LOR's 30 character description- a catch? Forum

[MdmMoisel]

Even if the letter is general, unless I wrote it as such in LSAC's LOR form, the school I'm applying to wouldn't know. So is this a sort of catch of LSAC (or law schools) that we NEED to provide some info as to what type of letter it is in the form? Schools appreciate it more if you send them specific LORs instead of general (it shows you're inclined towards that particular school).

And my prof is going to write only 1 LOR for me. IF the field for 30 characters weren't there, schools wouldn't know if the letters were specific or general. Did anyone else think of this, or do you all have your profs write 10 recoms for you?

[2014]

I think I just did like "J.Doe Letter of Recommendation" or whatever abbreviation to make it fit.

[soj]

I doubt schools care whether it's specific or general. If you're really worried, make the description a secret code. I did first, middle, and last initials followed by G (for general) and S (for Stanford). e.g. ABCG

[mst]

I wrote a general title. I'm not going to ask my writers to take even more time out of their busy schedule to furnish several unique letters for me so that a school can feel good about the extra work that somebody other than me put in. If a school cares about this and dings me for it, I'm good. I have no interest in attending such an institution.

[ahduth]

I literally wrote "FOR ALL LAW SCHOOLS." I'm not going to ask my writers to take even more time out of their busy schedule to furnish several unique letters for me so that a school can feel good about the extra work that somebody other than me put in. If a school cares about this and dings me for it, I'm good. I have no interest in attending such an institution.

Yeah, I have no interest in going to Stanford either.

I don't believe the LSAC cover sheet is included in their submission to the schools - it's just for processing it into your file. You can call them to double-check.

[catsparka]

I don't believe the LSAC cover sheet is included in their submission to the schools - it's just for processing it into your file. You can call them to double-check.

I really hope this is true!

[yellowmellow]

I don't believe the LSAC cover sheet is included in their submission to the schools - it's just for processing it into your file. You can call them to double-check.

I really hope this is true!

I dont think it's true. From lsac:
"The letter description you enter will be printed on your Letter of Recommendation form. Law schools will receive both your LOR form and the letter, so write your description carefully. Examples: Use "for all law schools" if you want to assign the letter to multiple schools; use "for X law school" if it is intended for one specific school; use "for schools with (health) law programs" if intended for schools with specialized programs."

[catsparka]

Oh... well.

Did everyone who's applying to Stanford provide specific LORs? I mean I guess in Stanford's case, the description wouldn't really matter, because if you didn't include Form C then they'll know it's not specific anyway.

How much do you think it'll hurt an applicant if they (okay, I) didn't have a specific LOR sent to Stanford?

[MysticalWheel]

Oh... well.

Did everyone who's applying to Stanford provide specific LORs? I mean I guess in Stanford's case, the description wouldn't really matter, because if you didn't include Form C then they'll know it's not specific anyway.

How much do you think it'll hurt an applicant if they (okay, I) didn't have a specific LOR sent to Stanford?

I'm assuming that the majority of folks who apply to Stanford do not send specific LORs. But then again, the majority of folks who apply to Stanford are not granted admission. It's probably more correlation than causation, so I don't think you'll be dinged for not having a specific LOR for Standford.

MW

[ahduth]

Wow, my bad on the form being submitted. I guess my descriptions should have been "39275" and "80241" or something like that.

Stanford is... Stanford, they're extremely selective because they can afford to be. My thinking is if you really want to go, you should take every last step. If you're truly exceptional though, then the lack of a Form C isn't going to destroy your chances by any means.

[catsparka]

I didn't submit a specific LOR because none of my recommenders have connections to/special knowledge about Stanford, and the specific letters would probably just be the general LOR but saying "Stanford Law School" instead of just "law school." I heard that in this case, the specific LOR doesn't really help that much, so I figured I'd just submit a general LOR.

I just keep getting antsy, like there's got to be something more I can do to help my application. Does anyone know if Stanford takes/it's a good idea to submit a "Why Stanford?" essay? I kind of briefly touched upon this in my personal statement, but maybe a supplemental essay would be helpful? Or maybe a diversity statement?

[MdmMoisel]

Thanks guys. I might use something like an abbreviation rather than 'general' in the LOR form. Catsparka is right- it probably doesn't make much of a difference. But still.

[AreJay711]

I wrote the name of the person who wrote it because they were all general.