Classmate FORGED letters of rec... What do I do?

[vanasme]

There is girl in many of my classes and this last semester, we've gotten fairly close. I wouldn't say we're best friends or anything, but we've hung out a couple of times outside class... mainly to discuss papers we're working on or to share class notes.

Anyways, the other day we were both talking about grad school applications and the topic of letters of recommendation came up. I casually asked her who she asked and her response was "I actually didn't ask anyone... promise not to say anything?... I just made up my own letters of recommendation and signed the envelope with my professor's name... I mean, it's not like they'll know the difference and if I don't get into grad school I don't know what I'll do with my life..."

At this point my jaw was literally down to the floor in disbelief!!! I couldn't believe what she had told me!!! I've worked VERY hard to form some form of a relationship with my professors this semester and I can't believe that she would do something so... crazy! So now what? We're applying to some of the same schools and I feel like I have an obligation to say something, but I don't want to seem like a "tattletale" to the universities I'm applying to... but the injustice of it all makes me want to scream! Is it likely that she'll just get caught?

Ahhh I'm so annoyed at the nerve of this girl, but I don't know what I should or shouldn't do... ANY suggestions are welcome!

[omgninjas]

That's got to be one of the most outrageously stupid and irresponsible things I've ever heard from a would-be graduate student. What did you say to her after she told you this? Anything other than outright incredulity and castigation was a mistake.

Anyways, I don't know if I would bother snitching, if she has to forge her own recommendation, she's probably not the best candidate around....getting caught doing something like this and your chances of a post-graduate degree pretty much vanish. If you were to tell on her, who would you tell? I'd think the Dean of your school would be the best, he/she would likely come down on this girl with a VENGEANCE, as it casts a shadow on all of the students from your school attempting to go to graduate school.

[belevitt]

If your classmate was short sighted enough to forge letters of recommendation from better known faculty, then there is a good chance that at least someone on the admission committee would know that supposed referee. She might also find that some schools send some follow up mail to the department confirming the veracity of the reference. She may get away with this, but she will be looking over her shoulder for a long time, hoping to not get caught.

[vanasme]

Needless to say, I was APPALLED at what I heard and I definitely let her know...I would like to think that she'll get caught without my saying anything, but I'm going to be LIVID if she is actually accepted to schools that I applied to and am rejected from (which is pretty likely)...

The thing is, she's an EXTREMELY intelligent woman, just socially awkward... which is why she had to make-up letters of recommendation. She's graduating with honors, has a 3.9 GPA, has an excellent writing sample and personal statement (I've read both), but ZERO people skills... I just hope she gets what she deserves for doing something so foolish... How often do universities actually check up on the veracity of letters of recommendation? Hopefully pretty often!!! I know that I had to provide email addresses for my professors... I wonder what on Earth she gave them!?

[timuralp]

When I applied last year, I knew that people in other schools were checking up on my references. One example is the professor I asked went to a conference where another professor from a school that I applied to was asking him questions about me as a student, etc. It's pretty likely that interested faculty will be curious. Anyway, the other problem is that the letters she wrote are not likely to be great, in a sense that the best letters talk about the students achievements in terms of research/independent study work. If the ones she wrote mention that as well, it's likely to raise follow up questions with the faculty.

Either way, I would let her deal with that herself. Just do your best with yours and she'll know what she did whatever the outcome is. I think that's a pretty tough burden as is. At the same time, if you want her to pay the consequences for certain, I'd ask your advisor maybe what the protocol is at the school. At my university I would go to the department head. Good luck and don't worry so much about that as getting your apps done.

[rising_star]

vanasme, I would definitely tell someone at your current institution. Professors don't typically like having their names signed to things without their consent.

At the same time, what timuralp said about "checking up" is so true in some fields. I happen to know that at least 4 of the 7 schools I applied to for a PhD contacted one or more of my recommenders to get more info on me (mostly because they knew my recommender personally). So, that would definitely be a check on the letter's veracity.

[rokxal]

Many programs accept online recommendations only. Its pretty suspect to forge multiple emails under your university's domain with false identities.

In any case, there's really little that can be done. Informing the respective universities may leave collateral damage on your name. Informing the dean is unwarranted because of a lack of evidence. However, since your concern is of ethical responsibility or leveling competition, talk to an adviser first to play it safe.

[misterpat]

She will absolutely get caught. I can't believe anyone that stupid would actually be applying to graduate school.

What you really should do is act cool about it, and ask her if she saved any copies on her computer. Ask for one and post it on here. Those letters are probably hysterical.

