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Clay Made

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Posts posted by Clay Made

    LOR from professor, but written by me!

    in Letters of Recommendation

    Posted

    If you've read my last post, I was having huge trouble trying to obtain the requisite number of recommendations.

    I have two locked but needed a third. From my last position, I tried to get a recommendation but the guy I was working under has since left and I have no contact details for him. The number I had, he did not respond to! :(

    Anyway, I thought having all LOR from professors maybe an issue however after being assured by some other posters that they are doing the same, I began to approach more people.

    My professor, who was my thesis advisor, seems iffy at best. I sent him my material and he was very nonchalant about reviewing and then writing the letter. Hence, leaving me to think that it may be some random, generic letter, which would suck.

    So I asked another professor to cover my tracks, and she responded within 24 hours. However, she said she is very busy but would be happy to review a letter I write, and for her to edit in any way that may be necessary.

    Yay, right? Has anyone ever done this? What were the results? I have no idea how to go about this, and I think I would just write a letter that would be too good, if you follow me.

    Anyone with reassuring thoughts?

    Future work experience on resume?

    in Applications

    Posted

    Excuse this post if its been asked before, but what is the usual procedure behind adding future work experience onto your resume?

    I have three very relevant and prestigious internships (one beginning next week) over this year and as I am applying to MA in IR programs, I think they are definitely relevant and I want the admissions teams to be aware of them.

    But I dont want to sound or look overconfident, and seeing as I havent actually completed anything in them as of yet, how would I phrase their inclusion, if at all? Anyone else had this issue? Or any feedback would be helpful!

    LOR from professor - Ummm......

    in Letters of Recommendation

    Posted

    Just for some diversity, I'll throw in here that none of my recommenders asked for or looked at other parts of my application. If he was your thesis advisor, even 18 months ago, he probably doesn't need them to write you a strong or personal recommendation.

    Thank you! Good to hear someone came out well in a similar situation. His nonchalance worried me a little.

    Anyone have any tips on how to suss out what he may write in my recommendation without outright asking him?!

    LOR from professor - Ummm......

    in Letters of Recommendation

    Posted

    One ignored email is nothing, be persistent! But not obnoxiously persistent. There's a subtle line. Some professors, in my experience, are notoriously absent minded, but not intentionally so.

    As I've mentioned, I've sent several emails, being as clear as possible. I think the best course of action would be persistent in trying to arrange a meeting. Unless anyone else has suggestions??

    LOR from professor - Ummm......

    in Letters of Recommendation

    Posted

    Sounds like he didn't understand you were asking for a LOR. If there is no confusion about this point but he still doesn't understand why you want him to read your application materials, I would be suspicious and slightly worried. As dimanche correctly points out, it's possible that he just prefers to write LORs based only on his recollection without reading any other materials but it's then important to make sure that he remembers you well enough to write you a strong letter. I would follow up on this issue, as well as try to email the other professor again. Emails can get easily lost and/or forgotten so don't read too much into one ignored email.

    No its definitely clear. I am pretty worried, that he just has a template for references and fills in the blanks.

    LOR from professor - Ummm......

    in Letters of Recommendation

    Posted · Edited by Clay Made

    Have you tried following up with the professor? Their careers extend far beyond the classroom, and e-mails can easily get lost given the large number of other people who are trying to contact him/her. I wouldn't take it personally, though, nor would I consider lack of response to be unprofessional. That's just me.

    Tried about 5 times since August. Havent heard from even once. If it was my first effort I would understand but 5 emails, and no reply seems like he has no intention of writing it. Thats fine though, but at least he could respond telling me as much. I even gave him an out in my last mail, asking him whether he feels comfortable providing me with a recommendation.

    No. Every professor is different and some just don't care to review SOPs and writing samples. Assuming that you have requested the LOR from a professor who knows your work well, they shouldn't really need to review more of your work, anyway. Of course, there are other professors who prefer to be much more engaged in the process and want to review the whole app. packet so that they can better tailor their LOR. It just depends on who you're talking to.

    Well he was my advisor for my thesis. We got on reasonably well. I got a great mark and I published the work in the end so that should be enough. But that was 18 months ago so I wanted to give him a refresher as to my ability and where I am at currently. Yeah, I would prefer him to be more engaged but you're right. I tried to arrange a meeting with him but he didnt respond. Do you reckon its worth me persisting with this reference? I think I need two solid recommendations from professors.

    LOR from professor - Ummm......

    in Letters of Recommendation

    Posted

    I've narrowed down my list for recommendations and have been set for my applications.

    I had one recommender nor get back to me so I guess that is out. Unprofessional to the extreme to not even respond, but that's his prerogative.

    Basically, one of my recommenders sent me a very peculiar email. He moved from one university to another recently, so I have been giving him some breathing space before I bombard him with requests to write my letters. I tried a few time but didnt get a response so bided my time. I had sent him all the relevant material several weeks ago.

    So I asked him today if he has reviewed the material I sent (resume, list of universities, writing samples, etc) for my recommendation.

    This is his response:

    "Afraid I haven't had time as yet. I am sure they are interesting, but why do you need me to read them?"

    Should I be worried about the strength of this LOR?

    LOR all from professors?

    in Letters of Recommendation

    Posted

    All three of my academic references ought to be very good and they seem very enthusiastic. I am still a little concerned. Did you guys read your recommendations prior to submitting, i.e. tick the box asking to see it. I have another back up option from a professor, who said to me to write my own reference and he will submit it but I dont really feel comfortable doing this.

    Another reference academic hasnt responded to me as of yet, despite me sending several emails.

    Evaluate my profile

    in Government Affairs Forum

    Posted

    Hi everyone,

    I am planning to apply to top MPA programs. Here is my profile. What do you think about my chance?

    Undergraduate : Economics (summa cum laude)

    Graduate : MS in International Affairs

    Work Experience : 7 years full time government organization, attended to many professional training programs

    Publications : Two papers in SSCI and SCI indexed journal, a, award from research council, three papers under review.

    Scores : TOEFL :110, GRE 790 Q, 420 V

    Verbal is pretty bad for a MPP/IR sort of program.

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