LOR Question Forum

[JG7773]

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[cinephile]

You could always provide an example of a LOR that you could find online to help him out.

[JG7773]

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[Pleasye]

I think that having someone who is not your supervisor write you a letter kind of defeats the purpose.

[TommyK]

I would have him write it. There's a very solid chance he will give it to you to review or ask you to write your own. If that's the case, it's a win. If he doesn't and he writes it himself without you seeing it, then it's a judgment call.

I would like to believe, though, that adcomms will recognize that the quality of the recommender's writing is not a reflection of your academic abilities. The recommender is going to be commenting on things like your work ethic, your analytical abilities, communication skills, and initiative.

[joebloe]

There are ways you can broach the subject, I think, depending on how well you know him and whether you can get some time to talk to him about the letter. Especially if his writing abilities are openly recognized as substandard.