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[pdog128]

For those of you who replied in my previous thread, thanks! I'm starting to look into low-res Ed.D programs. As I begin to gather materials together, a couple of questions have arisen. A quick search hasn't yielded any answers.

1) Letters of recommendation - what is the standard protocol for them? In the past (not that I've needed LOR much, just on a few employment applications), I've had writers do everything from hand me a sealed envelope to sending the letter in themselves to handing me a sheet of paper and saying "make as many copies as you need." What is the standard for applying to doctoral programs?

2) Absence of a thesis - obviously, most schools will want a writing sample. I'm assuming most applicants send in their master's thesis. Unfortunately, I don't have one. My grad school offered a comp option, which I chose. In hindsight, I wish I hadn't, but oh well. My reasoning at the time was that I knew I didn't want a Ph.D. I didn't care a lot about research, I was much more interested in teaching. A master's is all that is required to teach at the majority of CCs in my state, so I thought I would be done with school at that point.

I have papers that I wrote in grad school, would one of them suffice? Or will the absence of a thesis immediately raise red flags and torpedo my app?

Thanks in advance!

[dr_prephd]

1) I got sealed letters from writers (but I only applied to two programs).

2) Send your best seminar paper. A whole thesis is too much for a writing sample, anyway. I think I sent Ch. 1 of mine.

[scout46]

Ditto on the paper.

Also, a lot of schools now do the recommendations electronically, and the recommender is asked to upload the letter directly to the application site.

[heynonnynonnymouse]

1. Most applications specify sealed, signed or stamped (over the seal flap) LORs, if they want paper versions at all. Now, your LOR-writer may allow you to read the letter, that's his or her prerogative, but the actual submitted LOR to the schools will generally need to be sealed and marked so that it's clear the writer or someone from the university did the sealing. Read each school's application requirements carefully. Some will want the letter writer to send the letter directly to the graduate school or department. Others will want the writer to seal the letter, send it to you, and you'll include three or four sealed envelopes in your application packet. I had both types, though more of the latter, just make sure you inform your LOR writers of each program's requirements.

2. I did not have a Master's thesis, either. (Like you, I took an exam option for various reasons that I don't remotely regret.) I submitted a solid seminar paper that I'd presented at at a regional conference to good feedback, and was accepted very widely to good PhD programs. I doubt it would sink your chances - adcoms want to know that you can write well and are capable of doing the work and the diss, not that you necessarily wrote a thesis.