Can you believe this just happened to me?

[sushitooth]

One of my recommenders just told me that for his Gerald R. Ford recommendation, "They had a set of questions, and an option recommendation letter... I was so rushed in doing that one, I didn't do the optional recommendation letter because I was afraid to run out of time."

!!???!?!?! I'm not even blaming him. And he IS someone who thinks highly of me, we have worked together a long time, but my goodness!!! I didn't say anything to him, but when they talk about something "going wrong" with recommendations, I guess this is what they mean. God damn.

The other thing that has me worried is my Heinz CMU one. He told me there was nowhere to attach a recommendation letter there, that it was all just a set of short-answer questions. Can anyone confirm this??? CMU's website seems to indicate that this is correct, that there is no recommendation letter... But if there IS, and he didn't do it again, then my top two schools just went out the window.

Wow.

[sushitooth]

I mean, I feel like it's my responsibility anyways... Or if something like this happens, then it's my fault for finding a recommender that doesn't care enough to not mess up like this... But the thing is, this guy is SOLID. He had plenty of times, and our relationship is really one of friendship pretty much. I basically think that 999 of a 1000 people, if they worked with this person like I did, they would have also asked him for a recommendation, and they would also expect 100% for it to be completely great.

But this was just ridiculous. There are no indicators that he doesn't care about writing one for me... We've discussed these things diligently, we've discussed my career aspirations for hours upon hours on the phone (because he actually took great interest, since we've worked together and may again one day). And this? I can't believe it, dudes.. Cannot.

[yogurtlover]

hi. i normally dont reply to any forums...im just an onlooker. But i can say that I saw my recommender work on my recommendation for CMU...while your professor is right in saying that there were short answer questions, there was also an "optional" section where you can upload the whole letter of rec. My professor didnt add anything in the short answer questions and went directly to upload the letter. It was super easy and finished quickly.

This is what CMU's website says:

Please let your recommenders know that they may upload an electronic document or scanned copy of a paper-based recommendation using the online system rather than using the text box response fields.

http://www.heinz.cmu...cess/index.aspx

Also, sorry to hear about your recommender. I hate it when professors dont care about you and you put in all that effort in your app. Hope for the best

Edited February 14, 2010 by yogurtlover

[sushitooth]

hi. i normally dont reply to any forums...im just an onlooker. But i can say that I saw my recommender work on my recommendation for CMU...while your professor is right in saying that there were short answer questions, there was also an "optional" section where you can upload the whole letter of rec. My professor didnt add anything in the short answer questions and went directly to upload the letter. It was super easy and finished quickly.

This is what CMU's website says:

Also, sorry to hear about your recommender. I hate it when professors dont care about you and you put in all that effort in your app. Hope for the best

Sweet. Maybe since it said, "rather than the forms," or whatever, it's not the worst thing in the world. Oh well. CMU is my fault, since it said that on the website and I myself didn't notice where it said that.

I sent Michigan an email asking if they will accept a super-later recommendation letter. It's funny, because Michigan contacted me a week ago saying one of the recommendations was missing and that I have until Feb. 15th to get it to them, and I asked them to double-check, because on my status page it said that all the recommendations had been "completed." They said that, indeed, they did make a mistake and found the third recommendation.

But now... I wonder if they were checking it, and found it so surprising that someone decided to opt out of writing a recommendation, that they figured it was "missing" completely, lol. Little did they know... That there was just an "opt-out."

[Jade]

That's a new one.

Wow. I'm so sorry. When did you ask him to write it? If it was the week or two before, he might have been rushed at the last minute. Well, no. If you asked at the last minute and he knew he didn't have the time, he should have said no.

[sushitooth]

Well, so today, I called Heinz and explained to them what happened, and also informed them that my recommender would be email the actual letter to them over the weekend. They told me that if my application has not yet been reviewed (they said 50% chance, especially due to the blizzard holding things up almost a week), or if the review process has just begun, the letter will get to the committee.

However, they told me not to worry about it regardless, because having recommenders only fill out the form is "pretty standard, we see it very very often." I told her, "But as an admissions committee looking at the application, and seeing that someone has decided to fill out some short-answer questions but not write an actual letter for me, doesn't that send a less-than-resounding message about me?" She says, "You knok...no-- Again, we see it all the time. Professors, especially during the year, are very busy and that is why we let them do the form only as an option instead of the short answer. To be honest, I do not think whether the committee will get the letter that he sent over the weekend or not will have much an affect on your decision, as long as he did fill out the recommendation form."

Wow? Maybe Heinz is more technical and does not care so much? And they did not know who I was, so they couldn't have been implying, "Hey, your app is great/sucks either way, one letter won't change a thing..." Interesting.

