Telling references that you got accpeted

[MichelleAbroad]

Is anyone informing their references who wrote LORs that they got accepted/rejected? How are you doing it? If emailing what are you saying, what do you write in the subject line, etc?

[JustChill]

I would only send them an unsolicited email about an acceptance. In which case, I would write something along the lines of:

 

Dear Dr. Jones,

 

Good news: I have been accepted into the journalism program at the University of Whatever. Thank you very much for your letter of support. 

 

Best,

Michelle

[fuzzylogician]

Yes, do write and tell them how things worked out for you. They went to the trouble of writing letters for you - meaning, they supported your efforts - so the least you can do is tell them what the outcome is. You can choose to share anything from the whole list of acceptances/rejections to just the decision you made about where to do. It's also a good opportunity to thank your recommenders again; connections are a good thing to have, you should keep the ones you have.

Just Chill gave a good suggestion for wording, though if it's a professor you have a good relationship with I might suggest being a little bit more enthusiastic and/or giving more details (e.g. "I wanted to share with you the outcome of my application process. I got admitted into Schools X and Y and have chosen to attend School Y. I wanted to thank you very much for your support throughout the process and for your letter of recommendation.") As for the subject line, you could say "(Update on) grad school decisions."

[iamjacksgoat]

I knew my recommenders pretty well, so I sent thank you cards briefly informing them of my acceptance to the program I chose and the scholarship I was offered.  

[Rogue856]

I just stopped in during their regular office hours. I plan on getting Thank you cards for the 3 of them and a small gift for my thesis advisor.

[Queen of Kale]

I let each of my letter writers know either in person (when feasible) or by e-mail.  Each professor wrote back an enthusiastic reply and I think they were glad that I kept them in the loop.  Several mentioned that they would save the letter on file in case I need another letter at some point in the future.  So, all in all, it turned out to not only be a nice thing to do but to also have some sort of practical incentive tied to it as well.  Best of both worlds!

[saphixation]

A couple of my professors specifically ask to be informed of all results, the reason being that knowing what types of students got accepted or rejected at various schools can help them give better advice to future students. They asked me to inform them where I did/did not get accepted when I was applying for REUs, too, for the same reason.

[ak48]

To my closest advisor I sent a long email thanking him for everything he's done for me since I met him. We are close so I don't think I was wasting his time.

 

The other 2, I also wrote a significant email to them updating my progress.

 

In my situation, I'd think "JustChill's" wording would be a little rude. I was fairly close with my recommenders and think they'd deserve a more personal touch.

[midnight]

I'm sending actual thank-you cards.

[LystAP]

After sending the cards, do you ask if they received them? Or just assume generally that the mail worked?

[renforu]

how'd you write them telling them the program you choose to attend?

[St Andrews Lynx]

I sent my referees a quick email telling them when I got my first acceptance. [Thought you would be pleased to hear that...][Thank you for your support and letters, it means a lot to me...]

Then, once I'd received all the offers and made my decision I sent the Thank You cards with a bit more information about how the application season went. [i wanted to let you know that I have formally accepted the PhD offer from X University. Thanks to your letter of support I received x offers and y interviews. I'm pleased with the decision and looking forward to getting started in Fall 2013...] Or something along those lines. 

One of my profs emailed me once the card arrived to say that he was glad things had worked etc, etc (which was a nice touch). The other one I assume got the letter, but isn't as hot on emailing. 

[jeffster]

I emailed all three of my LOR profs with a maybe five or ten sentence thankyou email.  All three of them replied enthusiastically.  Actually I wish I had sent them cards by mail now, in hindsight.  I can't think of a single reason you wouldn't go a bit out of your way to thank them for their support!

[Sigaba]

 

 

Dear Dr. Jones,

 

 

 

Please be advised that while JC's template is a good one, addressing a history professor as "Dr." can be taken as an insult.

[guinevere29]

I would echo others thoughts in saying that if they took the time to write recommendations for you, letting them know you were accepted would probably be welcomed news. With my recommenders, I knew them well and saw them often, so I was able to tell them in person and I actually sought their advice during my decision process.

 

I'm guess if you're asking the question though you may not be as close with your recommenders. In that case, they might appreciate an email (or thank you card) at the end of the applicaiton season letting them know your final choice. I wouldn't go so far as to give them a blow-by-blow of all your acceptances and rejections as they come in though. My personality is a lot more enthusiastic, so I think from my Just Chill's email would come off as kind of cold if someone who knew me was on the receiving end. I don't think anyone would begrudge you showing your appreciation for their help!

[shadowclaw]

I realize this topic is probably no longer relevant to the OP since it's August and last school year is long over, but it will probably be useful to this year's round of applicants.

 

I am very close to and was taking classes with two of my three writers during the application and waiting process. They frequently asked if I had heard anything back, and while I didn't volunteer my rejections (which is all I got early on), I let them know when they asked. My advisor/senior project mentor seemed more anxious about hearing back from my prospective schools than I was, and I think he was far more upset about my rejections than I was! When my number one choice rejected me, he was kind of like, "how are you not in a fit of rage?" and proceeded to rant and rave about how stupid the admissions committee must be. The other professor was much more subdued, and just said, "they don't know what they're missing." So those two were just as invested in the process as I was, and not only did I excitedly let them know about my acceptances as soon as possible in person, I also gave them thank you cards and small gifts around graduation.

 

My third writer I was not nearly as close to and I didn't often see her, but she did ask me about my progress when we would bump into each other around campus. She actually ended up finding out about my acceptances before I could tell her in person, because the other two immediately blabbed to the whole department, but I still told her about how excited I was, thanked her profusely, and told her which one I ended up choosing. In retrospect, I should have given her a card, too, although the cards I gave to the others were for more than just writing LORs for me. They were more like, "Thanks for being a great mentor and friend and also for helping me get into grad school."

 

So I guess what I'm getting at is that your writers, whether you are close to them or not, will definitely want to know where you end up choosing, and will probably want to hear about of all your acceptances, too (although not necessarily as they roll in). Rejections you can keep to yourself unless asked. After all, I assume that if they wrote a LOR for you, then they think positively of you and know you well enough that they will be curious about the outcome.

[Canis]

Please be advised that while JC's template is a good one, addressing a history professor as "Dr." can be taken as an insult.

 

Wow - is this true? I've never heard of this in any field. What would you use in History as a title/honorific?

[ereissoup]

Wow - is this true? I've never heard of this in any field. What would you use in History as a title/honorific?

 

Well, if they're tenure-track faculty the most appropriate title/honorific would probably be "Professor XXXXXX" instead of "Dr. XXXXXX".

Edited December 31, 2013 by ereissoup

[wisescience]

Intriguing. I've so far treated it as the following: Title = Dr., Position = Professor. If an individual desires to be addressed in a particular way, he/she may wish to give a hint by ending e-mails with the desired honorific. e.g. "Kind Regards, Supreme Lord Reverend George Washington III of World History"

[Canis]

Yes, I always start with the title (Dr., Mr. etc.) and use that as a salutation, but when referring to people in their capacity in the university, I use the position, Professor, Dean, etc.

 

They almost always reply and sign their first name at which point it's all over and we just switch to that. But some times someone will sign Prof. X or Mr. X, or Dr. X - at which point I then address the letter to Prof. X, etc. b/c they've indicated that is their preferred title.