*~*~* Official Letters of Recommendation Questions Thread 2013-2014 *~*~*

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Just wait on the letter. Unfortunately, most schools will not review a secondary/app until its complete, so if a DO/physician letter is required, they won't review it until that comes in.

Don't worry though, just get as much of your stuff in as possible, and maybe explain to her how important it is to have the letter in early, but make it clear you understand how important it is for you to spend at least a month shadowing her. If that doesn't work and you have the time, it wouldn't hurt to look for another person to shadow. Just keep shadowing the first DO, in case the next one you find doesn't work out.

As far as other schools, the LECOMs do review apps and offer ii's before LORs are sent in. In fact, you have until the interview day to submit LORs.
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It is what it is. At this point there is no sense in fighting it. Just move on to plan B, quickly.

Do you have another professor willing to write you a letter?
 
thatguy101 said:
I just checked and it lists it as "other science". Im not really sure why. I go to a major university and if they list it as a biological science class then why wouldn't it be a biological science class when applying?
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AMCAS and AACOMAS determine what they think a science course is. No way around it.
 
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My primary was submitted 6/19.. It is still be verified. I have all of my LORs ready to go from Interfolio. When should I send them in (LORs)? Should I wait and send them back with secondaries, after my primary has been received by the school? Or should I send them all now to get it out of the way? But if I send them now, what if I do not get a secondary from certain schools and that would just be wasting money. Thanks for the info. :)
 
Wait until you receive your secondaries. If they are all ready to go in Interfolio, you have nothing to worry about, and there's no point in sending them to schools that won't give you a secondary or that you won't end up completing (they're $6 a pop afterall). When you get the secondary and decide to complete it, then send in your LORs. You don't have to wait until you send back the secondaries or anything, just wait until you've received them.

This is true for pretty much every DO program except for the LECOMs, which don't accept LORs until after the interview invite.
 
See if you can find a physician you can shadow who can pre write you one. It's such a inconveinent requirement.
 
I think WVSOM might. I know that they'll offer you a secondary in addition to an interview invite. However, I'm not sure if LORs need to be lumped with the primary application.
 
thank you for the info. much appreciated. i have a 3.1cGPA 3.6sGPA with some retakes, a 23MCAT (first take) and a 27 (8,9,10) (after retake)... decent EC's and strong LORs... am i competitive for northeast schools such as PCOM, NYCOM, Touro NY, UMDNJ (Rowan), etc..? am i still early (hoping to be verified by next week, submitted 6/19)?
 
hallowmann said:
Wait until you receive your secondaries. If they are all ready to go in Interfolio, you have nothing to worry about, and there's no point in sending them to schools that won't give you a secondary or that you won't end up completing (they're $6 a pop afterall). When you get the secondary and decide to complete it, then send in your LORs. You don't have to wait until you send back the secondaries or anything, just wait until you've received them.

This is true for pretty much every DO program except for the LECOMs, which don't accept LORs until after the interview invite.
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Thank you, I was going to be asking this question hopefully in the coming weeks.
 
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This is probably a dumb question but how do you know if you're letter has been uploaded to inter folio?

When I signed on I saw a document that said "Confidential Letter of Recommendation From ******* Medical Careers Committee". The thing is, under the "Received" tab it says "Not Received". This makes me believe that what I'm seeing is a folder for the LOR to be actually uploaded, however, the LOR hasn't been yet. I also didn't receive a notification from my Committee that it has been uploaded. Help!!!
 
ToKingdomCome said:
This is probably a dumb question but how do you know if you're letter has been uploaded to inter folio?

When I signed on I saw a document that said "Confidential Letter of Recommendation From ******* Medical Careers Committee". The thing is, under the "Received" tab it says "Not Received". This makes me believe that what I'm seeing is a folder for the LOR to be actually uploaded, however, the LOR hasn't been yet. I also didn't receive a notification from my Committee that it has been uploaded. Help!!!
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The "not received" will change to the date it was received when it is received.
 
Random question but it is sort of relevant.

