Do you ever wish you could see your letter?

[Pitangus]

The other girl who went to that university with me had a similar experience. She was white, but poor (although that's not relevant to the following anecdote). She asked for a recommendation from our eleventh grade English teacher, as did I. When she didn't end up applying to Harvard, she broke the cardinal rule and looked at the recommendation he had written. It was four mediocre lines long.

After the experience with my 12th grade English teacher, I only trusted one of my teachers, so I ended up sending a different set of recommendations to all of the schools I applied to. Luckily, I also decided not to apply to Harvard and therefore didn't send that teacher's recommendation. I have a feeling it was the exact same letter. A lot of students asked him to write their letters to Ivies and no one but the two of us, who didn't send his letter, got into one. I've always wondered if he was the reason why....

That makes me sad - just the idea of someone writing a short and unenthusiastic letters for all of his students, especially for high school students who likely do not have the insight yet to ask for "strong letters" and not just letters.

If a teacher has nothing nice to say about a student then he should decline to write the letter, unless the student insists, in which it's reasonable to suggest the letter won't be strong.

If a teacher is honestly just clueless about how to write an appropriate letter nowadays, then he needs to get with the program and hopefully someone will point this out to him, especially since he has no doubt benefited at some point from good letters written on his behalf.

(Note I say "he" just in keeping with felicidad's story)

[Pitangus]

Apologies for the double post, but again to felicidad: did you end up seeing the letter from the 11th grade teacher when you decided not to apply to Harvard? Or did you not have it? It would be interesting to know if said teacher was indeed using the same dull letter for everyone.

Apologies also for the typos in my previous post...

[socihealth]

I used to want to read my letters but after reading what some people have posted here, I may have changed my mind. It may be best to just let go of what I can't control and just let the adcomm decide.

[Chuck]

Oh dear. Curiosity got the best of me, and I read the letter from my undergraduate advisor.

Though it's absolutely fantastic to see such wonderful things said about oneself, I have to say that I am unexpectedly overwhelmed. I don't know how I can possibly live up to the image which my advisor painted. It's a pandoras box of things I can't possibly ever fully live up to. According to her, I apparently walk on water. There were so many amazing things said about me in that letter that it's truly overwhelming. I am embarrassed to have been spoken of in that way, and I just want to go hide in a cave.

I haven't even been admitted to a PhD program yet, and already I have impostor syndrome!

I miss thinking I was simply ordinary.

[contretemps]

I haven't even been admitted to a PhD program yet, and already I have impostor syndrome!

I miss thinking I was simply ordinary.

I was admitted into a couple and I am soo stressed out! What if they discover that I'm just a stupid wannabe? D:

[lalabooks]

Imposter Syndrome is the bane of my existence!! I am constantly evaluating my character and if I really deserve anything I am striving for. Driving myself nuts thinking that everyone will "find me out" sooner or later...what is there even to find???!! Don't worry contretempts and chuck..you are not the only one!

[-hermes-]

One of my recommenders forwarded me his rec after submitting it. I tend to overanalyse and fret over EVERYthing so I didn't read it for a while... But the curiosity got to me, haha. He was really complimentary and it was nice to read such a glowing letter during this period of grad app self doubt.

[CoffeeStainedMemos]

All recommenders sent me a copy of their letter.