Similar LORs: A Bad Idea?

[50MinuteHour]

I have a dilemma and am not sure if I'm overthinking, but I want to be sure and get some feedback since the application process has been so onerous and exhausting.

When I asked one of my LOR writers to recommend me, I sent them a previous LOR my advisor had written for me for a scholarship to give them a template of sorts, in terms of organization anyway. So what the writer did was basically imitate the first paragraph. So then, when my advisor sent me the LOR she just wrote for me, she literally copy and pasted that same first paragraph into her new letter (both writers were kind enough to share their LORs with me). In other words, BOTH letters have a nearly identical first paragraph! Should I be worried about this? Will this be a red flag? Should I email one of them and ask them to resubmit the letter?

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[deleted343839]

What your advisor did is pretty standard practice. Once you have written a letter for someone, it's minor variations on a theme from that point forward, with occasional major revisions if it's someone you become acquainted with long-term.

As for the other letter writer, how similar is the first paragraph? If it's rehashing the same things but in different words, that's OK, especially if the subsequent paragraphs diverge from your advisor's letter. But if entire sentences or phrases are identical between letters (i.e., if in another context it would look like plagiarism), that has more potential to raise red flags. In the latter situation, you might point out the overlap, suggest alternative wording for a few things, and request a different letter. If you have to exercise this option, remember to do most of the work for the letter writer in advance.

 

[50MinuteHour]

What your advisor did is pretty standard practice. Once you have written a letter for someone, it's minor variations on a theme from that point forward, with occasional major revisions if it's someone you become acquainted with long-term.

As for the other letter writer, how similar is the first paragraph? If it's rehashing the same things but in different words, that's OK, especially if the subsequent paragraphs are diverge from your advisor's letter. But if entire sentences or phrases are identical between letters (i.e., if in another context it would look like plagiarism), that has more potential to raise red flags. In the latter situation, you might point out the overlap, suggest alternative wording for a few things, and request a different letter. If you have to exercise this option, remember to do most of the work for the letter writer in advance.

It's similar in that the opening sentences are nearly identical (e.g. "It is with great pleasure that I am recommending XYZ to your program"). Then both mention how long they have known me and in what contexts (typical, I suppose), and finish off by saying how they feel confident in speaking to my promise. So no, there are no identical sentences or phrases, but the opening line is pretty close and the structure of the first paragraph is very much the same. Maybe this isn't a big deal and I'm just overthinking it?

 

[deleted343839]

It's probably OK then. This is a pretty generic structure. In most cases I'm inclined to skim the first paragraph anyway.

 

[smalltownpsych]

It's similar in that the opening sentences are nearly identical (e.g. "It is with great pleasure that I am recommending XYZ to your program"). Then both mention how long they have known me and in what contexts (typical, I suppose), and finish off by saying how they feel confident in speaking to my promise. So no, there are no identical sentences or phrases, but the opening line is pretty close and the structure of the first paragraph is very much the same. Maybe this isn't a big deal and I'm just overthinking it?

Yep! One of the most adaptive ways of coping with this type of overthinking is to seek trusted guidance and then let it go. So you are halfway there.