about letters of recommendation, what do I ask them to write?

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MOUTHLOVER

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Hey,

when I go to my people to have them write me some letter's of recommendation and they ask me:

- how long should it be?
- what should I write about you?

how should I answer?

thanks!!
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If they say that chances are it won't be a good LOR (unless you're the first student they ever write a LOR for). A good letter of recommendation is generally 1-2 pages. You should ask them if they feel like they would be able to write you a good LOR, if they say they don't think they can move on to someone else, you can't force a good LOR or else the schools you're applying to can spot a generic letter.
 
ataha said:
If they say that chances are it won't be a good LOR (unless you're the first student they ever write a LOR for). A good letter of recommendation is generally 1-2 pages. You should ask them if they feel like they would be able to write you a good LOR, if they say they don't think they can move on to someone else, you can't force a good LOR or else the schools you're applying to can spot a generic letter.
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thanks for the help,

basically i should just asked to write about how they know me, some good attributes and how they think i'd be good for dentistry
 
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ataha said:
If they say that chances are it won't be a good LOR (unless you're the first student they ever write a LOR for). A good letter of recommendation is generally 1-2 pages. You should ask them if they feel like they would be able to write you a good LOR, if they say they don't think they can move on to someone else, you can't force a good LOR or else the schools you're applying to can spot a generic letter.
Click to expand...

A two page lor would be more like a short story than an lor. He/she would be lucky if adcoms got beyond the second paragraph.
 
Run in the other direction if the writer of ur reference letter is asking U what to write.

I can understand a confused dentist asking for some clarification but a professor that U had should not be asking U those questions & chances ate even if U explained it to them it wouldn't be truthful anyway.



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doc toothache said:
A two page lor would be more like a short story than an lor. He/she would be lucky if adcoms got beyond the second paragraph.
Click to expand...

How long do you think the LOR's should be...?
 
ataha said:
How long do you think the LOR's should be...?
Click to expand...

No one should need to tell a prof how long an lor should be. However, it is unlikely that an lor needs to be more than a ~ 1/2 page.
 
I don't think it's that strange for a professor to ask such questions. I think the professor wants for you to have a good rec so he's asking the specifications of what kind of letter would be best for you.

Also, it's likely he's asking so he can relay the information to a TA. At my school (big, well-respected UC), professors dont' actually write your letters. Your graduate students assistans write the letters and the professors merely sign them. That's just the way it is when you're one of several hundred students in a class..
 
When I ask for a letter from a professor, I ask in person, and give them a copy of my resume, personal statement, and transcript.
 
Yes to what Valk said! Great.

Always provide them with as much (positive) information as about you as possible! They're doing you a favor by writing the letter, so make their job easier!

Provide a resume, your transcrip(s), if you have it, a copy of your personal statement. If you don't yet have a personal statement, make a quick fact-sheet (just some bullet points) about yourself, what sets you apart, why dentistry, etc so they know your motivation and what you're all about (this is especially good to do if you're just one of hundreds of students in this professors class). Also, provide them with an addressed and stamped envelope for where to send the letter.

write them a thank you note too :)
 
valkairon said:
When I ask for a letter from a professor, I ask in person, and give them a copy of my resume, personal statement, and transcript.
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This is a good idea. I gave my writers a folder with my resume, personal statement, transcripts, etc. Also, I don't see a LOR being longer than a page.
 
Like others have done, I also gave my profs and dentist a packet with all my info. This included my resume, transcript, personal statement, and then some brief info about me (like my hobbies, goals, schools that I am applying to, and other misc stuffs). It seems as though they really appreciated this info, so I would suggest anyone to do the same. :)
 
Another thing that I've heard a few people say, including a few of my professors, is that its important to ask for a "favorable" letter of recommendation. I'm not sure if that means that they'll only make it sound favorable if you ask for it? Has anybody else heard this before?
 
dnkkoh said:
Another thing that I've heard a few people say, including a few of my professors, is that its important to ask for a "favorable" letter of recommendation. I'm not sure if that means that they'll only make it sound favorable if you ask for it? Has anybody else heard this before?
Click to expand...

I don't know about the word favorable, but I've heard of people asking their profs if they could write an outstanding letter of rec. This doesn't mean that if you dont ask them that they'll write a negative one, usually it means that they they'll just write a generic 'eh hes a good student' type of letter. So when you ask for an outstanding letter you're asking them if they would be willing to write you're freaking amazing. Some will say they don't think they could, which you shouldn't take to heart, it might just mean they don't know you well enough to make that assumption.
 
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