Abstract
When students fill out applications for graduate school, they choose to waive or not waive their rights to see a letter of recommendation. They accurately know that if they waive their rights, they may never see the letter; however, many think that choosing not to waive their rights means that they can see their letter if they do not get accepted and that they have a right to see the letter before it is sent. In fact, the relevant laws allow them to see their files only after they have been accepted at and enrolled in the graduate program. Faculty who wrote letters of recommendation and graduate departments' recommendation forms should clearly communicate students' rights.