There is girl in many of my classes and this last semester, we've gotten fairly close. I wouldn't say we're best friends or anything, but we've hung out a couple of times outside class... mainly to discuss papers we're working on or to share class notes.

Anyways, the other day we were both talking about grad school applications and the topic of letters of recommendation came up. I casually asked her who she asked and her response was "I actually didn't ask anyone... promise not to say anything?... I just made up my own letters of recommendation and signed the envelope with my professor's name... I mean, it's not like they'll know the difference and if I don't get into grad school I don't know what I'll do with my life..."

At this point my jaw was literally down to the floor in disbelief!!! I couldn't believe what she had told me!!! I've worked VERY hard to form some form of a relationship with my professors this semester and I can't believe that she would do something so... crazy! So now what? We're applying to some of the same schools and I feel like I have an obligation to say something, but I don't want to seem like a "tattletale" to the universities I'm applying to... but the injustice of it all makes me want to scream! Is it likely that she'll just get caught?

Ahhh I'm so annoyed at the nerve of this girl, but I don't know what I should or shouldn't do... ANY suggestions are welcome!

[ampersand]

That was an unbelievably, mind-numbingly stupid thing for this girl to do. This kind of thing could completely ruin a graduate career. Besides that, I'd think these professors would be furious that their names were signed to a document they didn't approve, and this could damage the chances that future students from your school have of getting into the schools she sent the letters to. Also, how does she expect to survive in grad school and academia in general if she doesn't know how to interact with people and is scared of asking for help?

/rant

I don't think you should let her get away with this kind of fraud. Make an appointment with the department chair at your current school and tell him/her about the conversation you had with this student (don't do it over email). Frame it in terms like "I felt like you should know what this student did, because I don't want her actions to reflect poorly on the department." Refrain from going off on an angry rant and just stick to the facts as you know them. And then--this will be the hard part--let it go. You should trust the department chair to address this appropriately--they get paid more than you because they have to deal with a lot of problems like this. I'm sure you're understandably incensed at the audacity of this student, but you can't let it eat at you. You need to focus on making your applications the best they can be so that you can get into a good school on your own merits. You should also be prepared for this girl to be very, very mad at you. But hey, at least the semester's almost over and hopefully you won't have any more classes with her.

[mobell195]

I will join the chorus that says to inform the authorities of this. That is so incredibly unethical. It's unbelievable.

[technocat]

This is totally awesome (as in the outrageous thing that I would never do but would love to hear about). Please tell us how it turns out!

[MAN]

If I was in your situation, I'd probably let it go. What do you gain by informing the authorities? The only thing I can think of is the feeling that you stopped an unethical act. You aren't going to enhance your chances of getting into the same schools (i.e. eliminating the competition doesn't work as a graduate school application strategy).

Now what can you lose from informing the authorities? This girl gets in a huge amount of trouble. Also, and this just might be my Italian/Sicilian side talking, but you come off looking like a snitch. Or to quote Mike Brady (played by the great Gary Cole) in The Brady Bunch Movie, "Cindy, you know by tattling on your friends, you're really just tattling on yourself. By tattling on your friends, you're just telling them that you're a tattletale. Now is that the tale you want to tell?"

Chances are that this girl will end up being caught without your intervention. Your best bet would be to just distance yourself from her and this situation.

[vanasme]

I made an appointment to speak with the head of my department to give them a heads up about the whole thing... I can't sit by idly, but I don't want to inform other universities either... I just don't think it's my place to say anything. Hopefully the head of the department will take matters into his own hands.

I'll let you guys know what he says!

[Minnesotan]

I would feel obligated to do something similar -- go see the dept. head or dean. It is just as unethical to allow things like this to happen as it is to make them happen. Laziness or fear of reprisal does not excuse a complete lack of morality.

It would be like if I caught one of my students plagiarizing and said, "Well, it's not my job to ruin their careers." It is my job to report flagrant violations of academic honesty, no matter what my position in academia.

[vanasme]

Just a quick update... I informed the head of my department and he said that he would look into it...

To be honest, it seemed like he didn't believe me or that I was only saying something because I was jealous... It was very strange. Hopefully he was just having a bad day.

In other news, I prodded my classmate about her forgery and she stated that "well, I wasn't stupid enough to use professors that still teach here" AHHHHH I wish I had this conversation recorded! I don't know why she keeps telling me things... I guess she just thinks she can trust me, bur really she's just digging herself into a deeper hole! I'm still undecided on whether or not to contact the schools that she's applying to... maybe an anonymous letter...

[Minnesotan]

Someone will wonder why the LoRs aren't on letterhead, anyway.

