Recommendation Screwup

<p>One of my professors wrote all of my recommendations as if I were applying to Columbia. It's a subtle thing, but at the end it says something along the lines of "I have no doubt he will do great at Columbia University." Do you think that this will be to my disadvantage when my recs are read at other schools? I mean, it's my professor's error and not mine and the only reason I got to see one is because he gave me three instead of the two I asked for.</p>

<p>There is no time to change it, but I can NOT send it in. I have another recommendation already, but this one is just positively glowing.</p>

<p>Honestly, the fact that you are the poster with all these various problems tells me that you can't keep it together. I feel like you just want us to justify your actions, but your sheer incompetence in these situations is quite startling. It's very simple:</p>

<p>Talk to your professor. Ask him to make the corrections. The schools will understand because it's not something that you can control and in fact, I know that most places are not really anal about the deadline unless they're dealing with the individual parts that you have to send in yourself.</p>

<p>You appear strangely incompetent here on CC, and it's as if you can't deal with your own problems effectively. I would honestly be quite ashamed if we both ended up at the same school.</p>

<p>Also, to actually answer your question - yes the error is absolutely going to hurt. It means that your professor didn't care enough or wasn't close enough to you to write decent recommendations. I really have to wonder just how 'glowing' this letter really is - especially coming from a professor in a class that's known not to foster close professor-student relationships.</p>

<p>so wait, your professor actually didn't want u to see his recommendation? You asked him for two and he gave you three. SO that means, you had to open and see the actual letter. Instead of telling him that he gave you an extra one, you sneak behind his back and read his recommendation without his consent? Man you truly are freaking out with these transfer stuff aren't you?</p>

<p>Guys, relax. You've suddenly all gotten incredibly vicious - I don't know if it's the stress of the deadline or something else, but remember that this is a forum - please don't make this personal.</p>

<p>I'm NOT trying to cheat the system. I talked to my Calculus professor and we both decided that it's best for me to drop the course, since I don't even remotely need it for my music major. I had a passing thought that was clearly wrong - I made the mistake of thinking about acting on it - I realized that it's completely immoral and does not suit my character. It's done. Don't judge me by it. I'm not trying to cheat the system and I have worked every bit as hard as the rest of you in my classes and on my essays. Yes, I'm freaking out a little because like most people on here, I have a lot to deal with and I really don't want to be here next year, but not one of you has any right to judge my character by what you read on here and assume about my life.</p>

<p>Regarding the recommendation - the professor allowed me to read a draft beforehand. I didn't know that was so out of the ordinary. He gave me three envelopes instead of the two I asked for so I opened one to see if anything had changed. I asked my professor to indicate "Columbia University" on the Columbia online application, and he accidentally put it on all the recommendations. You make it sound like backstabbing.</p>

<p>NEVERTHELESS, rather than making personal remarks, just answer the damn question! If it will hurt my application, I will take the time to make sure he corrects the school name.</p>

<p>Lecaf, I think you've got a slight superiority complex going on there. You have 6 posts - how can you tell me that I appear"strangely incompetent?"I refuse to argue with anyone about anything on forums, but "coming from a professor in a class that's known not to foster close professor-student relationships?" How the heck do you know what class this is? And a glowing recommendation is the one that speaks specifically to my potential rather than throwing together a whole bunch of positive adjectives.</p>

<p>Viola, I understand just what you're going through right now. There's just so much on the line, and sometimes you just want to give up and go back to the safety of the machine or whatever...but you can't do it man. </p>

<p>We all want better for ourselves, but we also have to understand that some guys in the admissions office at Penn or whatever don't have the answer for you. Life is not about checking off the boxes or going to the right schools. You say you will be a force at Penn - and that may be true - but so what? Say you get in and are a force for 3 years...what then? By itself, it changes nothing. Getting into Penn, or any school, does not magically confer some sort of success or achievement on you. It is just a school.</p>

<p>Relax and enjoy Binghamton. Hand in your apps, forget all of that stress, and just enjoy being a student. I go to Dartmouth, and I know people at Bing who I would gladly buy a drink for and work with. Please don't be so negative about your school.</p>

<p>I disagree. Depending on which field (law or business for instance) you are going into, I think the school you graduate from can say alot to prospective employers.</p>

<p>Right, my message doesn't apply to you if you want to be a cog in the machine. You're probably one of those people who believe that if you want to be a success, you have to be a doctor, a lawyer, or an I-Banker.</p>

<p>My advice to you would then be...have a good life?</p>

<p>lecaf, i agree with you but not so much how you put it =&lt;/p>

<p>You totally got me. Because architects, entrepreneurs, writers, artists, musicians, poets, archeologists, pilots, teachers and all other professions couldn't possibly lead to success. </p>

<p>By the way, I am a premed student and I can say that, in most cases, where you go for undergrad doesn't play a large factor into where you go to medical school. Moreover, where you go to medical school isn't particularly important either, as long as it is accredited. But really, I appreciate you trying to stereotype me.</p>

<p>You're very right chicago.</p>

<p>But, the fact that this dude is a premed...that remark can't be that far off.</p>

<p>Well put, dynasty22. I am a future pre-med student and have been researching this extensively.</p>

<p>Jesus Christ, can somebody else tell me about the recommendation? My Professor isn't very computer savvy, so I REALLY don't want to ask him for another one, but I really want this one sent in. It speaks very specifically to my success in the class.</p>

<p>Just ask him to change it already. If you really want to leave your institution, be bold enough to do what you have to do to get what you need to get. I emailed my professors constantly, waiting in their offices until they finally gave what I asked for. You obviously like the rec he gave you, get him to edit it, and soon.</p>

<p>Viola, I think that you should take a break. Stop posting things on CC, take time to think about your issues and see if there is someone close to you who can help you figure things out. I understand that life can be a mess and this transfer application is a sucking hell.</p>

<p>I don't want to judge you. People can never know what you are going through until they are in the same situation.They can try to put themselves in your shoes and think that they are super heroes with good moral value and the strength to manage everything but once but they are in that mess for real, they will know what trouble mean.
I wish you good luck and I hope that you get out of the hell that you find yourself in right ASAP. Be mature and take responsibility for your flaws.</p>

<p>Sorry for hijacking your thread. You should definitely contact your professor like the others suggested. Deadlines aren't necessarily as strict as they seem when it comes to things like recommendations, so you might still have time. I would suggest calling the admissions departments and checking if it's okay if a recommendation comes in past the deadline. Best of luck.</p>

<p>I guarantee you that Penn will not care whether or not your recommendation arrives in on time. Like I said, it's a factor that you YOURSELF are not directly responsible for, and we can all understand that professors have their own things to look after. This whole problem stems from the fact that you're worried about one piece of document arriving late. Just chill out, ask your professor on Monday to make the corrections, and send it in. No explanations required! I am 100% sure that Penn will not start evaluating applications until it's done with the freshmen first.</p>

<p>fake that ****?</p>