Re: Recommendation letter question

[Marie Helweg-Larsen]

Deb I agree with John. You should say only what you know to be true. It is impossible for you to say whether any student (esp. a 2.0 GPA student) can get into some hypothetical program. Also I find it a little hard to believe that a personnel dept would ask for such a letter. I noticed that in the written request the student asks the letter to say that "she has gotten into a master's program" but in the verbal request it is changed to "could get into one". Seems a little fishy! Marie John Kulig wrote: Deb: If you feel she would have difficulty getting into grad school, or (without GRE info) you do not have enough information to make a judgment, I would politely decline; or at least write only what you know and are comfortable with (the student is friendly, always on-time, or whatever). If something were to go wrong with her special education job, you'd be in a precarious position, I suspect. Perhaps you really don't need a MA degree to teach this class, but, that's not a problem to address in this situation. That's my $.02 at least. ============================================ John W. Kulig Professor of Psychology Plymouth State College Plymouth NH 03264 ============================================ -----Original Message----- From: Deb Briihl [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2004 2:12 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences Subject: Recommendation letter question I received an odd request from a student. Here is part of her e-mail: ...I have an opportunity to teach Special Education in k-5 for the County school system. The only dilemma is the person that is helping me get the postion says that I will need a letter stating that I have been accepted into the Masters program for Psychology. They understand that I will not be attending but they( Personnel department) need to see that I have the potential to futher my education on a Masters level... I asked if this meant that she was in a grad program or that she COULD be accepted into a grad program. She stated that it would be that she could, if she wanted to, get into a graduate program - not that she is in one or plans on going to one (it seems odd, but she assures me that is what they want). However, she wasn't the strongest student (her GPA is around a 2.0) and she has not taken any test (like the GRE). I'm not sure what to say. I guess that she MIGHT be able to get into a grad program someplace. Suggestions? Deb Dr. Deborah S. Briihl Dept. of Psychology and Counseling Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA 31698 (229) 333-5994 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://chiron.valdosta.edu/dbriihl/ Well I know these voices must be my soul... Rhyme and Reason - DMB --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- ********************************************* Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology Dickinson College, P.O. Box 1773 Carlisle, PA 17013 Office: (717) 245-1562, Fax: (717) 245-1971 Webpage: www.dickinson.edu/~helwegm ********************************************* --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]