I'll give even money she gets caught. Anyone in?

[UKgraduate]

I registered just so I could respond to this person.

It's a rat race baby. If you think for one minute that you're gonna get ahead in life by following all of the rules and being a nosy tattletale, you are in for a rude awakening.

I can't assure you that the professor you went to speak to will look into this, but I can assure you that you have now been given the title of 'Nosy Knob' by said professor.

Have you ever lied? Cheated on a test?

If not, maybe you should put the book down for a minute and go have a pint...live a little. I can't handle people like you. Social Police. It's not like this girl has a 2.0.

Rant over.

[UKbound]

Sadly, I think the poster above is right. If this girl has the mettle to be successful in grad school she'll do it. If she forged those letters because she doesn't, she'll find out soon enough.

I really don't see the need to say anything one way or the other. You're not her instructor, you're not her adviser, and you're not her competition. It's really sad that someone can achieve what this girl has without finding a single person to support her application, but I don't think you're doing yourself, or anyone else for that matter, any favors by wasting your time ratting this girl out. If she doesn't have what it takes to get through grad school, she won't. Her personality clearly hasn't gotten in her way thus far. If her writing sample or personal statement were plagiarized I think the situation would be different. The fact that she feels she's the only one capable of supporting her application (which means she doesn't have much faith in either her instructors or herself) puts a different bent on the whole situation. Technically, she's not stealing anyone's work. She's putting words in someone's mouth, on her own behalf.

At the end of the day, the whole thing is just really sad. I can't imagine what it would be like to go your entire undergrad career without getting to know even one instructor well enough to ask for a letter. Can you imagine what her internal life must be like... :|

[lotf629]

I agree that this student is pretty likely to get caught.

If you want to be aggressive, however, one thing to do would be to see if you can find out whose names she is actually signing: those people would be the best placed to do something about the situation, and perhaps also the most motivated. You might send a brief letter to those faculty (or to the department, if necessary) saying something like,

"Dear Professor So-and-So,

"It recently came to my attention that [so-and-So], a former student of yours, has likely forged a letter of recommendation from you as part of her applications to [Program X, Y, and Z]. Since your name is apparently being signed without your consent, I felt obliged to inform you of the situation.

"Sincerely,

"[Whatever you feel comfortable signing]."

Likewise, you could write a similar version of the same letter and send it, anonymously, to the programs to which she's applying:

"Dear [Program, Whatever],

"It recently came to my attention that [so-and-So] may have forged a letter of recommendation from a former professor as part of her application to your program. Since this professor's name has apparently been signed without [his/her] consent, I felt obliged to inform you of the situation and recommend that you take a moment to confirm the sources of the recommendations in this student's file."

You don't need to prove anything, after all, nor do you need to tell them that every letter in the file is fake. You just need to send them enough of a red flag that they pick up the phone...probably not hard to do. If all you do is to recommend that they contact the professors involved, I don't see how you could be accused of a smear campaign. I know that at the undergraduate level, where offices are processing tens of thousands of applications, such tip-offs are routinely pursued; I'd think that the same thing would be true at the grad level.

[Minnesotan]

I registered just so I could respond to this person.

It's a rat race baby. If you think for one minute that you're gonna get ahead in life by following all of the rules and being a nosy tattletale, you are in for a rude awakening.

I can't assure you that the professor you went to speak to will look into this, but I can assure you that you have now been given the title of 'Nosy Knob' by said professor.

Have you ever lied? Cheated on a test?

If not, maybe you should put the book down for a minute and go have a pint...live a little. I can't handle people like you. Social Police. It's not like this girl has a 2.0.

Rant over.

Because she has a high GPA, it's okay to forge her recommendation letters? Or is fraud not a heinous enough crime to report? Should we wait until it comes down to rape, murder, or ripping off mattress tags before we speak up?

This attitude sickens me. Only a complete asshat would call someone who reported a crime a tattle-tale.

Anyone who supports this type of behavior has no place in academia. I mean, really! Assuming that everyone who has a shred of academic integrity needs to "live a little"?! Maybe wasting time drinking too many pints are why you feel the need to cheat, sir!

[royalt3240]

Instead of taking the time and energy to tell on this girl, why not do something to improve yourself? Leave her to her own devices and her wrong doings will eventually come to light. Its better to let people self-destruct in cases like this.

I question the OP's true reason for telling on her.... Why bother to tell? Do you, don't worry about her.