For the LORs, your professors have to type them, print them, sign them, and upload them?
Or, is it just a written letter with no signature?
Thanks
 
I am a DO applicant this year.
1. How important is the DO letter i.e a formality that is skimmed or is it read carefully.
2. The DO who is writing my letter has never written letter before and wants to know what all he should put in.
 
theeleventhhour said:
What should I tell professors the deadline is for their letter?
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You should tell them that you need it as early as convenient for them, and remind them that your applications will not be complete without it. Be sure to thank them for writing it for you.

spiderman888 said:
I am a DO applicant this year.
1. How important is the DO letter i.e a formality that is skimmed or is it read carefully.
2. The DO who is writing my letter has never written letter before and wants to know what all he should put in.
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1. All letters of recommendation/evaluation are important. They give adcoms a means of evaluating you outside of academic metrics, and from another's perspective.

2. It should mention how the letter writer knows you, and in what context they have worked with you. It should include a bit about your goals to show that the letter writer is aware of your plans. The letter should attest to your abilities and strengths, and how much the letter writer feels you are qualified for the career. There are examples all over the Internet for reference.
 
Mr Avante said:
Random question but it is sort of relevant.

For the LORs, your professors have to type them, print them, sign them, and upload them?
Or, is it just a written letter with no signature?
Thanks
Click to expand...

They can mail a hard copy that gets scanned or they create an "e-signature" if they upload
 
kratosis said:
thank you for the info. much appreciated. i have a 3.1cGPA 3.6sGPA with some retakes, a 23MCAT (first take) and a 27 (8,9,10) (after retake)... decent EC's and strong LORs... am i competitive for northeast schools such as PCOM, NYCOM, Touro NY, UMDNJ (Rowan), etc..? am i still early (hoping to be verified by next week, submitted 6/19)?
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Are you from the northeast? UMDNJ gives their residents a lot of love. The others pretty much accept people from all over (although most applicants to NYCOM tend to be from the NY/NJ area). I wouldn't call your chances at those schools great, but they aren't bad. You are sitting at about average stats (lower cGPA, but higher sGPA, and average MCAT) for most schools.

If I were you, I would add some more schools if you have the money. I'd add for sure MU-COM and LECOM, probably WVSOM, and if you are from New England, I'd also add UNECOM.
 
Mr Avante said:
Random question but it is sort of relevant.

For the LORs, your professors have to type them, print them, sign them, and upload them?
Or, is it just a written letter with no signature?
Thanks
Click to expand...

sb247 said:
They can mail a hard copy that gets scanned or they create an "e-signature" if they upload
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sb247 is right. Also, make sure that the LORs are on letterhead. Some schools require official letterhead for LORs, so it might be an issue if your letter writer didn't include it. For some people, this means they have to print it out and either mail in a hard copy or scan it after they sign it. Some people have a digital letterhead and can just print it with the letterhead using some printing program like CutePDF (or some Adobe software if they have it).
 
i am a NY resident. I applied to about 25 schools including MU-COM LECOMs as well as WVSOM and UNECOM. I guess you can call that broadly. lol. I asked for those schools specifically because I rather stay close to home. if not, i will go anywhere. thanks for your help Hallowmann
 
had some health issues that i was dealing with my first 2 years of college, but i went on to get an Honors in Biology for my research thesis as well as Academic Excellence in Biology for having the highest sGPA from all the graduating biology majors in my class. a major upward trend in my last 2 years of college almost straight As. hopefully i get some love from the northeast schools. :)
 
kratosis said:
had some health issues that i was dealing with my first 2 years of college, but i went on to get an Honors in Biology for my research thesis as well as Academic Excellence in Biology for having the highest sGPA from all the graduating biology majors in my class. a major upward trend in my last 2 years of college almost straight As. hopefully i get some love from the northeast schools. :)
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I think you'll be fine. You will definitely get acceptances applying to that many schools, and you'll probably get at least one in your area, especially with applying this early and being a NY resident.
 
hallowmann said:
I think you'll be fine. You will definitely get acceptances applying to that many schools, and you'll probably get at least one in your area, especially with applying this early and being a NY resident.
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i hope so. im excited to get the cycle rolling. good luck to you as well.
 
hallowmann said:
Are you from the northeast? UMDNJ gives their residents a lot of love. The others pretty much accept people from all over (although most applicants to NYCOM tend to be from the NY/NJ area). I wouldn't call your chances at those schools great, but they aren't bad. You are sitting at about average stats (lower cGPA, but higher sGPA, and average MCAT) for most schools.

