A couple of letter of recommendation questions?

[Joules]

1. Can letters of recommendation be sent before the application?  Or should the recommender wait to mail them until the student's application has been submitted?  I would hate for the letter to get trashed because they don't have an open file yet.  

 

2. What about recommenders that just want to write and letter and don't want to answer a million questions on the form?  Traditional teachers are familiar with the forms, but professionals that teach homeschoolers could (do) find them annoying.  This one from UW looks like an assignment with its questions and word limits.  They specifically note that letters that don't follow the form will not be used.  But in general, is it OK if the recommender just sends a letter with identifying information for the applicant?  

 

 

[regentrude]

1. Can letters of recommendation be sent before the application?  Or should the recommender wait to mail them until the student's application has been submitted?  I would hate for the letter to get trashed because they don't have an open file yet. 

 

The recommender should wait. I think you are rightly concerned that the letter will vanish in a black hole if the person who receives it has nowhere to put it.

 

 

2. What about recommenders that just want to write and letter and don't want to answer a million questions on the form?  Traditional teachers are familiar with the forms, but professionals that teach homeschoolers could (do) find them annoying.  This one from UW looks like an assignment with its questions and word limits.  They specifically note that letters that don't follow the form will not be used.  But in general, is it OK if the recommender just sends a letter with identifying information for the applicant?

 

Depends on the school/program. Some schools require a form with standard questions to be filled out and give the option of addressing additional information in a separate letter. Others just require a general recommendation and allow questions to be addressed within one letter. I think the recommender should adhere to the school's requirements. If he finds the form annoying, he needs to suck it up.

If I agree to writing a recommendation, I do not presume to read the organization's mind and guess whether it will be OK that I do it differently; I will jump through their hoops, so that my desire for an easy way does not harm the student's chances.