Writing letter of rec: should I personalize for each school?

[Angelicasassy]

Hey,

One of my professors wants me to write the LOR for my apps. This prof is pretty well-known and I have a good relationship with them so I am OK with writing the LOR.

However, I am applying to 2 different sort of programs at 5 different schools. Should I personalize each letter and email it to the prof stating that they are for specific schools or should I just write one more basic letter that can be submitted to all schools? (I am a little scared that the prof may send the wrong LOR to the wrong school!)

[fuzzylogician]

Hey,

One of my professors wants me to write the LOR for my apps. This prof is pretty well-known and I have a good relationship with them so I am OK with writing the LOR.

However, I am applying to 2 different sort of programs at 5 different schools. Should I personalize each letter and email it to the prof stating that they are for specific schools or should I just write one more basic letter that can be submitted to all schools? (I am a little scared that the prof may send the wrong LOR to the wrong school!)

A personalized letter is much better. Think of the LOR as extending and supporting the fit paragraph of your SOP; if it argues that you are a good match to a specific program (and gives good reasons, of course) then it's much more convincing than just saying you're generally a good student. This is all the more so true if the letter writer is a famous person whose opinion the admissions committee is likely to trust.

ETA: if you're on good terms with the prof you could either offer your help filling out online forms or putting the right forms in the right envelopes; or you could just tell them your concerns. In any case, if they send the wrong letter to the wrong school it'll reflect badly on them, not you (and you'll never know...)

Edited November 17, 2009 by fuzzylogician

[gurumaster8899]

generally most recommenders send the same letter to all schools, but if you get the chance to do it yourself, be careful and try to make complete your SOP without repeating the same stuff, the LoR should portray from a different angle..