Did your prof share their LOR w/you???

[sparkle456]

Just curious??

All of mine provided me a copy and I was really surprised, but excited. Who doesn't love reading nice things about themselves

[GirlattheHelm]

One thrust it upon me, the other offered, and the other looked at me and was like, "Just look it up on the computer; I won't give a shit."

I only read the 'thrust upon me' one. Namely because she was giddy and made me read it outloud - she is insane but we love her. I trust the others... unless the 4 years I have terrorized them was really just an act on their part. I highly doubt it, though.

When you work for 12-16 hours a day with these people, I'm pretty sure they wrote me glorious letters. I have put my heart and soul into working for them and they know it. They pulled me out of a to-be-awful-eloping-marriage deal and found room for me. I had nobody and these professors didn't mind a strange sad girl. And, when I opened up, it became perhaps an enviable experience.

I owe everything to the grit of a piss poor situation and these people who kept a foot in the door for me to scuttle through. They know it, I know it, and I don't know if I could match this undergraduate experience if I were to do it all over again.

The letters were great, I have no doubt, but the ego boost I needed came four years ago.

[liszt85]

2 out of 3 showed me their letters.

[fuzzylogician]

None of them did, and honestly, I'd rather not know.

[misterpat]

None of mine did.

[GenderMediaGrad]

None of mine did. At my undergraduate University, none of the professors share those letters...I guess it is considered inappropriate. However, my professors each wrote me an e-mail after they submitted them and said something to the effect of "You better get in after the wonderful letter I wrote for you!" While I think it would be nice to know exactly what they wrote, I know it was good so I feel confident about the letters.

[GenderMediaGrad]

None of mine did. At my undergraduate University, none of the professors share those letters...I guess it is considered inappropriate. However, my professors each wrote me an e-mail after they submitted them and said something to the effect of "You better get in after the wonderful letter I wrote for you!" While I think it would be nice to know exactly what they wrote, I know it was good so I feel confident about the letters.

[dragynally]

2 outta 3. The 2 that shared were tenured PHDs...so they have reached the point in their career where they can do anything!

[yivorechecho]

One attached it to the e-mail she sent me to let me know that she had submitted them. She said she wanted to give me a self-confidence boost. It did. I haven't seen the other 2. One of them I would like to, because it was from a professor in whose class I submitted a fairly personal journal project, and I'm wondering what if anything he might have used from that. I have acceptances, so it couldn't have been anything too terrible, but just for curiosity's sake. I've reread that journal a few times and wondered why I left some of the stuff in there.

[miratrix]

Mine didn't, but I trust that they would've told me no if they couldn't write a good one. And I've got two acceptances, one at a "reach" school, so they must've been good!

[mmblue88]

One of them did but that was for the research I did with her and she want to clarify what I "did" because she said she grew senile. Another one offered, but I said no I don't need to read it. So he just told me he wrote "Good ones". Another one, I only know he uploaded 2 pages.....so I think he wrote a lot...or maybe it was just the school header taking up space xD. I get suspicious...... :wink:

[Baryon]

None did; I was a little surprised that 0 of 3 even offered or even had any hints of what they had written; I would very much liked to have seen what they'd written, especially one professor (who I'd worked with when I was pre-med, had been out of touch for two years and by then had changed my studies to energy science/economics), to see what he'd said. In any case, I think that they all were decent because I managed to get into one of my better preferred programs (am waiting on most of my applications still).

I had the impression a good percentage of letter writers showed or indicated what they'd written, but it was not so in my case.

[Tinyboss]

None of mine shared. Though one of them is on the adcom here, and told me that I "have very strong letters". I saw one from across the room, and saw that it is one and a half pages, though I couldn't make out anything. I'd love to know what they wrote, but I'll never ask.

[psycholinguist]

Nope. I'd (pseudo-)secretly be very interested in seeing what my professors wrote, of course, but I get enough background compliments from them (often passed on by friends) that I don't really mind not being able to. One of the professors on the receiving end at a school I visited also said to me, "You could get in anywhere!" My GPA and GRE-scores are solid but not through-the-roof, so I assume that it was mainly the letters that gave him this conviction. (Slightly inaccurate though it has turned out to be, I was very flattered and thanked him right away for the remark.)

[lyonessrampant]

So, my undergrad LOR writers all sent me their letters. After my MA, I applied to Ph.D. programs this year and none of my recommenders offered. I was a little surprised because of my undergrad experience, but talking to other people in my MA program, none of them got their letters either. . . so I guess that's standard at this institution. However, here's my dilemma, should I try to get copies of the letters, which I could do :twisted: or leave them be? I didn't get into the schools they said I should and while they all said they wrote strong letters, I'd like to know how strong. Should I replace an MA prof letter with a BA prof letter because I've stayed in close personal contact with my BA prof, even going to conferences and presenting with him? What do you think?

[ewurgler]

None offered, and I expected they wouldn't. I all asked them before if they felt comfortable writing me a letter of recommendation. Two of mine were from major hot shots who are extremely ethical--they wouldn't agree to write for me if it wasn't going to be positive. I don't expect they said I was the brightest person they have ever come across because that is clearly not going to be the case. But, I've done respectably thus far. I'm sure they were good and I have no issues not being able to ever see them.