Drafting LOR Forum

[traehekat]

Anyone with any experience doing this? One of my professors has been kind enough to write a letter for me, but because it was a class of almost 100 students she has asked me to draft it and then she will change it up. Completely understandable, but I'm just not sure how to go about doing it. I figure some of you guys may have had to do this when applying as a 0L, so I figured I'd ask. Thanks all.

[MrPapagiorgio]

No. This is what you do: provide the professor with your resume, reasons why you want to go to law school and a few anecdotes about yourself that she can weave into a personalized letter. Any professor (even newly minted ones) should know better than to ask the student to compose his/her own letter to be "changed up" afterward by the professor.

[traehekat]

No. This is what you do: provide the professor with your resume, reasons why you want to go to law school and a few anecdotes about yourself that she can weave into a personalized letter. Any professor (even newly minted ones) should know better than to ask the student to compose his/her own letter to be "changed up" afterward by the professor.

Well, she did ask for a resume and I think the purpose of drafting the letter is for her to get an idea of the things I want a school to know about me, which probably serves the same purpose as providing some anecdotes.

[bilboteabaggins]

Well, she did ask for a resume and I think the purpose of drafting the letter is for her to get an idea of the things I want a school to know about me, which probably serves the same purpose as providing some anecdotes.

If you honestly believe this, you sir are a stupid, stupid, little hobbit. Get a grip of yourself Frodo, you're letting the RING cloud your thoughts.

[traehekat]

Well, she did ask for a resume and I think the purpose of drafting the letter is for her to get an idea of the things I want a school to know about me, which probably serves the same purpose as providing some anecdotes.

If you honestly believe this, you sir are a stupid, stupid, little hobbit. Get a grip of yourself Frodo, you're letting the RING cloud your thoughts.

4 posts and the gimmick is already old.

I'm not naive. I'm purposely being overly politically correct, or however you'd like to think about it. Regardless, she took a lot of time to talk about it with me, was more the welcome to provide a letter, and I did very well in her class. I don't think there is really a better option out there for me as far as a letter goes, seeing as how I didn't get to know any of my professors very well at all.

Question remains - if you had to draft your own LOR, how'd you go about doing it?

[bilboteabaggins]

I think you know that however you choose to look at it, it's ethically wrong. If your professor said she would be happy to write it, why not take the high road?

I know you'll make the correct choice young Frodo.

Sincerely,
Bilbo Teabaggins

[Anonymous Loser]

4 posts and the gimmick is already old.

[3ThrowAway99]

I think this may not be a really uncommon request. I don't know that it is necessarily as unethical as some on here are saying (if unethical at all), as long as the prof is willing to take responsibility for the final draft and any factual assertions are essentially verifiable. Look at all the Clerks who write opinions with Judge's names on them: that doesn't typically get criticized as unethical (as long as the judge approves it).

Obviously I would make the letter sound as positive as possible. I think many professors will ask what you would like to be in the letter at the very least (so they know how to tailor and target it rather than just doing a generic letter)- that probably isn't much (if at all) different from what the professor is having you do in your situation IMO.

[shmantieantie]

I think this may not be a really uncommon request. I don't know that it is necessarily as unethical as some on here are saying (if unethical at all), as long as the prof is willing to take responsibility for the final draft and any factual assertions are essentially verifiable. Look at all the Clerks who write opinions with Judge's names on them: that doesn't typically get criticized as unethical (as long as the judge approves it).

Obviously I would make the letter sound as positive as possible. I think many professors will ask what you would like to be in the letter at the very least (so they know how to tailor and target it rather than just doing a generic letter)- that probably isn't much (if at all) different from what the professor is having you do in your situation IMO.

+1

[in_reverie]

OP: did you ever successfully get around to doing this? I'm grappling with the same situation right now.