gift giving for letter of recommendations

[mikesislano]

I bought a $20 gift set for one of my writers for the letter of recommendation... should i give it before or after she writes it?
can i give it to her before?

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[txprodigal]

I bought a $20 gift set for one of my writers for the letter of recommendation... should i give it before or after she writes it?
can i give it to her before?

i bet she'd feel uncomfortable if you gave it to her before. it would be a conflict of interest. you probably don't need to give her much more than a thank you card after she's sent it off to whomever.

 

[235009]

before = bribe
after = gesture

 

[ar2388]

yupp i gave my LOR writers a box of godiva chocolates and a thank you card after they submitted my letters. 🙂

 

[Revilla]

yupp i gave my LOR writers a box of godiva chocolates and a thank you card after they submitted my letters. 🙂

I did the same thing!

 

[student1799]

I really don't think you need to give gifts for LOR writers. It's not really professional, and it strikes me as a bit childish. (I'm much older than most applicants, and have worked in the business world for 20 years.) It's much more professional to write a thank-you; hand-written ones mean the most because they take more time, which means that most people don't get them very often.

Even if it's someone you know fairly well, I think they'd be happier with a nicely worded thank-you note than a gift. I thanked all my letter writers as soon as they submitted the letters, but I'm going to circle back at the end of the admissions cycle and let them know how it turned out. ("I'm going to school X, and I'm sure your recommendation had a lot to do with it. Thanks again for taking the time to write it for me.") LOR writers love to know that they helped you get into a particular school, because it tells them that their letter actually accomplished something.

 

[235009]

I really don't think you need to give gifts for LOR writers. It's not really professional, and it strikes me as a bit childish. (I'm much older than most applicants, and have worked in the business world for 20 years.) It's much more professional to write a thank-you; hand-written ones mean the most because they take more time, which means that most people don't get them very often.

Even if it's someone you know fairly well, I think they'd be happier with a nicely worded thank-you note than a gift. I thanked all my letter writers as soon as they submitted the letters, but I'm going to circle back at the end of the admissions cycle and let them know how it turned out. ("I'm going to school X, and I'm sure your recommendation had a lot to do with it. Thanks again for taking the time to write it for me.") LOR writers love to know that they helped you get into a particular school, because it tells them that their letter actually accomplished something.

i agree that a gift is unnecessary and could even be unprofessional or inappropriate. I thanked all my letter writers via email when they submitted and the ones i don't have constant face-to-face contact with i've sent emails to thanking them and letting them know that their letter helped me get into med school. i guess hand written cards would be nicer but take way too much effort and are typically illegible when your handwriting is as horrible as mine.

 

[mezmerized7]

Nothing's wrong with a little gift-giving 🙂...just do it after the letter is submitted.

 

[kingofthehill]

Writing letters of recommendation is done ALL the time in every field, so I think that it isn't necessary to give a gift to the writer because it's something they're just expected to do. I get letters from my bosses before I quit jobs so that I'll have something to give to future employers, and none of them have ever thought anything of it. Really, it's such common practice...it's not like you're asking for a special favor or anything.

A thank-you note is fine, of course, but gifts are overboard for this purpose.

 

[mikesislano]

What do you write in the thank you cards?
I am picking up the recommendation letters from the professors in late March, is that when I should give them the cards?

 

[BlueElmo]

I gave my letter writers hand-written thank you cards and gifts before they wrote the letter. They seemed to like it.
I gave each a $20-$30 Starbucks or Jamba Juice gift cards slipped into the thank you cards.

I don't think it's a bribe, I'm just expressing my gratitude to them for taking the time out of their busy schedules to write me letters.

 

[Greonis]

I think this is something that can only be attributed to personal preference. If you feel that a gift should be given for the writer's work, then by all means give a gift. But, there is nothing wrong with deciding to simply thank them instead.

I do agree, however, that it is far better to show your gratitude (gift or not) after the letter has been written and submitted.

 

[Dr Lyss]

I gave my LOR writers a box of chocolates and a thank you card for taking the time to write me the letter. I gave it to them about a week or so before the due date for the letter. I kind of used the gift as a reminder of when I needed the letter by.

 

[Wiingy]

I see nothing wrong with giving gifts, just make sure you do it after the letters have been sent (probably ok, but taking chances with anything that might possibly somehow be construed as bribery just seems like a bad idea to me). My references each wrote me 3 separate letters of recommendation, so I was very grateful to them and chose to get them something as a thank-you (in addition to a note).