writing a LOR?

[Rugger81]

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I recently asked my former boss for a letter of recommendation and he told me he'd be glad. But he asked me to write it (he's busy I guess) and he said he'd sign it.

Is this like being handed gold? Or is it a little unethical?


I am going to write it anyway, just wondering what other people thought.

 

[Mr Reddly]

Do a search on google... Sorry, I don't remember the web site where it is at.
One of the essay writing sites has a faq section along the lines of "So... the prof told you to write your LOR and he would sign it... What do you write?" It might help you out a bit for content.

 

[Rugger81]

not so worried about the content because i have some templates to work from (old LORs from last year that were cc:'d to me)

i'm glad that he is trusting me to write it, but somehow it feels a little sleazy to be doing it.


damn conscience. always getting in the way of stuff.

 

[Mr Reddly]

i'm glad that he is trusting me to write it, but somehow it feels a little sleazy to be doing it.

The web site also addresses that as well. As I recall, it made it seem as though this pratics is common. He just wants to write the best letter he can... and who better to write the best letter about you than you? Something along the lines of you write what you like, he gets the word doc, and if he doesn't agree, he can then change whatever he doesn't agree with. Think of it as you 'helping' him to write a more personalized letter.

As an FYI, if I were to ever be asked for a LOR, I think this is the approach I would take. My writing skills aren't the best, and if I have the student write it (even if it becomes a ruff draft for my own letter), then I know it is a great letter for that student.

 

[Mr Reddly]

found the web site
http://www.accepted.com/medical/LettersRec.aspx

 

[chopper]

This is what you do (get used to this, it can happen in the real world all the time):

1. Write the letter for him. Make sure it is 'smooth' so if he doesn't make any changes, it will go out good.

2. Provide a soft copy (email, disk) of this letter to him. Tell him that this is your 'draft' of the letter - that he can make any changes he chooses, and then print out, sign, and send. Printing out on official company letterhead is important, so this is a good excuse to give him the soft copy.

Doing it this way, everyone is happy, and no 'ethics' violation occured. You really don't know if he changed anything or not. You can honestly say "I didn't see the final letter, but I did provide him with a draft because he hadn't written a letter like this before"

I had to do this for one of my letters (thank god. I do HATE doing this). Remember, since he MAY not change a thing, make sure it sounds good. This is not the time to be humble. 🙂