I just found out that a few letters of recommendation may be written by you

General Discussions
#1

Title doesn’t explain much, so I’m rephrasing it:

So, you’ve just graduated from college, and you wished to continue studying? Jokes on you, your professors already forgotten you. What do you do?

You write a draft letter about yourself from a third-person, and handed it to your professors, hoping that they modify the letters for you, and submit those to your preferred school of choice, right?

Wrong.

A few of them just go ahead and submit your draft letters to the school without modifying it, or submit the letters by their own words. Basically, you’re submitting your own letters of recommendation to your preferred school using your professors’ email addresses.

So, is it okay? Would you accept it?

#2

If they are not willing to spend 10 minutes adjusting a letter, then they have no right to be in control of someones future.

No.

#3

Sadly enough, this is very common. People are busy and one can save time by drafting a letter for them to sign.

That being said, if the school in question doesn’t follow up with a phone call to the professor and just accepts the letter on its own then they deserve what they get.

#4

My guess, from the title, is that someone at the school in question noticed that they had received word-for-word identical letters from several people, and that they are therefore somewhat suspicious.

#5

Nonetheless, it might be debatable that the system (whole, or a portion of it) might not work. Maybe we should stop using letters of recommendation…

#6

There is not that much you can do… Perhaps give each professor a different letter to forward.

#7

As an employer I take no notice of letters of recommendation. I interview people based on personal recommendation and decide how things work out after 3 months. Just saying… a letter of recommendation is unlikely to be worth the paper it’s written on.

Cas :slight_smile: