Your LORS: Do you read them?

[Tonights]

I'm just wondering how many of you guys have read your letters of recommendation. I have a set of extras from a school I wound up not applying to, and I can't decide whether to read 'em or set them on fire unopened.

[plisar]

I'm just wondering how many of you guys have read your letters of recommendation. I have a set of extras from a school I wound up not applying to, and I can't decide whether to read 'em or set them on fire unopened.

Reading your letters is extremely unethical, especially if you don't have permission to read them!

[Dreams]

I would never read my letters of recommendation. I would rather not see what my references are writing about me. I have in the past turned down chances to read them when offered. Any extras I have are either destroyed or sent back to the writers.

[IvyHope]

It probably is unethical, but obviously some people take this more seriously than others. Most of my writers actually sent me a copy of the letter via email. I've even had two recommenders (strong, well known in the field types) ask me to write the letter for them and then bring it to them to sign (this was not recently).

What do you have to gain by reading them? If there is something bad in there (which there likely is not) then you will just have to deal with a strained relationship with XYZ professor. If they are all good, then you still sit around waiting on this forum for good news from your prospective schools. Either way it is not going to change your outcome.

[Tonights]

True. My main reason for possibly looking at them was "then I will know if someone is giving me a lukewarm rec, and if I get rejected from everywhere this year, I'll know not to ask them again."

But truthfully I am too self-conscious to read them, I think. I'd be embarrassed.

[limeinthecoconut]

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[MAN]

I had my profs send the LORs directly to the schools I applied to (I gave them addressed/stamped envelopes). It made it easy for them and kept me away from any moral issues.

[IvyHope]

Most schools now are moving to the online system in which letters are submitted to the school directly anyhow. It may become a moot point.

Now if only they'd do that with transcripts. :=)

[rising_star]

If you waived your right to read them, don't read them. Anything other than that is unethical.

[pikatopia]

I didn't waive my right to read them ... basically, I didn't check the box that said "never reading these letters ever".

It's funny though, one of my references told me what another had said as her conclusion and it was something along the lines of, "I would welcome the chance to have her as a colleague." AAAAHHHH!!! So flattering...I think it's interesting that they chose to share what they had written. I feel very fortunate to have such amazingly supportive faculty behind me .

[Tritonetelephone]

It is very unethical to read your letters without permission. Don't. Do. It.

I had an extra letter, but I gave it back to him so he'd know I never looked at it. (That was a tough one, too. The prof that I least trusted of the 3.) Another one of my recommenders has even been pretty open about what was in his letters, but I still would have done to the same.

[Tinyboss]

I didn't waive my right to read them ... basically, I didn't check the box that said "never reading these letters ever".

It is my understanding that it's unwise not to waive your right to review them. Admissions committees will question the honesty of a recommendation which the professor knows the student will see. I waived all of mine, and had the paper ones sent from the department office, to avoid any temptation.

[belevitt]

Ethics be damned...You don't want to read those because you don't want a festering resentment to cloud the otherwise positive relationship you ahve with your PI or professors or whomever.

[misterpat]

Reading your letters is extremely unethical, especially if you don't have permission to read them!

Hey. If a tree falls in the woods... :wink:

Personally, I wouldn't read it. Somewhat because it's unethical, but mostly because I'd feel neurotic doing so.

[Tonights]

Ethics be damned...You don't want to read those because you don't want a festering resentment to cloud the otherwise positive relationship you ahve with your PI or professors or whomever.

That's the real reason I'm not going to read them. I really know my writers wouldn't care if I looked or not (we've had this discussion), but personally I just couldn't stand to read my qualitative evaluations by these folks. If they were bad, I'd be devastated, and if they were good, I would be dreadfully embarrassed.

[hartshorneBoy]

If you don't read them, you have one less thing to worry about possibly hurting your chances. I'd only do it after application season is over and by then it really doesn't matter, right? You might as well just throw them out. If you get in, you know they said nice things about you.

One of my letter writers jokes that he'll be the reason I get in or don't (he has said no to writing letters before). Of course, the vast majority of people would not write letters unless they think you are worthy of one, so it's nice. chill.

[sunshine6]

just putting this out there, but one of my schools lets you read your (submitted online and waived) letters AFTER you get accepted or rejected. That way, you are able to determine if one or more writers is less than enthusiastic.

Me personally though I would only feel the need to read them if I had large majority of rejections I didn't anticipate, and then only if I planned to reject my acceptances and start over.

I wouldn't worry, I am sure you are going to get in a bunch of places and then forget all about the letters

[fenderpete]

Small anecdote on this... An ex of mine read an extra one she had after getting into a grad program. Brilliant reference apart from the line where the referee described her as 'an extremely selfish person'. Obviously a typo given the context of the rest of the sentence, but in retrospect extremely accurate

[leogk]

I am in the same situation.

One of my recommenders emailed me his id/password of embark system.

I'm not sure whether it was an accident or not.

Anyhow, it empowered me to read his recommendation to other people, too !

I didn't read it because I didn't want to be all nerves and as you guys said, it would change nothing about my odds.

But one of professors I contacted said my application is very competitive, so I'm just guessing it is good.

[plisar]

I am in the same situation.

One of my recommenders emailed me his id/password of embark system.

I'm not sure whether it was an accident or not.

Anyhow, it empowered me to read his recommendation to other people, too !

I didn't read it because I didn't want to be all nerves and as you guys said, it would changing nothing about my chance.

But one of professors I contacted said my application is very competitive, so I'm just guessing it is good.

I hope you didn't log in from the same computer as you submitted your application. Embark flags that.

[t_ruth]

I hope you didn't log in from the same computer as you submitted your application. Embark flags that.

Really? One of my ref writers was having a hard time jumping through all the computer hoops so asked that I submit her letter for her w/her login. Will this be an automatic black mark or will they at least call her to follow up?

[plisar]

Usually it won't matter t_ruth and Embark will be the one calling, not the programs. Typically Embark would try to get into contact with the letter writer letting them know their account was compromised. In your case, you were authorized to help, so it likely wouldn't matter, but in the case of the OP, he or she was looking at things that he or she shouldn't. Provided Embark does call the original letter writer, it may not look good.

[leogk]

I hope you didn't log in from the same computer as you submitted your application. Embark flags that.

Oh I see. I didn't know it.

Thank god. I haven't log in that site with his id/passwd ever.

I don't delete the email yet, but I may need to do it. (Because it's very important for me to keep good relation with him unless I quit my current field of research.)

[pikatopia]

It is my understanding that it's unwise not to waive your right to review them. Admissions committees will question the honesty of a recommendation which the professor knows the student will see. I waived all of mine, and had the paper ones sent from the department office, to avoid any temptation.

I think it differs from place to place - as do many other parts of an application...I was told directly (by the few Grad Admissions Chairs that I asked) that whether you waive or not has absolutely no influence on their decision. I just didn't want to waive my right to (perhaps someday maybe want to) see something that determines such a big part of my future. However, that being said - right now, I would not read any of them if given the chance...

[ohheygradschool]

I don't know how I feel personally about reading letters of rec., but my girlfriend is 100% in support of reading them before they're sent. She thinks that an applicant should be completely aware of how he/she is represented. She even got more LORs than necessary so she could pick and choose which ones to send with which applications. Granted, she was applying to things like TFA and fellowships not directly related to school, but she has said that the same philosophy applies for her grad apps. She also finds comfort in reading things like "X was the best student of [her subject] I've ever taught at [big deal UK institution]," saying that it reduces stress when she's more comfortable/sure of the complete application package. It may be true because in some ways she's less anxious than me... but I'm still on the fence.