There is a fascinating
discussion going on now on Wharton's Student-2-Student forum about the
appropriateness of applicants writing recommendations for their boss'
signature. "You write it and I'll sign it" is a common response to an
MBA applicant's request for a letter of recommendation ("LOR"). In
fact, McKinsey Consulting is purported to advise its consultants/applicants to
offer to write the LORs because by retaining authorship the applicant has some control over the letters' content.
In my experience this situation is not uncommon for applicants to other
professional programs, but I believe it is a less common syndrome in the academic
world.
The admissions offices hate and condemn the practice of
applicants writing the letter of recommendation for a boss' signature.* I'm not
sure if the schools are motivated by a desire to get another perspective on the
applicant or by fear that approving of or at least turning a blind eye to this
common practice will lead to an increase in forgeries.
I can't see any
difference between the applicant writing a letter or the supervisor's spouse or
secretary writing the letter. In fact, I can't see any difference between an
applicant drafting an LOR for her boss' signature and a PR department, secretary,
or Associate Dean of Admissions writing the "Letter from the Dean" commonly found
on b-school web sites or in b-school welcome packets.
As long as the letter reflects the signor's thoughts, what's
wrong with a busy person asking or paying someone else to craft a letter for his or her
signature?
Furthermore, schools have unintentionally made the process
much more onerous for recommenders. Years ago, recommenders would fill out a
short form for each school and attach it to a letter that was used for all schools.
Each recommender wrote one letter for an applicant; that letter was sent to all the applicant's schools. Since more and more
schools are requiring recommenders to respond to a unique set of queries and submit
forms that are specific to each school, they are actually making it less likely
recommenders will craft their own letters by making the process more
time-consuming. Inadvertently, the schools have encouraged recommenders to say
"You write them; I'll sign them."
Now let's address the question of perspective. The schools
have a good point here. Recommendations should add additional facets to an
application. How can an applicant provide the different perspective that turns
an ordinary or mediocre letter into something that really builds on the
foundation laid by the applicant's work? Talk to the recommender! Ask her what
she thinks about your teamwork, leadership, analytical skills, etc. Look at old reviews. Make sure
that the LOR doesn't merely parrot the essays and your vantage point; reflect
the recommender's perspective.
*Please note that I am talking about someone writing a
letter on another person's behalf with the signor's complete knowledge and agreement.
Forging a letter of recommendation without permission is a completely different
matter. It is both stupid and flat out wrong.
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