If I were you, I would add some more schools if you have the money. I'd add for sure MU-COM and LECOM, probably WVSOM, and if you are from New England, I'd also add UNECOM.
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i am a bit worried. it states on MU-COM's website that in order to be competitive we need ATLEAST a 3.2cGPA as well as a 3.2sGPA...They say people below a 3.2 are "RARELY accepted." do i have a shot here?
 
kratosis said:
i am a bit worried. it states on MU-COM's website that in order to be competitive we need ATLEAST a 3.2cGPA as well as a 3.2sGPA...They say people below a 3.2 are "RARELY accepted." do i have a shot here?
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They pay especially close attention to upward trends and your later work. I had a <3.0 for both my GPAs (but my last 90 credits were ~3.5) and they offered me an interview and subsequently waitlisted me, so I'd say you have a pretty good chance at very least of getting an interview.
 
hallowmann said:
They pay especially close attention to upward trends and your later work. I had a <3.0 for both my GPAs (but my last 90 credits were ~3.5) and they offered me an interview and subsequently waitlisted me, so I'd say you have a pretty good chance at very least of getting an interview.
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i hope so. i mean i can easily go back and retake the gen ed courses i got Cs and Ds and Ace them, but I do not have that kind of time or money. i hope my sGPA and MCAT can get me an interview at least.
 
Hello everyone,
A family friend who is a 2nd year resident is willing to write a LOR for the DO schools that i plan on applying to this year. I would try to go and shadow a DO but i work 50-60 hours a week and it seems like most family practice DOs don't have weekend hours available. I know that VCOM specifically states on their website that a resident recommendation is ok but what about other schools?

I will appreciate any advice! Thank you!
 
Does a letter of rec from an Organic chem professor look better than a letter of rec from an ecology professor? Just in general
 
I'm not taking the mcats until August 16th, but the rest of my primary application is all set to go. I'm set to shadow a D.O for the first time in a week (he was not able to have me come in before this) and I am planning to ask him for a LOR after I shadow him for a month or so. Will it be too late to ask him to write a rec for me in mid-August? When should I ideally be asking him to send in his rec (my other LORs are set to go already)?

Thanks!
 
redear said:
I'm not taking the mcats until August 16th, but the rest of my primary application is all set to go. I'm set to shadow a D.O for the first time in a week (he was not able to have me come in before this) and I am planning to ask him for a LOR after I shadow him for a month or so. Will it be too late to ask him to write a rec for me in mid-August? When should I ideally be asking him to send in his rec (my other LORs are set to go already)?

Thanks!
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I would say August 1 personally. I was told to give someone at least 4-6 (August 1st would be 6 weeks before you get your score) weeks to write a letter, and a lot of people even say 2-3 months, but you probably can't afford that time.
 
It all depends on how well you know the professors and how strong a letter they'll write. If they're both generic letters, it doesn't matter.
 
Columbia09 said:
Does a letter of rec from an Organic chem professor look better than a letter of rec from an ecology professor? Just in general
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Schools mainly require 1 science LOR, and preferably 2.

Ochem falls into the hard science category. I've never taken ecology, so someone correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think it's a hard science in the same sense as it borders softer fields such as sociology/community health.

I'm not sure I would include it as the main hard science LOR.
 
I'm sure he already assumes you're going to ask for a LOR. If things are going well, inquire about one after a few sessions on shadowing. Your application timing will be fine.
 
Ecology at my school was the same level of difficulty as other biology
based courses. Whichever letter is stronger is better. doesn't matter what subject.
 
rzoo14 said:
It all depends on how well you know the professors and how strong a letter they'll write. If they're both generic letters, it doesn't matter.
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I have a feeling most of my letters will be like this. The only thing that will differ is the my ecology professor and I did research together.
 
So I just solidified my first LOR from a science professor. I know it has to be on an official letter head, but do I ask for a hard copy, digital copy, send to interfolio... how does this all work? I did a search and came up empty-handed. How did you guys do it?

