* * 2010 - 2011 * * Letter of Recommendation Thread

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So, I shadowed the DO physician for a week (flew in DURING study break from MCAT). My mom is a physician in the group so that's how I ended up shadowing him.
He was unmotivated(really..not being mean), and sadly he might have been depressed in personal issues. While I empathize with him (he complained he could be making more money if he had specialized), I was really professional and attentive. But even for the little amount of patients he had, I asked with genuine interest about them. He sent me a copy of his LOR and it's literally 6 sentences. I googled how long should letter of recommendations be for medical school, and I stumbled onto a sample letter (briefing) of how a good letter should sound. I mean they are literally the same words, and as brief as the paraphrasing. I felt like I showed much more enthusiasm that he could have written about. I asked him his tribulations in med school, about OMM, specializations, even asked about diseases and showed my knowledge (emt-basic stuff). But, I think he was too lazy to come up with a genuine letter....I've sent it out to 4 schools WITHOUT seeing it.

What do you guys think? Am I screwed??? I never got personal with professors either (changed schools 3x because of moving), so I feel like I don't have a good letter coming from anyone. :(
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Saholden, you'll only be screwed if he wrote bad things about you. It may not be a strong letter, but it beats having no letter.
 
TriagePreMed said:
Saholden, you'll only be screwed if he wrote bad things about you. It may not be a strong letter, but it beats having no letter.
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Thanks, Triage. I suppose I was hoping for a letter(even if positive) that was longer than 6 sentences and one that is not plagiarized but oh well, like you said a letter is better than nothing. :cool:
 
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Hi, first time poster. Be kind! =]
I'm graduating this year with a psychology bachelors. Therefore, I will need to complete most of the remaining prereqs somewhere else. One of the reasons I've become interested in health care was because of my internship at a developmental center and now a physical therapy clinic. Both allowed me to work with the patients, and currently at the physical therapy clinic I work with a doctor of physical therapy, by the time I'm done I will probably have completed 300+ hours at the PT lab and 100+ hours at the developmental center.
Would the DPT's letter be of value?
 
Quick question. I requested a LOR from a former employer 8 weeks ago. It's from a pretty great person I was lucky enough to work for a few years ago.

They said yes and the speechwriter (who I know personally but not very well, will be writing the letter) for the employer requested additional information, I sent it immediately (as in the same day). But now I haven't heard a word. I know it's a busy season for the office but I requested far in advance because I know a big office transition is occurring in November and I won't know anyone left. I've followed up once, asking if the letter writer needed additional information and re-explaining the interfolio submission process. Nothing.

What in the world do I do now? This employer has a very strong tie to my top choice school so I honestly think the letter could be critical. It's making me a nervous wreck!
 
Hey guys,

So I am going to shadow a cardio surgeon DO doctor in his office all next week. He wont be working in the hospital. He is also going to Iraq for the war in 2 weeks for a whole year. What should I do?

I have my personal statement--of course its not the final product. On top of that I am not applying to med school until next year.

Am i expecting him to do a letter for me before he goes to Iraq?

Or should I just go in and spend time in his office and search for another DO doctor?

How should I get proof that I "shadowed" him when I enter in my shadowing hours on my transcript?
 
If you need it now, you have no choice but to ask. Of course, throw yourself in the most humble way possible and explain that it is a time constraint emergency. If you can wait, maybe you should give it a bit more time.

brittat said:
Quick question. I requested a LOR from a former employer 8 weeks ago. It's from a pretty great person I was lucky enough to work for a few years ago.

They said yes and the speechwriter (who I know personally but not very well, will be writing the letter) for the employer requested additional information, I sent it immediately (as in the same day). But now I haven't heard a word. I know it's a busy season for the office but I requested far in advance because I know a big office transition is occurring in November and I won't know anyone left. I've followed up once, asking if the letter writer needed additional information and re-explaining the interfolio submission process. Nothing.

What in the world do I do now? This employer has a very strong tie to my top choice school so I honestly think the letter could be critical. It's making me a nervous wreck!
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irs88 said:
Hey guys,

So I am going to shadow a cardio surgeon DO doctor in his office all next week. He wont be working in the hospital. He is also going to Iraq for the war in 2 weeks for a whole year. What should I do?

