Fake LOR??

[Eyecon82]

Hi...I have another question.....

I directly work underneith the Director of a research insitute....I have known him for 3 years and he would write an excellent LOR For me.......but I asked him to write me a LOR...and

he told me to write it...and he'd just sign it and mail it to whoever I wish.....

So basically, I'm supposed to write a LOR about ME....and he'll just sign it.....after all...he told me..." i trust your judgement...and you know yourself better than anyone"

So...what should I do? is it ethical to write it myself? it's not like im forging it....i have his permission....and if it is ethical....HOW DO YOU WRITE IT? i have no idea what a good LOR looks like or what an adcom is looking for in one...please help me...thanks

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[musiclink213]

i had to do somethign like that back in high school, my orchestra conductor told me to write my own recommandation, he;d look it over, and submit it. basically, i wrote about what i did in the pit and orchestra and band, how my grades are, work ethic, teamwork skills, etc., it's actually not that hard, and it makes ya feel kinda good too.

good luck to ya!

 

[drlexygoat]

I had TWO of my letter writers tell me to do this!!! My school has a pre-professional composite pack so I had a total of 7 letters to get (i know, it's ridiculous). Sadly, the 2 who asked me to write it myself were the ones from my research prof and a prof I knew really well from my upperlevel coursework. I debated on writing them and asking someone else but eventually I bit the bullet and drafted them.

The way I figure it, they probably felt comfortable enough with my abilities to agree to have their name on the signature line. I knew that if theyu had any problem with what I wrote, they could change the details.

I didn't shortchange myself in the letters. I wrote a letter accurately describing my abilities and qualities. Nothing over the top, but honest and complementary.

I wouldn't toss and turn about writing them. I don't see anything too ethically wrong with dong it. They have the ultimate veto power and can re-write anything they don't like anyway.

Good luck!!!!!

 

[jlee9531]

i mean what about that confidentiality waiver thingy.

i mean you arent supposed to know what the people write for you right?

would you guys just not waive that right to access because you already know what it says??

or would you just lie about it and say the guy wrote it and you know nothing of the contents?

 

[link26]

forget about rules. write it yourself.

the waiver is bullshet anyways. I've had professors and teachers send me a copy of their letter, as if to let me proofread THEIR writing......


No one's gonna know if you wrote it or not..... unless your grammar sucks. 😛

 

[musiclink213]

yea, we also have those packet things, but i only need to get 5 LOR's before i apply. but i am usually sent copies also, they like to send them just in case i ever need them for anything else.

 

[Md 2b In TN]

Originally posted by jlee9531
i mean what about that confidentiality waiver thingy.

i mean you arent supposed to know what the people write for you right?

would you guys just not waive that right to access because you already know what it says??

or would you just lie about it and say the guy wrote it and you know nothing of the contents?

The waiver says that you give up the right to access the LORs, it doesn't say you haven't seen them. If your writer offers them to you, it is on them not you. You haven't lied about anything.

 

[Eyecon82]

At first, I was I felt kind of insulted by me having to write the letter for him...(i thought he didn't want to put in the time).

I just spoke with him and he explained to me that it should be a honor for having someone write the LOR for them....it shows that they trust him/her without any doubt

I gues he's right...

 

[bigbaubdi]

Originally posted by WstSdDesi
Hi...I have another question.....

I directly work underneith the Director of a research insitute....I have known him for 3 years and he would write an excellent LOR For me.......but I asked him to write me a LOR...and

he told me to write it...and he'd just sign it and mail it to whoever I wish.....

So basically, I'm supposed to write a LOR about ME....and he'll just sign it.....after all...he told me..." i trust your judgement...and you know yourself better than anyone"

So...what should I do? is it ethical to write it myself? it's not like im forging it....i have his permission....and if it is ethical....HOW DO YOU WRITE IT? i have no idea what a good LOR looks like or what an adcom is looking for in one...please help me...thanks

Personally, I would never write my own rec letter but I don't think it would be unethical if someone wrote his/her own rec letter. Try to get him to put something of his own into the letter and you should be fine.

Regarding the letter itself, I would have a real hard time writing my own rec. Maybe write down the things that you have accomplished and the things that you have worked on and then start from there.

 

[jlee9531]

Originally posted by Md 2b In TN
The waiver says that you give up the right to access the LORs, it doesn't say you haven't seen them. If your writer offers them to you, it is on them not you. You haven't lied about anything.

i suppose. i just thought the right to waive the LOR was to make sure that one of the things you wouldnt do is that you dont edit it in anyway before it was sent.

but whatevs. the the OP if he isnt gonna write it then i guess you gotta do what you gotta do.

 

[ms. a]

Originally posted by Md 2b In TN
The waiver says that you give up the right to access the LORs, it doesn't say you haven't seen them. If your writer offers them to you, it is on them not you. You haven't lied about anything.

Plus, even if you do write the letter for your recommender, once you hand it to them for them to sign and send, there's nothing stopping them from writing a whole new one without your knowledge. Some people use this approach as a guide to writing a person's recommedation, especially if the recommender doesn't necessarily know the student very well. Sometimes, when you write your own recommendation, you will bring things up that the recommender might not have realized that you wanted mentioned, or knew about to begin with. They can either submit this letter, or use that new info to write their own, more personalized, letter. Anyway, as long as you waive the right to see it, adcoms know that it's possible that you never saw the final product.

 

[WillowRose]

Originally posted by jlee9531
i suppose. i just thought the right to waive the LOR was to make sure that one of the things you wouldnt do is that you dont edit it in anyway before it was sent.

No, the waiver is there to insure the writer will be comfortable being completely honest (by knowing you have waived your right to access his/her letter). Even if you say you don't waive the right, you don't mail it in.

I have seen a couple of the letters that have been written for me--by the writers' choice--to be sure that nothing terribly important has been left out.

Whether or not you feel comfortable writing it is up to you. If your recommender agrees with what you've written, he'll sign it. Otherwise, he'll write it himself. I don't think it's necessarily unethical, but I always hated doing something like this because it was just so darn hard for me to do!

Will~

 

[evines]

I had a professor tell me to write it, and I couldn't do it. I just found somebody else. That prof was a ***** anyway.

 

[topherius]

I think it's actually a pretty standard thing to do, especially in the work world. None of my profs asked me to write the letters, but my boss did ask me to jot down a list of things I'd like to see in my letter (I resisted the temptation to put down things like "he is the greatest human being I have ever had the honor of meeting") before he wrote it himself.

I think sometimes the people who ask you to write your own letters are unaware of the waiver you have to sign. If you're in doubt, read the waiver again to see whether it actually bars you from seeing the letter at all. If it does, tell your LOR writers this and see what they say.

 

[xxyyzz]

you guys are thinking too much. write the letter already! No one is going to care. I was offered to write my own letters for my residency apps (I'm a 4th year med student). I have copies of all my letters-given to me by all the attendings, including the ones that wrote it themselves.

No one is going to ask "did you write your own letter?". They have a million other things to ask you.

xxyyzz