Thanks.
 
CapCrunch said:
So I just solidified my first LOR from a science professor. I know it has to be on an official letter head, but do I ask for a hard copy, digital copy, send to interfolio... how does this all work? I did a search and came up empty-handed. How did you guys do it?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I just asked them to submit into interfolio, and gave them the request form.
 
I asked them whether they preferred to mail it or upload it directly to interfolio. When you click "Request Recommendation", you can choose for it to be electronic, in which case, interfolio e-mails the professor the instructions. If you choose for it to be mailed, they give you a form to print out which gives you the address it is to be mailed to. It also contains the instructions on how to upload it directly. You give this form to the professor. I also gave the professors addressed and stamped envelopes for convenience.
 
YMMV, but chances are you'll get a generic LOR with your name slapped on top, which could be put together in just a few minutes. But just in case, I'd ask after about a 3 or 4 sessions of shadowing.
 
So I gather the best way is to go through interfolio. The issue is that I'm submitting my application for the class of 2019, so I have a while to wait. Should I just request a hard copy on an official letter head?
 
CapCrunch said:
So I gather the best way is to go through interfolio. The issue is that I'm submitting my application for the class of 2019, so I have a while to wait. Should I just request a hard copy on an official letter head?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if you can still request that the professor hand you a hard copy in a sealed envelope and then later on just send the sealed letter and letter request in a bigger envelope whenever you do open an interfolio account. If so, then that would be fine.

However, I would just sign up for a 3 year account on interfolio. Other letter writers might not be as comfortable with handing you a LOR to you as opposed to mailing it in directly.
 
before anyone freaks out at me i did use the search function. all i could find was sending do letters to md schools but i am the opposite. I cannot for the life of me find a do to shadow and am at the point where i am waiting on sending secondaries because i think i need a do letter. I am hoping to find a do to shadow but even if i do i need to hope that he will be willing to write me a letter after 2-3 weeks of shadowing. do i ruin my chances if i send them an md letter instead. my number are
SGPA: 3.78
CGPA: 3.78
MCAT: 10/10/10/R
significant amount of non medical volunteer work.

I am applying to four DO schools: Rocky Vista, Mich State, Ohio, and Midwestern. thanks for any advice.
 
You're just fine. You shouldn't be waiting at all send those secondaries now!
 
There ARE other schools (like mine) that are OK with MD LORs. Not all DO programs require them.

bjs0012 said:
before anyone freaks out at me i did use the search function. all i could find was sending do letters to md schools but i am the opposite. I cannot for the life of me find a do to shadow and am at the point where i am waiting on sending secondaries because i think i need a do letter. I am hoping to find a do to shadow but even if i do i need to hope that he will be willing to write me a letter after 2-3 weeks of shadowing. do i ruin my chances if i send them an md letter instead. my number are
SGPA: 3.78
CGPA: 3.78
MCAT: 10/10/10/R
significant amount of non medical volunteer work.

I am applying to four DO schools: Rocky Vista, Mich State, Ohio, and Midwestern. thanks for any advice.
Click to expand...
 
bjs0012 said:
before anyone freaks out at me i did use the search function. all i could find was sending do letters to md schools but i am the opposite. I cannot for the life of me find a do to shadow and am at the point where i am waiting on sending secondaries because i think i need a do letter. I am hoping to find a do to shadow but even if i do i need to hope that he will be willing to write me a letter after 2-3 weeks of shadowing. do i ruin my chances if i send them an md letter instead. my number are
SGPA: 3.78
CGPA: 3.78
MCAT: 10/10/10/R
significant amount of non medical volunteer work.

I am applying to four DO schools: Rocky Vista, Mich State, Ohio, and Midwestern. thanks for any advice.
Click to expand...
on the aacomas site I believe, there is a pdf of all the DO schools and if you read carefully in/around the "admissions" section, there are mention of LORs and whether they accept DO physicians only or MD or neither. hope that helps!
 
The only schools I know of that require them are the LECOMs and OSU, both of which are not on your list. The ones you have on your list are all on my list and I don't have a DO letter either for the same reason. Send your secondaries, you'll be ok.
 
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