I have my personal statement--of course its not the final product. On top of that I am not applying to med school until next year.

Am i expecting him to do a letter for me before he goes to Iraq?

Or should I just go in and spend time in his office and search for another DO doctor?

How should I get proof that I "shadowed" him when I enter in my shadowing hours on my transcript?
Click to expand...
you should definitely ask him to write you a letter before he leaves, you never know when hes gonna come back. and the letter will also serve as proof that you shadowed an osteopathic physician.
 
Hi,

So for PCOM, I need " Letter of evaluation from the premedical committee,
premedical advisor, or the Dean of the college granting the undergraduate degree" I'm from a canadian school and we have no premed committee/advisor, leaving me with the dean option only :S. But UofT has home base colleges where we go to deal with financial/course/registrar issues. So do i need to get it from the faculty of arts and science dean or the Dean of my college?

Also, I got ref letters from a soc. sci. prof 2 years ago...can i use it this year for schools like NSU who need a liberal arts letter? Or do i need to get an updated one? nothing's changed in the past 2 years, as in i haven't taken any other course with him.

In general, do we need to update ref letters if nothing's changed? There was another sci prof who gave me a hell of a lot of trouble providing a letter two years ago; on top, she missed the deadline and my application was never considered at the school :mad: when i asked her last year, she agreed but never submitted one. This year she hasn't gotten back to me yet
 
Hey everyone! I need help making a discussion in regards to LOR. I want to ask one of my professors, but he's a D.C. (Doctor of Chiropractor). I've had several classes with him and have done very well. For some stupid reason I think D.O. school wouldn't like it much, but what do you guys think???? Please respond.

Thanks much!
 
hi i was wondering if it is possible to give teacher recommendations instead of committee letters if the school says that they accept 2 teacher letters from science teachers if committee is not possible at your school. My school does do committee letters but it is basically too late to actually do it. Will the med schools know that my university does give them out and look down on my application? Will it be okay?
 
mauve said:
Hi,

So for PCOM, I need " Letter of evaluation from the premedical committee,
premedical advisor, or the Dean of the college granting the undergraduate degree" I'm from a canadian school and we have no premed committee/advisor, leaving me with the dean option only :S. But UofT has home base colleges where we go to deal with financial/course/registrar issues. So do i need to get it from the faculty of arts and science dean or the Dean of my college?

Also, I got ref letters from a soc. sci. prof 2 years ago...can i use it this year for schools like NSU who need a liberal arts letter? Or do i need to get an updated one? nothing's changed in the past 2 years, as in i haven't taken any other course with him.

In general, do we need to update ref letters if nothing's changed? There was another sci prof who gave me a hell of a lot of trouble providing a letter two years ago; on top, she missed the deadline and my application was never considered at the school :mad: when i asked her last year, she agreed but never submitted one. This year she hasn't gotten back to me yet
Click to expand...

I just got one of the academic counselors at my College's registrar's office at UofT to write the letter since I was in the same situation. I sent my entire AACOMAS app to her, as well, and it worked out. The dean for the faculty of a&s will not write one (I tried).
 
I shadowed a DO at the beginning of summer, and she agreed to write a letter. So in August, I tried contacting her office and left messages. Then I mailed a letter to her office and attached my resume. I called the office again and got her email from the receptionist. The DO replied to my email once, saying she would try to get the letter out asap. But nothing happened, so I kept emailing and then called again. I finally spoke to her directly over the phone last week, and she said she would get it out soon, but that she was backed up with patients. So far, nothing has happened, and I emailed her twice more this week. Should I go directly to her office? I'm worried that I'm getting behind with interview opportunities for the schools that require a physician's letter (I emphasized this to her many times).
 