[zourah]

Well, so today, I called Heinz and explained to them what happened, and also informed them that my recommender would be email the actual letter to them over the weekend. They told me that if my application has not yet been reviewed (they said 50% chance, especially due to the blizzard holding things up almost a week), or if the review process has just begun, the letter will get to the committee.

However, they told me not to worry about it regardless, because having recommenders only fill out the form is "pretty standard, we see it very very often." I told her, "But as an admissions committee looking at the application, and seeing that someone has decided to fill out some short-answer questions but not write an actual letter for me, doesn't that send a less-than-resounding message about me?" She says, "You knok...no-- Again, we see it all the time. Professors, especially during the year, are very busy and that is why we let them do the form only as an option instead of the short answer. To be honest, I do not think whether the committee will get the letter that he sent over the weekend or not will have much an affect on your decision, as long as he did fill out the recommendation form."

Wow? Maybe Heinz is more technical and does not care so much? And they did not know who I was, so they couldn't have been implying, "Hey, your app is great/sucks either way, one letter won't change a thing..." Interesting.

I really wouldn't worry too much. My closest mentor/boss/friend was more than happy to write for me last year, but was unfamiliar with the traditions and styles. Even having helped him polish the language a bit, it came off as a bit reserved rather than completely glowing - something of a cultural difference, I suppose. Anyway, I worried about it a good deal (this is the person who knows me best, who supervises my work; what are they going to think of this?!?) and in the end it just didn't hurt me. So long as what he said is positive, I don't think the ad coms really spend lots of time reading between the lines for additional indicators.

[La Voz]

Is your professor new to providing recommendations?

I had a similar experience with one of my three recommenders failing to provide a few of my recommendations by the deadline. He got them all in, but a few were a couple days late despite a few friendly reminders early in the process and few more reminders around the deadline. I ask you the question above because my guy was new to recommendations, so maybe that was the case with yours. It may not make you feel better, but hopefully he/she will be better for the next people they write Recs for.

[sushitooth]

Is your professor new to providing recommendations?

I had a similar experience with one of my three recommenders failing to provide a few of my recommendations by the deadline. He got them all in, but a few were a couple days late despite a few friendly reminders early in the process and few more reminders around the deadline. I ask you the question above because my guy was new to recommendations, so maybe that was the case with yours. It may not make you feel better, but hopefully he/she will be better for the next people they write Recs for.

No, he is not new, he is just lazy I think. Feb. 15th was the deadline for another place I am applying, and he was online, and he opted (I never asked for this) to send me the letter so I can read it and see if it's proper. It was a phenomenal letter, and spoke about me, but in the last paragraph, it referred to another person (not me). So I told him that I understand he was probably using an old template (he was, he told me this prior) and told them the letter is great, that I don't want to change it, besides making the obvious correction of changing the name of the person to my name.

And then I asked him, "But, umm, just tell me honestly... What are the chances that the other two recs you did, for Michigan and Heinz, also used another person's name?" (obviously, that would have been the ultimate tragic killer, recommending ultimately another person who is not me, lol, in my recommendation letter)

And he says, "Well, for Michigan, it was optional, and if you remember, I was pressed for time, so I didn't write the letter." I said, containing my anger, "... Okay... And what about Heinz?" He said, "Well, Heinz only had short answers."

"Only short answers? No optional letter?"

"Nope. I guess they like to just read how a recommender can describe the candidates in a few short words."

"Okay... Well, thank you."

So, then I emailed another one of my recommenders and I ask him, "Hey, can you recall whether Heinz was just short answer or whether you could attach an optional recommendation?"

And he emailed me the entire email that he received from Heinz, about my request for his recommendation. In that email, it *clearly* states that he can attach an optional letter of recommendation.

When I called my first recommender to him and told him that there was, indeed, an option for him to include a letter for Heinz, I also took blame for not informing him of this (I just didn't want to argue, since he is still writing more letters for me... At least I hope they are letters), and told him that I had sent him an email with the email address of Heinz, where he could email his letter. His reaction was, "Oh, great! I'll do that." He didn't even express any surprise that there was a letter option and that he didn't notice... Nor did he express any sympathy.

So what I really hate, is the recommender who "opted out" and told me that there wasn't even the option of a letter for Heinz, was simply lying to me. Plain and simply. He did both of them the last day. Freaking probably logged in the last hour, decided, "Eh, I don't want to write an entire letter right now," and filled out the forms. And right now, I feel a lot of hate towards him. You know, I asked him for a LETTER of recommendation, and he said he would do one. Doesn't that place some responsibility on him to tell me whether he is writing one or not?

And I had even told him that my application, overall, looks pretty good, except for my GPA. I told him, "My GPA is below-average of their applicants. My GREs are above, and I think my SoP is, too. If I could just come through with strong recommendations, I think that will go a long way towards an acceptance letter from them."

