Ghostwriting Your Own Graduate School Recommendation Letters

If you are applying to a graduate school program and are requesting letters of recommendation from current or former employers and/or professors, they may ask you to write them yourself. They may be too busy. Or they may be weak writers, unable to properly extol your strengths on paper. If this is the case, you have an excellent opportunity on your hands. Often recommenders do not see your other application materials so while they may be aware of your core strengths (and weaknesses), they do not know how you are packaging yourself. Their letter may highlight strengths and weaknesses you may have minimized in your essays, and thus make your application package a bit inconsistent. Writing your own recommendation for their signature allows you to synchronize your marketing efforts.

First, resist the urge to write a letter filled with nothing more than positive adjectives. You want to write a letter that demonstrates that you are a multifaceted individual and a strong candidate. Find synonyms for your key strengths as outlined in your essays/personal statement and write the letter as an argument proving you possess those attributes. Make a list of memorable interactions you have had with the recommender and select those that illustrate those key strengths.

Use resume and academic material sparingly. This is of course evidence that you are in fact brilliant, determined, etc. But this information is also already elsewhere in your application packet. Weak recommendation letters over rely on this material, demonstrating a weak relationship between recommender and recommendee, illustrating to the admissions committee that the quality of insight in the letter is poor. Focus instead on concrete examples - use anecdotes. Each time you use a positive adjective (i.e. "brilliant") back it up with evidence (i.e. "devised innovative cost-cutting system that saved X dollars and boosted efficiency by X percent.") Including numerical evidence is good, but because it is also likely on your resume, make sure not to overlook evidence of your soft skills as well.

Do not omit weaknesses. Admissions committees look for insight into your character in the essays and letters; weaknesses can humanize your application, allowing the committees to see you as a person rather than simply scores and words. Focus on those weaknesses that can be strengthened by the graduate school program in question. For example, say you are applying to a quantitatively rigorous MBA program, and you are deficient in quantitative analysis. Discuss the steps you have taken to remedy the deficiency, including, of course, applying to this particular quantitatively rigorous program.

Finally, you do not want it to be obvious that you have ghostwritten your own recommendation letter. Make sure to obtain a few copies of the recommenders writing to mimic, especially if you have a distinctive writing style.