Peer Eval Written by Significant Other?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Dartmouth College
1

<p>I'm applying to Dartmouth as a sophomore transfer student for Fall 2010 and while the peer evaluation is optional for transfers (I believe), I'm very curious about the process and eager to provide as comprehensive an application as possible. To that end, I'm planning on asking my boyfriend to write the peer evaluation for me. I feel that he's the only one who truly understands my academic potential, and as someone who has helped me throughout my entire transfer process, I feel that he uniquely understands my situation. He's also a very talented student himself, so I feel that the quality of his recommendation will be unmatched by my other peers. I didn't apply to Dartmouth as a freshman, but he did and was wait-listed, so I think this means that he'll have some idea of what Dartmouth wants as opposed to some of my other friends who would have no idea. Of course, this information is available online, but he has experience with the process. </p>

<p>This brings me to my question. On the peer eval, it inquires as to the "context" in which the recommender knows the recommendee. Is it inappropriate to mention that he is my boyfriend, or should this be ignored completely?</p>

<p>I have searched the forum for a question such as this, and it seems that people have had girlfriends/boyfriends write for them in the past, so certainly Dartmouth has seen this before, but I'm just wondering about the propriety of stating that he is writing for his girlfriend.</p>

2

<p>I don’t think this is a good idea.
If I’m reading a rec from one’s boyfriend, I will assume (unconsciously) that the your BF is biased.</p>

3

<p>Wouldn’t you want your peer evaluator to be biased though?</p>

4

<p>I think almost every peer recommendation will be really biased. It not like people’s friends are going to write anything even mildly disparaging.</p>

<p>In general, one’s boyfriend is, sometimes even first and foremost, one’s friend. I don’t think it would be mendacious to describe the relationship as a friendship. There are no good terms for significant other in English anyway. One is too clinical, another too juvenile, so on and so forth.</p>

5

<p>Wouldn’t you assume you assume the peer evaluator is biased before reading anyway?</p>

6

<p>why don’t you just say he’s a friend instead of a boyfriend. You’re technically not lying.</p>