[solefolia]

I agree with Minnesotan. The GPA comment peeves me a bit, since I've known plenty of folks who may not have excelled in undergrad coursework, but were perfectly well suited for graduate study. And to suggest that this person is somehow exempt from any wrong-doing because they were lazy and unethical (but hey, they have a high GPA) is ridiculous. Maybe it's a cultural thing to be dismissive toward something like this. Is the fear of being considered a "nosy knob" or "tattletale" a justifiable reason to turn the other way when something like this happens? Stuff like this makes me worry about who my future colleagues are. Who knows, maybe I'm naive for expecting otherwise.

And as much as we'd all like to believe that people get what they deserve, I've found that is usually the exception, rather than the rule. Sure, this person might be found out by their own carelessness, or stumble sometime in the future. But I'd say it's far more likely that without direct intervention, if this sort of thing is something the person can shrug off, it'll only continue from there. In the shoes of the OP, I can't say whether I would take action or not. But I certainly don't think the OPs motives need to be questioned, nor does their integrity.

I find it hard to understand why someone is getting chastized for bringing a serious ethical concern to a professor.

[AmericanWoman]

And to suggest that this person is somehow exempt from any wrong-doing because they were lazy and unethical (but hey, they have a high GPA) is ridiculous. Maybe it's a cultural thing to be dismissive toward something like this. Is the fear of being considered a "nosy knob" or "tattletale" a justifiable reason to turn the other way when something like this happens? Stuff like this makes me worry about who my future colleagues are. Who knows, maybe I'm naive for expecting otherwise.

And as much as we'd all like to believe that people get what they deserve, I've found that is usually the exception, rather than the rule. Sure, this person might be found out by their own carelessness, or stumble sometime in the future. But I'd say it's far more likely that without direct intervention, if this sort of thing is something the person can shrug off, it'll only continue from there. In the shoes of the OP, I can't say whether I would take action or not. But I certainly don't think the OPs motives need to be questioned, nor does their integrity.

I find it hard to understand why someone is getting chastized for bringing a serious ethical concern to a professor.

Ewwww..."cultural thing"??? Maybe it's a cultural thing to call it a cultural thing. Do you realize how dangerously close you are to violating the very tenous boundary between "just an observation" and racism with that comment? One person's difference of opinion does not sum up the position of that person's entire culture. Nor are you in any position to chastise that person for maintaining it. Not everyone sees this as the uber-heinous event that it's being made out to be. Certainly there's an ethical violation here, but not everyone believes that the scale is appropriate to warrant the kind of responses that have been suggested. This is, in the eyes of many people from many cultures, an infraction much closer to ripping off a mattress tag than say something that might be considered (ahem) hate speech by some. Even more importantly, I don't think anyone here has argued that what this girl has done is not wrong, but the volume of vitriol directed at her is somehow a bit out of whack. The holier-than-thou tone and overall distortion of perception is what many of the people who are advocating the original poster chill a bit are having trouble with. This witch hunt mentality toward a person none of us has ever met and probably never will is really disturbing. How do you even know whether the alleged evil-doer went through with her plan? Don't you think you ought to get her side of the story before amping up your own indignation toward her alleged crime? I think you might feel a little less superior if you were to find out that none of what's been said about her is true. If this situation genuinely bothers you as much as you conveyed in your post you may want to rethink your future. There are lots of screwy, underhanded, unscrupulous people in the world and you will, invariably, end up working with some of them so get over it and as one previous poster suggested, work on yourself.

Btw, you can't be exempt from wrong-doing, you can be exempt from penalty. Get your syntax straight.

[solefolia]

Wow, when did I say ANYTHING about race... I was referring to "UKGraduate" being, presumably, from the UK. Surely differences exist between Americans and Britons and I thought maybe that might be an indicator of the poster taking a much more casual reaction to the whole situation. I'm afraid I'm not going to sit and argue the meaning of my words in that regard, as it was nothing but a passing comment that I'll admit I probably shouldn't have made in the first place (I had a bad feeling I'd get a reaction similar to this...) I think you're taking what I said way out of context and just looking to pick a fight. At any rate, perhaps I wasn't clear in my post. The person in question is not so much the target of my "indignation" as the alleged crime committed. I said myself that I don't know if I'd bring up the concern or not. I'm usually content to ignore things like this. But I don't think the OP should be called a "nosy knob" or "tattletale" for bringing up his or her concerns.

I don't even know how to respond to the rest of your post, because it seems nothing except a personal attack. I do apologize for poor wording, though!

[Louiselab]

I am the most socially awkward person when it comes to talking with professors, especially acting them to do something for me, but even I could suck it up and be a big girl for long enough to ask for a letter of recommendation.