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The topic on which I get the most questions every application cycle is letters of recommendation. The following FAQ represents every question I've received over the past few years.

Statistically speaking, as an Ohioan, I should be working as an engine assembler in a factory rather than writing this article for you.

The topic on which I get the most questions every application cycle is letters of recommendation. The following FAQ represents every question I've received over the past few years.

So you found someone to write you a letter, and you’re feeling pretty darn good about yourself. You mustered the confidence to approach the recommender, who has happily complied. Congrats--kudos--huzzah! You deserve a nice long catnap on the campus quad. But wait, hold up--did they just tell you to write the letter yourself? What? As in write your own recommendation? Aren’t there rules against this kind of thing?