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Chat thread 95: old people can't hang anymore

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Seconded on getting Brisket/Shortrib from Lewis and Pulled Pork from Rodney

Rodney’s new cookbook is pretty great for the grillmasters out there
 
just opened a bojangles in sterling va. they converted a former bank (aka bankjangles) but apparently the drive through wait time is nearly an hour during busy times.
 
can't you have your students draft their letters of recommendation and then just sign it?

or just use a boilerplate with an extra sentence somewhere?
 
I just realized the Atlanta tough mudder is the weekend my wife and son are out of town.
 
Louis Gossett Jr said:
Does anyone else hate writing letters of recommendation as much as me. Like what’s the point, any dumbass can become a doctor. I just want to write, sure this person might make a good doctor, I mean the lady that believes in alien DNA and demon sperm is a doctor so the bar is an easy clear.
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I love writing rec letters, for certain people anyway. Last fall I got to write a letter of recommendation for my PhD student for an ecologist faculty position at Wake. That was fun.
 
Louis Gossett Jr said:
Does anyone else hate writing letters of recommendation as much as me. Like what’s the point, any dumbass can become a doctor. I just want to write, sure this person might make a good doctor, I mean the lady that believes in alien DNA and demon sperm is a doctor so the bar is an easy clear.
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I don't hate them. I write a lot, probably more than many others, because of the nature of the courses I teach. They take me weeks to do properly, but I find the process very rewarding.

This year alone I've had students get into grad programs at Columbia and Texas, medical school at Baylor, law schools at Texas and SMU, teaching jobs in France and hopefully Hawaii, and various fellowships including a Mellon (in 2019). Feels gratifying to put together a narrative about students' growth and capabilities and fit and ultimately launch careers.
 
phan, if you're comfortable with sharing, would you rep me what school you're at now? sounds like you left UT
 
JuiceCrewAllStar said:
can't you have your students draft their letters of recommendation and then just sign it?

or just use a boilerplate with an extra sentence somewhere?
Click to expand...

This absolutely horrifies me! I won't write for a student for whom I can't write a positive, helpful letter.

I write every single letter from scratch. I guess why they take me weeks to write
 
wakephan09 said:
This absolutely horrifies me! I won't write for a student for whom I can't write a positive, helpful letter.

I write every single letter from scratch. I guess why they take me weeks to write
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more speaking to turftoe's situation where it's a similar type of student seeking the exact same type of program
 
Then again, if I want my $10,000 I'll need to find an impartial judge.
 
I tried to rep you "no sweat" about not sharing, but alas I need to spread
 
JuiceCrewAllStar said:
more speaking to turftoe's situation where it's a similar type of student seeking the exact same type of program
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I guess I've never been put in this situation other than the generic scholarship renewals and community fellowships and stuff. He mentioned letters for future doctors so I was thinking medical school.

I've drafted generic letters for my chair or dean to sign for me before, so I guess that's not entirely different
 
wouldn't write a letter for a student that I didn't think I could make original
 
I've also read a lot of letters (usually in my field) and it's remarkable how shitty some of them are. I try always to weigh letters least, but it's sometimes difficult to ignore them because they usually have unique insights into the person.

But the number of OWGs who comment on a female candidate's baking abilities or undergrad profs who basically describe their student as "meh" never fail to surprise me.
 
how do you tell a student no? seems like an extremely awkward convo. I had a handful of profs who ended up teaching multiple courses or those that I worked closely enough with that I knew would write me a good rec but I can't imagine the feeling of not knowing who you could count on
 
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