What gift would u give your LOR writters

[jennyy]

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My recommenders did a lot for me. I wanna give them something in return. What should I give? Any ideas? What do you folks give to your LOR writters?

 

[wxl31]

My recommenders did a lot for me. I wanna give them something in return. What should I give? Any ideas? What do you folks give to your LOR writters?

This is going to sound super corny but I gave all of my writers a giant cookie from www.bakedjustforyou.com. they're a great company and i've used them multiple times. they even had a special when i bought my cookies and gave me some free chocolates for buying more than 3.

my thank you note that was enclosed with the cookies read: "a giant cookie to show my giant thanks." the peanut butter chocolate is DIVINE.

 

[jennyy]

hey thanks
thats a good website, ill think ill do that for some of my lor writters
except, well, one of them is diabetic. will have to think of somethin else

 

[UCLAstudent]

I did Starbucks giftcards. They all seemed to like it!

 

[wxl31]

you're very welcome. trust me, they will love it.

hey thanks
thats a good website, ill think ill do that for some of my lor writters
except, well, one of them is diabetic. will have to think of somethin else

 

[prehysteric]

staying in touch with them long after you don't remember what they look like anymore is the best gift they could want.

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

I would tend to stay away from material gifts, and just keep it to verbal thank you's and thank you notes.

If you do decide to go down the "sweets" path, perhaps you could give them something a bit more exotic/special, like Turkish Delight. Just Google "Divan Patisserie" - their's is supposed to be really good, especially the pistachio. And probably not as corny as cookies (sorry for the above!)

 

[vikaskoth]

barnes and nobles gift card, smart people like to read

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

barnes and nobles gift card, smart people like to read

It seems the consensus is that gift certificates are the best way to go, and I'd be inclined to agree, if you really feel that you should give a material gift.

 

[striped sweater]

It seems the consensus is that gift certificates are the best way to go, and I'd be inclined to agree, if you really feel that you should give a material gift.

a gift card, while not necessary, would be totally welcomed and probably more appreciated than something edible (no offense). professors probably get lots of requests and, yes, it is part of their job, but a nice little gift surely would make the task more enjoyable.

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

a gift card, while not necessary, would be totally welcomed and probably more appreciated than something edible (no offense). professors probably get lots of requests and, yes, it is part of their job, but a nice little gift surely would make the task more enjoyable.

Yeah, but don't do it as you ask for the letter. That could be interpreted as bribery.

Do it AFTER they have written the letter and sent it to the proper office.

 

[dr_pepper]

Keep it simple. You've probably already sucked up to your LOR writer enough in the process of asking them for the letter, I think a thoughtful, personalized card would be ideal.

 

[striped sweater]

Yeah, but don't do it as you ask for the letter. That could be interpreted as bribery.

Do it AFTER they have written the letter and sent it to the proper office.

agreed!

 

[wendywellesley]

these are good ideas. i like the starbucks gift card! i think i may use that.

for those of you that have done research for >1 year - what do you think is a good present for a PI who has really helped you out?

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Give them a warm and thoughtful thank-you card. You don't need to spend money.

 

[acidhouse303]

Give them a warm and thoughtful thank-you card. You don't need to spend money.

san diego 1st of all your avatar is sooo cute. what a small puppy!
also, my LOR writers were microbiology people so i got them giant microbes! www.giantmicrobes.com

i got one for my profs little kid too (hes 4) i got him shigella flexerni and i saw him the other day and i said "max, do you like the shigella doll?"

and he goes "YES! because it causes DIARRHEA!!!"

cha cha cha.. 🙂

 

[priyanka]

hey doesnt giving out a gift certificate really being a brown nose ?

 

[JDAWG07]

A good handwritten thank you card is fine. If you really want ot give something more, then don't make it too big. Many people actually consider it inappropriate and unethical because of the implied conflict of interest for the letter writer.

 

[acidhouse303]

A good handwritten thank you card is fine. If you really want ot give something more, then don't make it too big. Many people actually consider it inappropriate and unethical because of the implied conflict of interest for the letter writer.

i agree, its good to just say thanks
unless you know your LOR writers really well. i actually knew mine for a long time and I TA'd for them and did research and did special projects for them so i thought it was appropriate for me to give them a stupid present for not only the letters they wrote me but for all the help they had given me over the years, etc.. so it all depends !

 

[Old_Mil]

My recommenders did a lot for me. I wanna give them something in return. What should I give? Any ideas? What do you folks give to your LOR writters?

I ordered fruit boxes with mixed citrus fruits; I'm giving them to them on Monday.

 

[Nittany Lion]

In my lab, we do a lot of mouse studies, so I got my PI (who has done a lot for me over the past few years) a little stuffed mouse ornament wearing a santa hat. 🙂 I figured she would think it was cute and it was a gift that was just small enough to not be too brown-nosey and big enough to be appreciated as something thoughtful.

 

[VPDcurt]

drop heat in a paper bag...put it on their porch...light it on fire...ring the doorbell

 

[45408]

Yeah, I'm not getting anything for any of them.

 

[gbiz]

I got them a gift basket too. They all acted as if I was the first to even say thank you!

 

[cammy1313]

I went the thank you card route myself. I considered a gift certificate but I decided that was even more impersonal than a card. I'm not a big fan of them as gifts in general unless they are for someone I don't know very well. I'd like the think my letter writers know me slightly better than an acquaintance.

I love the microbe idea for microbio faculty, that's too cute!