The professor who wrote me a LOR won't give me a copy? Forum

[Progress01]

So, I have a few LORS from people I trust--a fantastic tenured professors from summer school (and I saw his letter before LSAC did, he gave me a copy), an advisor who was an attorney, and a Teacher's Assistant form my writing intensive lab. All of them great, and I'm so thankful for them. But I needed a letter from one more person in academia. So I asked my senior project professor, who's class I took this semester. I explained to her I was short an academic letter, and it would really help me out. She wrote one. I've been using it. I did waive my rights to see it. I finally got around to asking her for a digital copy. She said
unfortunately, its against my policy to give students a copy of my letter." Something twinged in my stomach. I gotta ask...has anyone else had a prof tell them this? Or a recommender in general? Now I'm super mortified she wrote me a BAD letter of rec.

[midwest17]

This is what recommenders are supposed to do.

[Pneumonia]

why did you ask for it if you waived your right? why did you ask for it at all? your prof is taking the standard position on this. if you wanted to see the letter you should have established that from the outset (when you asked for it) or at the very least not waived your right. asking after the fact is weird.

i wouldn't take your prof's refusal in and of itself to mean that she wrote a bad letter, or a good one.

[romothesavior]

This is what recommenders are supposed to do.

Yeah, this isn't out of the ordinary. Don't fret it.

[midwest17]

Also this:

asking after the fact is weird.

[hephaestus]

This is what recommenders are supposed to do.

Yeah, this isn't out of the ordinary. Don't fret it.

Agreed.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Getting a copy of a letter about yourself is the exception, not the norm.