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The professor that I asked for a LOR from requested that I write one and send it to him so he could alter it as he sees fit and send it in.

I agreed to do this BEFORE I went on TLS and read the little nugget about how agreeing to do that is a BAD idea. So now I have 2 questions.

1) I figure it would be rude to email back and be like "OH JK. I heard it's not good to do that," so I'm going to write something up, but less in letter format and more in bullet points, with the note that I kept it that way to allow for his own voice/opinion to show in the letter when I send it to him. Does this seem like a good way to handle this?

2) What should I write in the first place??? Are there any resources for key words/topics/phrases/traits to highlight, or sample LORs?


Also, this is a bit off topic but, is it worth it to find a pre-law admissions consultant to help with the process? My uni's pre-law advisor is awful and never returns emails, and since I've graduated and don't live in my uni's town anymore, I can't make an appointment with her.

Thanks in advance for the advice (:

i had a similar situation - she asked me to write the letter and send it to her...
what i did was like what you suggested - i made a list of bullet points of the notable things i had done in her class and related to her class (she was my dissertation advisor, helped me with practica and we published an article together after graduation)...
i also sent her a copy of my transcript, resume, and PS so she had an idea of my current status and interests...
she came up with a great letter pretty quickly after i sent everything...and there are some samples out there, just look on TLS and google "law school recommendations" and you can find some examples..good luck!

oldhippie--awesome, thanks for the help!

Also wondering if anyone here has advice on "definite things to bring up" in that bullet point list...what are some general guidelines for characteristics I should highlight?

crumpetsandtea wrote:oldhippie--awesome, thanks for the help!

Also wondering if anyone here has advice on "definite things to bring up" in that bullet point list...what are some general guidelines for characteristics I should highlight?

Incomparably brilliant, peerlessly hard-working, mega-awesomely cool...

I'd emphasize whatever your application lacks...Weak GPA? Discuss how hard you work. Mediocre LSAT? Gush about your analytical skills. Adcomms seem most interested in LOR's that illustrate how a student compares to his peers (particularly some who are at the given law school) by discussing specific traits, events, etc. And throw something in there about great writing skills.

Incomparably brilliant, peerlessly hard-working, mega-awesomely cool...

I'd emphasize whatever your application lacks...Weak GPA? Discuss how hard you work. Mediocre LSAT? Gush about your analytical skills. Adcomms seem most interested in LOR's that illustrate how a student compares to his peers (particularly some who are at the given law school) by discussing specific traits, events, etc. And throw something in there about great writing skills.

Definitely working 'mega-awesomely cool' into the document I send. Hahahaha! Thanks for the advice though, that was really helpful. I will for sure focus on comparative characteristics, writing skills, analytical skills.

I guess another thing that trips me up is like...how do I word these things in a way that my professor can use it? "Works hard by...staying after class to discuss topics covered? Does reading ahead of time? ...shows outside interest for the subject?" IDK, they just all seem very general.

Thanks for the advice!!!!