Stanford explicitly says this on that helpful link:
Quote:
However, the actual content of the letter must be determined solely by the recommender.
I never said or did any DRAFTING for my recommenders. The content is entirely theirs, after I gave them some sample talking points. No content has been changed and I did not write anything for them.
As for EDITING, again, *I* did NOT edit my recommender's letters myself either. I probably should have been more clear in my previous post. My recommenders agreed to let a 3rd party edit the letters for grammar and clarity, and I asked a friend who was good at English to edit it. If that is bordering "unethical", then I don't see how mNeo's example of the recommender himself asking a Wharton consultant for help is any different. Or for that matter, people who don't know at all whether their recommenders asked someone to review their letters with someone else. If grammatical editing is unethical, then having a friend edit your essays for grammatical errors also "borders unethical behavior". People may argue that in the end, you have the final control over what you submit as your essays, even if someone else edits it for grammar, but that's no different from the recommenders having the final say before they submit their letters themselves. Again, I see no problem it that type of editing.
Also, students who are IN Stanford GSB right now told me how the consulting firms hire an admissions consultant to edit everyone's essays and recommender's letters. The admissions consultants even TELL the recommenders what they NEED to do before the admission consultants allow the recommenders to submit their letters. My asking of a 3rd party to edit the recommendation letters, for the sole purpose of making the recommenders' points clear, does not even come close to that common practice stated above. In its original form, everyone who read the letter had NO CLUE what my recommenders were saying, because of how confusing the grammar/structure/sentences are.
With all that said, I have no concerns at all that the process I went through with my recommenders is completely ETHICAL and am ready to defend it if necessary.
My conclusion: Changing content = bad, fixing grammar without changing content = no problem. To avoid any accusations of "unethical" behavior, ask a 3rd party to do it, don't do it yourself.