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Bdwy said:
I shadowed a DO at the beginning of summer, and she agreed to write a letter. So in August, I tried contacting her office and left messages. Then I mailed a letter to her office and attached my resume. I called the office again and got her email from the receptionist. The DO replied to my email once, saying she would try to get the letter out asap. But nothing happened, so I kept emailing and then called again. I finally spoke to her directly over the phone last week, and she said she would get it out soon, but that she was backed up with patients. So far, nothing has happened, and I emailed her twice more this week. Should I go directly to her office? I'm worried that I'm getting behind with interview opportunities for the schools that require a physician's letter (I emphasized this to her many times).
Click to expand...
Yes, write the letter yourself and have her sign it if necessary.
 
Since there is no centralized service like AMCAS LoR, do DO schools accept Interfolio?

And when do you need them? (ie during your secondary?)


Thanks.
 
Dyingduck said:
Since there is no centralized service like AMCAS LoR, do DO schools accept Interfolio?

And when do you need them? (ie during your secondary?)


Thanks.
Click to expand...


Yes, you can use Interfolio for DO schools. Some DO schools aren't electronic so Interfolio snail mail them to the schools.
 
Can someone please give me some advice on where to start for getting a letter of rec/eval from a do so i can submit my application to do schools. Is this done by going out and searching a do that is willing to have you do some observation time.. Please help. Thanks.

Most schools seem to ask for a letter from a do rather than md.
 
vlad2626 said:
Can someone please give me some advice on where to start for getting a letter of rec/eval from a do so i can submit my application to do schools. Is this done by going out and searching a do that is willing to have you do some observation time.. Please help. Thanks.

Most schools seem to ask for a letter from a do rather than md.
Click to expand...

You should start by searching your local hospitals/private practices for DOs and call/email them to ask whether you can shadow them. It would be nice to have a DO who do family practice to have you observe with them. Most physicians know that you will need the LORs so don't hesitate to ask them. Hope this helps.
 
So...I posted this in the non-trad forum..since I'm a non-trad..but didn't get much help. Hopefully, someone here may have more info.


Anyways, it's been 8 years since I've graduated from college. I haven't kept up with any of the professors that taught me. Even if I were to track them down, I highly doubt they would be able to accurately judge me in a LoR. Do med schools have exemptions for this kind of situation?

During those 8 years, I have been working at a hospital academic research lab, and most of the PIs are also professors at an affliated medical school (one is even an adcom). Obviously, I was never their student, just their employee. Would med schools allow me to substitute LoRs from my PIs (who I've worked for the past 8 years) in place of LoRs from professors that taught me 8 years ago?

I'm not sure how I would get LoRs from professors that taught me short of having to attend more classes, even though I already have all the required courses taken (8 years ago).

thanks.
 
Hi, I just saw your post & I'm in a similar situation...did you ever get a reply to your question, or do you have any advice for what to do? Any help would be appreciated.
 
hehe, I totally forgot about this post. Ya, I emailed a few schools and asked them that.

You have to write a statement requesting that you wish to substitute the science professor LoRs and explain why. I think some schools said that will be enough, others will have to read your statement and then decide if they will allow it.

They told me to email the statement to the adcom as an attachment when I send in the LoRs, but I think I'll also include it in my LoR packet when I send them in. Interfolio said they will allow you to add documents in the packet they send to the schools.

cheers ^^
 
Quick question,

For my job as a research tech, should I focus on getting a letter from my PI, or from the doctors/fellows I work with under the PI? I know they probably know me a lot better than my PI does, but I feel like a letter from my PI would carry more weight.
 
Hey guys,
I took Independent Study for two years working in a lab for credit and pay under an immunology professor. The title was MCB 399...MCB stands for molecular and cellular biology. I obtained a letter of recommendation from this professor and I have two questions.
1) Will this letter count as a science letter?
2) Will this course go in my science GPA? I got around 12 units from this..
 
I am getting a letter from a chemistry professor, but for my other science letter of rec, can it be a calculus teacher?
 
