Hello,
So, I haven’t thanked my teachers for writing me my recs yet. One particular reason is that Naviance shows that they both spent around 8 minutes total on my rec letter and one of my teachers submitted it a week after the deadline. I am still grateful, but I do believe that the careless recs cost me some acceptances and I’m a little bitter. However, I understand that they still took time out of their day, 8 min is not that bad, to write me a rec.
Should I still give them a gift or thank them?..
BTW: one teacher was required to write me a rec since I dedicate a class period every day to tutor and aid her underclassmen students.
So how do you know they spent 8 minutes? Is it self reported or time uploading the letter of rec? If I was writing a letter of rec (I have for scholarships, not college apps), I would craft it in Word and cut/paste into the application. Naviance doesn’t know how much time I spent on other software applications. .
Well, technically, you don’t have to do anything.
Recommendation letters are important but not even close to the most important part of your application though. Colleges will probably see where your merits are regardless of a letter that is obviously half-heartedly written.
But hey, a thank-you note won’t hurt, will it? You never know when a connection will be handy.
When in doubt, do the right thing.
Bothers me you really think they only spent 8 mins cuz that’s what Naviance shows.
@Sportsman88 . @lookingforward .No, I’m absolutely sure it was 8 min. This is not something to argue… My teachers told me that they wrote it in the spam of brunch which lasts 10 min total. Naviance shows 50 min for my counsler’s LOR.
I’d say thank you to them. I think it’s polite.
I’ve always been a little annoyed since I dedicate an entire class period each day helping them out, and they spent a bare min of time on my rec.
Let me rephrase my question: I’ve said thank you a bunch of times on email/ in person before they wrote it. I’m just wondering if it’s necessary to thank them with a gift now?
You should thank them. They didn’t have to spend any time on your letters…
@prezbucky . But the reason that they wrote one for me anyway was because I dedicate an entire class to assisting them? When I asked for a rec, they said, “I am required to write you one because you take this class.” In that way, they weren’t required to write me a good rec-which they didn’t. I also thanked them so many times and gave one a Christmas gift. But after I got into college, I never updated them or thanked them again because I don’t know how necessary that would be?
@toptierleague a gift isn’t really necessary and you have already said thank you in person. If you are telling the truth about them only spending 10 minutes, it honestly seems weird that they would tell you that they only spent that amount of time on the recommendation, then maybe you should have given it too them earlier on in the first or second week of school. Regardless, none of those recs cost you an acceptance so you should not blame the teachers for any rejections.
You are looking for excuses - excuses to why you didn’t get in to your reach school and excuses to not write a thank you letter that could be written in less time than we’ve given to this thread. Perhaps your teachers picked up on this attitude before they wrote the letters?
Please examine your attitudes, learn from this, and move on.
A gift isn’t necessary if you’ve already thanked them, but it would make their day.
Well, wait, are you saying you’ve already thanked them for writing the rec letters?
I have thanked them BEFORE they wrote the recs, so many times. HERE, I’m just asking if it’s customary to update-thank them after I got into my schools and picked one? I don’t know which is customary or if its necessary. I don’t know how this turned into such an attacking thread.
@sportsman888 And, I’m not making any excuses for “not getting into my top schools.” I HAVE gotten into one of my reach schools, Yale, so I have no idea what reaching assumptions you are making about my attitude? I have no idea why you are attacking me on my attitude.
“I am still grateful, but I do believe that the careless recs cost me some acceptances and I’m a little bitter.”
Your words quoted above. Congrats on Yale. Yes, a thank you note is always in style. That’s not the same as a thank you up front. If you got into Yale, why are you upset? Please reread your original post.
Just write a note, be done with it. Update them in a couple of lines and thank them in one sentence. Make it a college view postcard, for all we care.
You said you were bitter, of course readers picked up on that.
In life, there’s an expression: do right and right will follow you.
No more brain cells on whether they put in enough effort and you already think you did enough.
Or as they say, ‘be that way.’ Your choice.
Thanks. I’m going to put my pride aside and go in person to thank them both tomorrow.
You are being kind of a jerk. They did it for you. Remember that they are very practiced at this. They likely have a kind of template, and go through and put in comments/examples relevant to you. Maybe they spent some time thinking about those items before actually starting the process, though. You can only hope that they didn’t put the adjective “ungrateful” in the letters.
@intparent .I just stated above that I have already thanked my teachers before they wrote my rec, and am update-thanking them tomorrow in person. I don’t believe that they think I’m “ungrateful” since I dedicate a period of my day (one hour and thirty min) each day to assist them. I was just hurt at the lack of time that they put into my rec (trade off?) and wondering if it was worth update-thanking them, which I decided to put my pride aside and do.
I see, OP. Sure, go ahead and thank them again: it’s classy, honorable, gracious – all good things.