you should be good to go.

LOR's are usually looked at after the interview has been offered. Your grades and MCAT will preliminarily rank your file for interview. Just give 'em the perfunctory letters and essays that everybody else gives and you're good to go if you have an early interview.

 

[mletter]

Why, oh why would you risk doing that? The consequences of being caught in a lie far outweigh any potential benefit from his LOR!!

Absolutely. It is not even an essential part of your application. Why would you want to even put this letter in your file at the schools? If you are applying DO they would rather see only DO letters anyway. Also, don't falsify your app. If you are worried that there is something about your app that needs work than do the work. 👍

 

[highballa33]

"Has your cousin seen you carve a turkey?"
No he hasn't because I haven't eaten flesh since I was 6 or 7 years old 🙂
I will be considering the risk here, which I honestly don't think is too great, nevertheless it is present. I'm just trying to make up for a not-so-great recommendation I guess. I'll probably call him tomorrow and say "thanks but no thanks" for the recommendation. Maybe I'll just have him send in a basic letter mentioning my personality; I just don't think it will hurt me to do this. As always, thanks for the input everyone. 😀

 

[Dr.Inviz]

"Has your cousin seen you carve a turkey?"
No he hasn't because I haven't eaten flesh since I was 6 or 7 years old 🙂
I will be considering the risk here, which I honestly don't think is too great, nevertheless it is present. I'm just trying to make up for a not-so-great recommendation I guess. I'll probably call him tomorrow and say "thanks but no thanks" for the recommendation. Maybe I'll just have him send in a basic letter mentioning my personality; I just don't think it will hurt me to do this. As always, thanks for the input everyone. 😀

doubt it hurts u .. as long as he expresses ur interests and how much he knows ur character ... hell, if he put u shadowed him, whats it matter ... itll be simply another lie ... just make sure u can cover yourself well as to what he does ... oh the creation of unethical docs due to an unethical admissions process for an ethics-based profession 🙄