I have been doing research with a biology professor at my college now for almost two years. I have never been in the class she teaches. However, I work directly with her, and have meetings at the end of each week to check in and make plans for the next week. At my college, research is only counted as credit, and on my transcript it shows up as Biol 495. She already told me she would write a recommendation letter for me. So my question is would I be able to use her letter for one of my science letters?
 
ya klml513, her letter can be used as one of your science letters

I am going thru the committee letter process and the app is due april 15th. I need 4 letters of recomendations, I already know 2 people who can give me, my advisor and the doctor who i shadowed. However, i need to ask 2 science professors for the other 2 and I still didnt and the thing is the profs i want to ask only know me so-so. What is the best way to go about, I have a cv which i can give them, should i also give them a personal statement which I have yet to prepare. any suggestions will be greatly appreciated thanks
 
rrr666 said:
ya klml513, her letter can be used as one of your science letters

I am going thru the committee letter process and the app is due april 15th. I need 4 letters of recomendations, I already know 2 people who can give me, my advisor and the doctor who i shadowed. However, i need to ask 2 science professors for the other 2 and I still didnt and the thing is the profs i want to ask only know me so-so. What is the best way to go about, I have a cv which i can give them, should i also give them a personal statement which I have yet to prepare. any suggestions will be greatly appreciated thanks
Click to expand...

rrr666- Definitely ask them for the letters in person during office hours. Explain to them what you're applying for, career goals and sometimes they like to know where you're applying. Give them your CV, personal statement, contact info and anything else that will help them in writing the letter. Make sure they know the deadline for the letter and how they will be submitting it. Even if they only know you "so-so," with the extra information you give them they'll be able to write you a decent letter. Make sure to send a thank you as well. Hope this helps! :)
 
Do I send my LORs to AACOMAS or to each individual school? How does this process work?
 
interfolio. then from there you send them to the schools.
 
AACOMAS=Personal Statement, GPA, MCAT, and a brief description of EC's.

Secondary's=School specific essays, In depth description of EC's, Letters of Reccomendation.
 
...to the School.


I also suggest/recommend Interfolio. The cost is WAAAY worth the effort of trying to coax letter writers to mailing X envelopes to Y schools.


Best Wishes,

:luck: Peaches
 
If your school doesn't offer a service (mine did for free, uploaded everything to virtual evals) then I agree go with interfolio.
 
I haven't done much research into this so i was hoping someone could just fill me in with know-how and save me some time and energy of figuring this out. Anyway, I have some professors willing to give me a letter of recommendation but where do i have them send it? Also, am i allowed to look it over before hand? Seems like i've read here and there that the professors send them to some 3rd part agency that holds and sends them to the schools when you apply? If so which agency is the best/cheapest and about how much does this cost?

Also, about how soon before i apply should i have the professors send them to the 3rd party agency?

THANKS!
 
So I have spent the majority of my D.O. Shadowing hours shadowing my Uncle with a different last name. I know him better than other D.O.s. Should I get a letter from another DO I know less, or take the risk of having a family member write the letter? Thanks!
 
byuhusker said:
So I have spent the majority of my D.O. Shadowing hours shadowing my Uncle with a different last name. I know him better than other D.O.s. Should I get a letter from another DO I know less, or take the risk of having a family member write the letter? Thanks!
Click to expand...

I'm not implying anything here, but is there any way for an admissions comittee to know he's family unless you tell them? And you're not lying about anything, the requirement simply stayed that u have a letter from a DO u shadowed...

Just so happens in your case that person is your uncle.
 
I fullfilled my physician letter from my uncle(MD, same last name) and I got in. Hope that helps.
 
I think some schools specify no "immediate" family members, as in mom/dad/bro/sis... But I do know I've read some that say more generally no family or personal friends... Which to me is a bit tough, what if you worked with the person AND you're friends :p Which to me, the working relationship should trump anything else... I think you'll be ok... don't lie about it if asked, and it should be good...
 
SBB2016 said:
I think some schools specify no "immediate" family members, as in mom/dad/bro/sis... But I do know I've read some that say more generally no family or personal friends... Which to me is a bit tough, what if you worked with the person AND you're friends :p Which to me, the working relationship should trump anything else... I think you'll be ok... don't lie about it if asked, and it should be good...
Click to expand...

