I don't mind writing letters of recommendation for students. It's part of the job. It's a good thing to do.
I just mind dealing with the new e-application sites. I'd rather hand my letter off to an admin and have them send it. The good old days...
To see what I'm talking about, I'm now a huge non-fan of Embark -- here's their "help page", which explains that I may have to wait 5+ minutes for my pdf to upload, without really explaining why
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
12 comments:
why doesn't harvard set the stage and use academic jobs online?
Cf. Our Unpaid, Shadow Extra Work, by Harvard Magazine writer Craig Lambert. "The other night at the supermarket I saw a partner at a downtown law firm working as a grocery checker, scanning bar codes. I’m sure she earns at least $300,000 per year. …"
I don't mind writing recommendation letters. I do mind writing 6 different recommendation letters that are all due at exactly the same time... (sigh)
This year I have discovered that one does not really have to answer the questions on those e-application websites. So I simply ignore all the questions, upload my letter, and I'm in and out of the website in 10 seconds.
My favorite are the places that aren't content with a pdf of my letter, and want to ask me additional questions (which are invariably specific to the site and require filling out some web form). I get so annoyed at them, that I have adopted a new personal policy: I fill them in randomly.
So if you are one of the places that uses a system like that, and you see a recommendation letter whose text totally doesn't match the answers to the various other random questions you ask letter-writers, now you know why.
...I fill them in randomly.
This is quite dangerous for the student: even if your letter is good, your (random) answers to other questions may raise concern among the evaluating committee; even if they eventually figure out what is going on (perhaps by contacting you directly, further "wasting" your time), it may hurt the student's chances due to the delay.
Bottom line: if you care at all about the student, don't take the risk by doing this.
1) If those online things work
they are great. When they don't they are really really bad. A while back one of them crashed when I clicked on the HELP button.
2) NEVER tell a student
``I can write you a letter but it probably won't due you any good since you weren't that good a student.'' They will not get the hint and ask you to write one.
JUST SAY NO.
What should one do when they ask someone for a letter of recommendation and the person agrees and then when the deadline comes and passes, after many "gentle" reminders, just has not done it? In this particular case, the person keeps saying that they will do it, but does not do it. What should I do? Is this an acceptable way for the professor to refuse to write a letter?
Anon #8: This is, unfortunately, not appropriate behavior. However, professors are busy too, so perhaps other tasks are getting in the way.
I'd recommend finding another letter writer, and let places know you're obtaining an extra because you're not sure your other letter-writer will come through. Not ideal, I know.
I am applying this year, and I feel awful for my poor letter writers. This post doesn't help :) Is there anything I can do to make it easier on them?
PS. I hope that the anon randomly filling out the forms is not one of my writers.
We need to push for a better system: no questions, letter only, one-time upload.
Failing that, Claire has the right idea.
why do people keep saying this when we have academic jobs online?
it might not be the perfect system, but it is there and you could use it. No one from Harvard has the right to complain about each school requiring a separate upload when they do not use academicjobs online themselves!
Post a Comment