drafting your own LOR

[jrock805]

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is this allowed? two of my LOR people have asked me to draft a letter for their review, signature and submission...

ethically i don't think it's a problem, but not sure about the official rules on this one...

 

[Bacchus]

There are no official rules. Don't make yourself sound like God.

 

[sleepy425]

it is definitely allowed. you never put on the letter that you wrote it yourself, but as long as the person who's "writing" your letter signs it, it's completely ok and completely ethical. this is actually very common in post-professional work (for example, if you're getting a letter of recommendation from your residency director for a fellowship, you might need to write it yourself because the residency director might just not have enough time. or, if you're applying for a grant and you need letters of reference, that's also very common). if the letter-writer is not ok with you doing that, then you can't do it, but if they ask you to do it, or if you ask them if it's ok for you to draft a letter for them and they say it's cool, then it's completely cool

 

[Depakote]

I agree with the above.

The LOR writer will review the letter and make any necessary edits. They won't sign it if they don't agree with it.

As for any waivers... I had my advisor explain it to me once. You waive your right to view the letter (once it's signed), but if the LOR writer is aware that you've waived your right and still let's you know what's in it, that's their prerogative.

 

[p30doc]

There are no official rules. Don't make yourself sound like God.

Why wouldn't you write the strongest letter possible if you were given the opportunity to do so?

 

[Depakote]

Why wouldn't you write the strongest letter possible if you were given the opportunity to do so?

There's a difference between writing a good letter that emphasizes your strengths and a letter that just kisses your own ass.

 

[sleepy12]

I would be afraid that the writing would sound too much like mine. With the personal statement and all the secondary essays, med schools have plenty of writing samples of yours. Just be careful you don't use phrases similar to ones you use in your ps and essays. This is just my opinion.

 

[Bacchus]

There's a difference between writing a good letter that emphasizes your strengths and a letter that just kisses your own ass.

And some people are quite flexible.

 

[Alfred E Newman]

Ugh, this would be like more secondary essays to write.

 

[RySerr21]

OP, thought this would help you out. 👍

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=434626

 

[jrock805]

cheers alfred, that's exactly what i said...

 

[pianola]

And some people are quite flexible.

You read my mind.

 

[atomi]

What do you do in an interview if they ask you if you wrote any of your letters?

 

[sleepy425]

What do you do in an interview if they ask you if you wrote any of your letters?

you say no, because even though you actually did the writing, it's none of their business as long as the recommender you're writing it for signed it, because by signing it, it becomes their work, not yours. it's not entirely forthcoming, but if they're stupid enough to ask that, it's their fault. they should be well aware that this is common practice, and so as long as there's a signature on the letter, that's what makes it legitimate.

 

[Bacchus]

What do you do in an interview if they ask you if you wrote any of your letters?

"No." I didn't write my letters so I'd be more comfortable saying "No." However, don't put it past anyone to say "No." even though they're lying. Blind faith in this situation is scary but its better than me trying to concoct a third-party representation of myself.

 

[DrChristianTroy]

What do you do in an interview if they ask you if you wrote any of your letters?

I would assume that you would tell the truth.

I actually had to write a lOR for one of my references. My boss (professor/ physician at Hopkins) has all of his students (med. students, fellows, residents, etc.) draft their own LOR.

If asked I would just say that my boss thought that it would be a good exercise for me to attempt to write my own LOR (what he actually said). Therefore I wrote a first draft. My boss then reviewed, edited, and signed the reference.

I am not sure why anyone would be asking you if you wrote any of your own LORS. IMO, I think that you are being a little too paranoid.

 

[mbe36]

This is one thing I would never do. I really think the ADCOM will pick up on it. You are toast if they do.


Everyone has a very specific style of writing and word usage. They get a real sense of your writing style after reading your 15 EC essays and your personal statement. I would not mess with this. The stakes are too high.

 

[sleepy425]

This is one thing I would never do. I really think the ADCOM will pick up on it. You are toast if they do.


Everyone has a very specific style of writing and word usage. They get a real sense of your writing style after reading your 15 EC essays and your personal statement. I would not mess with this. The stakes are too high.

well, the thing is, even if they do pick up on it, which I really don't think they would (seriously, they're reading through a lot of stuff, and even though you have a particular writing style, they aren't likely to have the time or the energy to start picking up on these things, plus if you're going to do this you need to write it in a different style, which is definitely doable), it's not wrong for you to have done this. I don't think you're toast if they pick up on it, because they know it happens and it's completely professional. it's not like you wrote a letter, forged the signature, and sent it. you wrote it on their behalf, they inspected it, they agreed with the things said in the letter, and they signed it. if it's something they would not have said themselves, then it's their responsibility to revise it or refuse to sign it. like i've said, once they've signed it, it's no longer your writing, it's theirs, so even if an ADCOM picks up on it, you're not in trouble.

and if you are in trouble, then that tells you a lot about that school and maybe you should reconsider whether or not you want to go to a school like that (I'm a firm believer that the application process tells you a lot about the overall feeling you'll get at that school, and the general attitudes and ideals that school's community holds)

 

[sleepy425]

oh incidentally, I should point out that while I keep saying that I think this is completely ok, I definitely think that it's better if the letter-writer actually writes the letter him/herself, simply because it shows a commitment on the part of the letter-writer to your success and, honestly, it's an honor for someone to be willing to write a letter of recommendation for you, so I would just appreciate it more.

 

[Vania]

I had a recommender ask me to write my own letter. At first I was annoyed, but after talking with my pre-med advisor, I realized this was a tremendous opportunity. I wrote a fantastic letter about myself, and told the recommender that I tried to make it as positive as possible and that he should feel free to tone it down as he sees fit. My pre-med advisor read it before I sent it off to the professor, and approved. The letter arrived at my pre-prof office less than an hour after I emailed it to the professor, so I highly doubt the he even made any changes at all.

Hope that helps, and good luck! Take advantage of the opportunity 🙂

 

[Diksha]

This is one thing I would never do. I really think the ADCOM will pick up on it. You are toast if they do.


Everyone has a very specific style of writing and word usage. They get a real sense of your writing style after reading your 15 EC essays and your personal statement. I would not mess with this. The stakes are too high.

I DOUBT any ADCOM would have a problem with this, since it is a very common practice in the real world. If you ask someone to write you a LOR, and they ask that you provide them with a draft, you don't really have much choice but to do it. This is a thing that grownups do. It is, however, a good idea to make sure you don't use similar phrases in your personal statements, etc.

 

[sleepy425]

This is a thing that grownups do

LOL, grownups!!! I love it!