Maybe supplement it with another LOR from another physician? That way your uncle's LOR works to your favor, while the other lends it credibility.
 
hey quick ? for all of you,

I know for M.D. schools u submit ur lette of rec to amcas when you are dong ur primaries? How bout to D.O. schools? Do you send them ur letters of rec from an electronic company (virtualeval, intefolo etc). after turning in primaries or only when u received secondaries to the different schols? Kinda confused how it works. Thanks!
 
koala37 said:
hey quick ? for all of you,

I know for M.D. schools u submit ur lette of rec to amcas when you are dong ur primaries? How bout to D.O. schools? Do you send them ur letters of rec from an electronic company (virtualeval, intefolo etc). after turning in primaries or only when u received secondaries to the different schols? Kinda confused how it works. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I started gathering my letters a few months before I applied and had the writers electronically submit them to interfolio. You won't send your letters to the schools until you receive a secondary from them.
 
My school's committee letter packet as well an additional letter were uploaded to Interfolio and I sent them to each D.O. school as I received their secondary app invites.
 
I will be getting a comittee letter from my pre-health advisor who is an MD. We do not have an actual committee, it will be from just the advisor with additional letters attached to it.

My question is, would this letter (being that the advisor is an MD) count as the required MD or DO physician letters most DO schools require? Thanks
 
WTTL said:
I will be getting a comittee letter from my pre-health advisor who is an MD. We do not have an actual committee, it will be from just the advisor with additional letters attached to it.

My question is, would this letter (being that the advisor is an MD) count as the required MD or DO physician letters most DO schools require? Thanks
Click to expand...

Have you shadowed, or otherwise worked with this MD? I have always been under the impression that this is the purpose of a physician letter.

My school's secondary explicitly required a letter from a physician that we had shadowed.
 
SLC said:
Have you shadowed, or otherwise worked with this MD? I have always been under the impression that this is the purpose of a physician letter.

My school's secondary explicitly required a letter from a physician that we had shadowed.
Click to expand...
I have not shadowed the MD, they are just my premed advisor that I have good relations with. One of my friends got into a DO school with a letter from a PHD/MD professor that he never shadowed so I am wondering if my case would work.
 
WTTL said:
I have not shadowed the MD, they are just my premed advisor that I have good relations with. One of my friends got into a DO school with a letter from a PHD/MD professor that he never shadowed so I am wondering if my case would work.
Click to expand...

It might. All schools requirements are different.

Some will want it to be a doc you've shadowed, others won't care.

For the secondary at the school I'll be attending (I revisited it last night) we had to have a "physician, DO or MD, who we've shadowed at least 20 hours". As well as a science professor. I couldn't use my DO letter cause I never shadowed with her. I used an MD dermatologist that I worked with extensively, and an MD PhD that taught me in physics.

Other secondary's seemed like they just wanted a physician letter, with no requirement for shadowing. Others require it to be a DO.
 
Do you not have a Dr you have shadowed that would write a LOR? More than that, if you don't have a DO I work on that as it shows DO schools you have actually thought about being a DO.
 
Thanks for your input SLC. I will definitely appreciate more.
 
Hi everyone!
So I am applying next year to medical school (taking the MCATs May 21st:xf:) and I asked the head of the EMTC where I work to write me a letter of recommendation. He said yes (YAY!), but said I needed to write the first draft of the letter to make it more personal and help acknowledge my own strengths and weaknesses. I understand the purpose to this, but feel as if this is the worst nightmare of every applicant. I don't know where to start or how to construct this! What should I do?


Here's a little about my stats:
I am a 3.7 GPA Math major, bio minor (3.7 mGPA, 3.69 sGPA).
I swim for my school's division I swim team.
I am an Eagle Scout and a black belt in Karate.
I have been doing clinical research in the EMTC at the Children's Hospital where I work, which has exposed me both to clinical and research experience.
I have observed over 100 traumas over the past year and will continue through the remaining year.
I have done several hours of physician shadowing.
I am the President of the Pre Medical Society and the American Medical Students Association at my school (President 2 years of PHS, 3 years AMSA).

Cheers
Rob
 
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