So he knew how important of a role he was playing... And he basically just let me down.

I mean, if someone asked me for a letter of recommendation, I couldn't imagine pulling something like this. If someone is asking me for a letter of recommendation, if I do agree to write a letter of recommendation, I take on a certain responsibility. Even if I do not like the peson I am writing a recommendation for, I am morally responsible to do what I said I would; or to turn down the offer.

[zourah]

I mean, if someone asked me for a letter of recommendation, I couldn't imagine pulling something like this. If someone is asking me for a letter of recommendation, if I do agree to write a letter of recommendation, I take on a certain responsibility. Even if I do not like the peson I am writing a recommendation for, I am morally responsible to do what I said I would; or to turn down the offer.

Wow. I'm sorry you have such a disorganized recommender. Still, this one person can't single-handedly kill your applications - you have every right to be upset, but here's hoping you still get the letters you want come March.

[oxana]

From the bottom of my heart I tell you this -- relax. It is not a big deal, and here is why. He recommended you, that's all that matters. Plus, the main mandatory questions cover EVERYTHING that the admissions committee truly wants to know about you in the first place. Which is why they made the question mandatory, and the letter optional. They most likely make the letter optional for people who do not have time (as in for those professors who change the person's names in the letter.) Since he said he took the time to answer the questions, and it was the letter that he did not have time for, he probably put in good effort in those questions. Perhaps, he thought the questions were very in depth and the letter would not make a difference (just like the school said themselves.) Don't blame the recommender, he was doing something nice for you, and he submitted it. (At one point for a scholarship, my recommender completely dissappeared, with no warning, and did not submit the letter, even with all my reminders. I had 1 day to find a new recommender.) Just hope that he answered the questions well and in-depth, which he most likely did considering he told you that's what he spent his time doing, and that's what matters. I hope this helps.

No, he is not new, he is just lazy I think. Feb. 15th was the deadline for another place I am applying, and he was online, and he opted (I never asked for this) to send me the letter so I can read it and see if it's proper. It was a phenomenal letter, and spoke about me, but in the last paragraph, it referred to another person (not me). So I told him that I understand he was probably using an old template (he was, he told me this prior) and told them the letter is great, that I don't want to change it, besides making the obvious correction of changing the name of the person to my name.

And then I asked him, "But, umm, just tell me honestly... What are the chances that the other two recs you did, for Michigan and Heinz, also used another person's name?" (obviously, that would have been the ultimate tragic killer, recommending ultimately another person who is not me, lol, in my recommendation letter)

And he says, "Well, for Michigan, it was optional, and if you remember, I was pressed for time, so I didn't write the letter." I said, containing my anger, "... Okay... And what about Heinz?" He said, "Well, Heinz only had short answers."

"Only short answers? No optional letter?"

"Nope. I guess they like to just read how a recommender can describe the candidates in a few short words."

"Okay... Well, thank you."

So, then I emailed another one of my recommenders and I ask him, "Hey, can you recall whether Heinz was just short answer or whether you could attach an optional recommendation?"

And he emailed me the entire email that he received from Heinz, about my request for his recommendation. In that email, it *clearly* states that he can attach an optional letter of recommendation.

When I called my first recommender to him and told him that there was, indeed, an option for him to include a letter for Heinz, I also took blame for not informing him of this (I just didn't want to argue, since he is still writing more letters for me... At least I hope they are letters), and told him that I had sent him an email with the email address of Heinz, where he could email his letter. His reaction was, "Oh, great! I'll do that." He didn't even express any surprise that there was a letter option and that he didn't notice... Nor did he express any sympathy.

So what I really hate, is the recommender who "opted out" and told me that there wasn't even the option of a letter for Heinz, was simply lying to me. Plain and simply. He did both of them the last day. Freaking probably logged in the last hour, decided, "Eh, I don't want to write an entire letter right now," and filled out the forms. And right now, I feel a lot of hate towards him. You know, I asked him for a LETTER of recommendation, and he said he would do one. Doesn't that place some responsibility on him to tell me whether he is writing one or not?

And I had even told him that my application, overall, looks pretty good, except for my GPA. I told him, "My GPA is below-average of their applicants. My GREs are above, and I think my SoP is, too. If I could just come through with strong recommendations, I think that will go a long way towards an acceptance letter from them."

So he knew how important of a role he was playing... And he basically just let me down.

I mean, if someone asked me for a letter of recommendation, I couldn't imagine pulling something like this. If someone is asking me for a letter of recommendation, if I do agree to write a letter of recommendation, I take on a certain responsibility. Even if I do not like the peson I am writing a recommendation for, I am morally responsible to do what I said I would; or to turn down the offer.