To waive or not to waive...HELP!

[Confused&Dazed]

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Hey all,

I was wondering what the effect would be if I didn't waive my right to see one out of my 4 LORs? Will it affect my application negatively? The letter is actually a 'character letter' needed by a couple of schools. I gave a resume and talked with the person regarding my motivation, extracurricular experiences, etc., She did an outline type of draft and then told me to 'fix it up'. So I pretty much ended up writing the dang thing (granted utilising her outline), but still-it's freakin' a pain to write about yourself without sounding like your tooting your own excessively. The thing took me forever! She then reviewed it made a couple of changes and approved it. I have never done this before and with the other LORs I waived my right.

The schools require an extra letter to be sent with the 'character letter' asking whether I want to 'waive my right of subsequent access to this recommendation'. I definitely can't say I do because heck, I definitely did take a look at it haha, so I was just wondering whether my checking 'I DO NOT' will hurt my overall app?

Thanks for all your help, and good luck to those applying, already in, and heck, those just deciding about becoming a doctor!

Cheers.

C&D

 

[b-real]

You should waive your rights to see them. If you check "No I do not waive my rights..." you run the risk of adcoms wondering why you didn't waive. It makes you seem unsure of yourself in that you don't believe your letter writers will write something good about you.

 

[Fermata]

If you weren't confident enough not to waive the right to see the LOR's in the first place then you probably picked the wrong people to write your LOR's.

I think that you should waive the right to see them.

 

[UCLAstudent]

I agree with the above posters ... it looks fishy if you don't waive your right to see them.

 

[Confused&Dazed]

I agree with the above posters ... it looks fishy if you don't waive your right to see them.

Yeah, see that's what I thought. The only thing is, it also asks for her number, name, and e-mail address (and to clarify-she'll be sending both the waive letter and the LOR together), and I was afraid that they may call her up, ask her some questions and she mistakenly says, yeah, well he took a look at it, he was pleased with what I wrote or something to that effect, and the school has a paper saying I waived me right. I know that would definitely not look good!

Now I know that there's a slim, slim chance of something like that ever happening, but it's the bloody paranoid pre-med in me talking right now, haha?

Do you think that i have a legitimate concern? Also, I was going to waive (I gave her the paper with waive checked and everything BEFORE she told me to fix it), but now that i did see it, and i send her a letter with me waiving my right, how'd my LOR writer feel about me as well? I don't want to look like I'm lying, know what I mean?

Sorry for the rambling, but it's late and the secondaries are driving me insane 😱 ! I appreciate everyone's help so far and if anyone else would like to help a neurotic pre-med, it's be much appreciated!

Ta,

C&D

 

[UseUrHeadFred]

Waiving your right does not mean you can't look at the LOR if they want you to see it. It simply means that you aren't screening them and thus "cherry picking".

That is, they can choose to show you, but you can't look.

 

[phleebie]

wow--thats horrible that you had to write one of your own LOR. maybe you should have found a different (more willing) source.

 

[constructor]

Waiving your right does not mean you can't look at the LOR if they want you to see it. It simply means that you aren't screening them and thus "cherry picking".

That is, they can choose to show you, but you can't look.

whatever, you're effectively doing the same thing in both instances.

 

[Fermata]

wow--thats horrible that you had to write one of your own LOR. maybe you should have found a different (more willing) source.

This is not always a bad scenario....

 

[b-real]

Waiving
That is, they can choose to show you, but you can't look.

I think a better way of saying this is that the writer can choose to show you, but you don't have the RIGHT to see it. Certainly you can look if it's being offered you.

 

[UseUrHeadFred]

whatever, you're effectively doing the same thing in both instances.

But the letter of the law is the letter of the law, whether it's effective or not.

Case in point: A murderer is arrested and upon questioning admits to having killed. The officers absentmindedly forgot to read the man his rights, making this confession inadmissible. Further evidence was insufficient for a conviction, and the suspect remained silent since the initial confession. Despite the fact that the man did in fact kill, and admitted to it, he will go free since the confession was rendered useless due to technicality. That is the letter of the law.

By waiving your right to see the letter, you are stating that you are relinquishing the ability to demand to see said letter - you are relinquishing a right that you do in fact hold. However, that's the extent of the waiver. The waiver does not state that you cannot under any circumstance know what's in the letter.

In other words, your right to see the letter is a positive right - something you hold. Giving up this right is voluntary but in no way, shape or form affects the ability of a letter writer to voluntarily show you the content.

 

[bjackrian]

My dad mentioned that when he write LoRs for his students, residents, etc., his letters tend to be better when they waive their right to see the letter. If they want to see it, he tends to be more generic so they can't later hold it against him. If they waive the right, he's more likely to include personal stories about what makes the person a good doctor.

 

[runner1979]

wow--thats horrible that you had to write one of your own LOR. maybe you should have found a different (more willing) source.

Just send the schools a copy of this thread to vouch for your character!

You are waiving your right to get access to the letter from the SCHOOL (say in the instance that you are goign to contest not getting admitted). The same constraints do not apply on the originating end of the letter.

This practice is fairly common. Just waive your rights and move on. The fact that you helped write the letter is not relevant. At the end of the day, your letter writer is the one that is signing the document and sending it. Give her the form that you waive your right to get a copy of the letter from the school--if you are really hung up about it, then mention it to her. Since she asked help to write it, she won't care.


Best of Luck!