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A TA of mine has agreed to write me a LOR, and I would like to send her a site "for reference" on how to write an ideal letter of recommendation. I found a bunch online, but which one is the most popular/recommended? Is it common to send your recommender this kind of resource?

Wow, step back and think about the minefield you're about to step in.

Do not imply that they are unable to do this on their own. There is almost no way to "give them advice" without implying this. If you must, figure out a creative way.

Any "advice" should be included in the packet with your resume. Do not make them go to a shady website. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200.

Im going to print out the website and include it with my resume, statement of purpose, LSAC materials, and stamped envelope.

You come across as a douche to me...

pu_golf88 wrote:You come across as a douche to me...

pu-pu-purdue pussy

jdhopeful11 wrote:A TA of mine has agreed to write me a LOR, and I would like to send her a site "for reference" on how to write an ideal letter of recommendation. I found a bunch online, but which one is the most popular/recommended? Is it common to send your recommender this kind of resource?

Not sure about recommendation advice, but it might be useful to send them here http://www.dailygrammar.com/archive.shtml so that they can learn proper grammar before writing it. Also, remind them to use spell check before sending it in. It might also be useful for them to bring the letter to the English comp. department so that they can have someone look it over.

MiamiUG wrote:

jdhopeful11 wrote:A TA of mine has agreed to write me a LOR, and I would like to send her a site "for reference" on how to write an ideal letter of recommendation. I found a bunch online, but which one is the most popular/recommended? Is it common to send your recommender this kind of resource?

Not sure about recommendation advice, but it might be useful to send them here http://www.dailygrammar.com/archive.shtml so that they can learn proper grammar before writing it. Also, remind them to use spell check before sending it in. It might also be useful for them to bring the letter to the English comp. department so that they can have someone look it over.

Good advice. You might also consider just giving them a dictionary and thesaurus set with your packet.

The LOR form tells them what they should write about. If you're concerned about his/her's ability to write an LOR to the point that you're considering giving them this perhaps you should let them write you one. The best thing to do is just ask this recommender to give you the letter and then you can determine whether it's of decent quality. Just ask this person if they've written letters before also...

billyez wrote:The LOR form tells them what they should write about. If you're concerned about his/her's ability to write an LOR to the point that you're considering giving them this perhaps you should let them write you one. The best thing to do is just ask this recommender to give you the letter and then you can determine whether it's of decent quality. Just ask this person if they've written letters before also...

The form is not specific enough. The writer is a TA for a nationally acclaimed professor and author, so I'm not worried about her "ability." I just want to play it safe by offering a resource on how to write a strong letter.

jdhopeful11 wrote:

billyez wrote:The LOR form tells them what they should write about. If you're concerned about his/her's ability to write an LOR to the point that you're considering giving them this perhaps you should let them write you one. The best thing to do is just ask this recommender to give you the letter and then you can determine whether it's of decent quality. Just ask this person if they've written letters before also...

The form is not specific enough. The writer is a TA for a nationally acclaimed professor and author, so I'm not worried about her "ability." I just want to play it safe by offering a resource on how to write a strong letter.

That "resource" should be their knowledge of you and your work. It sounds like you want to give them a mad libs.

I also fail to understand the logic of how being a TA for a brilliant professor makes someone eminently qualified. But that's beside the point.

SullaFelix wrote:That "resource" should be their knowledge of you and your work. It sounds like you want to give them a mad libs.

I also fail to understand the logic of how being a TA for a brilliant professor makes someone eminently qualified. But that's beside the point.

Have to say, "Mad Libs: Letters of Recommendation" would be pretty entertaining.

If they ask you for something, than that's one thing. One of my recommenders ask for such a guide, and a provided one. To give one without prompting, though, is likely a bad idea, and you do it at your own peril, running the risk of irritating someone unnecessarily...

I simply told my recommender that law schools were looking for evidence of oral, written, and analytical skills.

starstruck393 wrote:If they ask you for something, than that's one thing. One of my recommenders ask for such a guide, and a provided one. To give one without prompting, though, is likely a bad idea, and you do it at your own peril, running the risk of irritating someone unnecessarily...

