Letters
"There's a fine tradition of passing the bad apple around, but that doesn't do anybody any good." -- Toxicologist Resha Putzrath One of the constants of a scientist's professional life is the annual tradition of writing letters of recommendation as students and colleagues seek fellowships, jobs, and advancement to tenure. But the act of writing or requesting such a letter may not be so simple. Letter-writers must make their missives honest yet sufficiently enthusiastic that they help rather tha
Jul 20, 1997
"There's a fine tradition of passing the bad apple around, but that doesn't do anybody any good." -- Toxicologist Resha Putzrath |
People requesting recommendations, on the other hand, are faced with the task of selecting the best people to write the letters and providing them with enough information for a letter of sufficient specificity. All this for a tradition that some believe has outlived its usefulness.
"There's an over-reliance on letters," maintains...
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