Come to think of it, giving such material seems very similar to asking to see your LOR before it's sent. Again, it's ok if they offer it to you, but asking without prompting gives the impression that you don't trust them...

starstruck393 wrote:

starstruck393 wrote:If they ask you for something, than that's one thing. One of my recommenders ask for such a guide, and a provided one. To give one without prompting, though, is likely a bad idea, and you do it at your own peril, running the risk of irritating someone unnecessarily...

Come to think of it, giving such material seems very similar to asking to see your LOR before it's sent. Again, it's ok if they offer it to you, but asking without prompting gives the impression that you don't trust them...

I included a bunch of stuff adcoms have said on their blogs. Pretty confident that will just seem helpful. Copying and pasting "How to write an LOR", on the other hand...

d34dluk3 wrote:

starstruck393 wrote:

starstruck393 wrote:If they ask you for something, than that's one thing. One of my recommenders ask for such a guide, and a provided one. To give one without prompting, though, is likely a bad idea, and you do it at your own peril, running the risk of irritating someone unnecessarily...

Come to think of it, giving such material seems very similar to asking to see your LOR before it's sent. Again, it's ok if they offer it to you, but asking without prompting gives the impression that you don't trust them...

I included a bunch of stuff adcoms have said on their blogs. Pretty confident that will just seem helpful. Copying and pasting "How to write an LOR", on the other hand...

Got a link?

starstruck393 wrote:

starstruck393 wrote:If they ask you for something, than that's one thing. One of my recommenders ask for such a guide, and a provided one. To give one without prompting, though, is likely a bad idea, and you do it at your own peril, running the risk of irritating someone unnecessarily...

Come to think of it, giving such material seems very similar to asking to see your LOR before it's sent. Again, it's ok if they offer it to you, but asking without prompting gives the impression that you don't trust them...

Ah, but you don't directly ask to see it. You tell them that you'll send it off for them so as to not inconvenience them.

billyez wrote:Ah, but you don't directly ask to see it. You tell them that you'll send it off for them so as to not inconvenience them.

Also ask for a copy of their signature so that you can "hang it on your wall".

I'm not talking about a "How to write a LS LOR for Dummies" guide. I am merely asking for something that simply highlights what adcomms are looking for to ensure that the recommender touches upon the ideal points. You guys are so fucking lame I swear, if you have nothing to contribute to the thread then don't hijack it. I've read multiple accounts on this board of people sending such guides.

I entirely understand what you're saying OP. If you have a good enough relationship with your recommender (which anyone should ideally have if they are asking them to distill their character and capabilities onto paper, in order to help decide their future), you should know that they might have great things to write about, but do not necessarily have experience writing law school LORs. That being said, having the foresight to know when to provide some extra info (such as what law school adcomms are looking for to really set someone apart) can really go a long way. Having an inexperienced TA, that truly knows you, write an amazing letter is better any day of the week than having a professor write you a generic one, because you had them in a massive lecture course and did not get to know them. I understand your predicament. A professor probably does not need this kind of info but a TA might just...which is exactly what I take it you are talking about OP.

Assuming you know that your LOR writer would not be offended or otherwise put off by any such info, I think that Appendix E from TLS Guide to Personal Statements would be a good starting point. The intro paragraphs explain some of the things that actual Deans have said they are looking for in a great LOR. I don't know if this link will be helpful for you, but I had to just say that what you are asking about makes perfect sense.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/appendixe.html

Schools like Berkeley and Cornell have guidelines for LOR writers that are directing their letters towards law schools.

I think this depends on how frequently this professor has written law school letters before. If he's a poli-sci professor (or really many in popular pre-law fields that don't allow great bachelors-only employment) he's most likely written more than one in his lifetime. If he's very new to academia he probably hasn't written many at all, and would benefit from some guidance.

I personally come from a small, technical curriculum, and am relatively sure the professors I asked had never written law school letters before. For graduate school in my major, letters are expected to be somewhat of a regurgitation of the resume (most don't really look at the letters or personal statement at all, actually) so I printed out a short "What are schools looking for?" guide from Cornell and offered it to my professor with my application packet with a note to the effect of "I know it's probably not a common request to write a letter for law school, so I added this basic overview of what law schools are looking for in the event that you might find it helpful." They seemed to appreciate it, and one told me later after he had written it that he'd "made sure it touched all the points mentioned in the guide".