Hi all,
I’m in the middle of finishing my evidence docs to submit my application and have few questions
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One of the LORs talk about my startup 0-1 growth. But that startup itself is not part of any evidence documents. It is part of my CV and SOP though. The reason I’m adding it is because the other two recommenders speak about how I work on scaled already setup teams. The third one was from a startup i built from scratch and he was the CEO.
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My full first name is Sindhuja. I also go by sindhu. So some evidence docs and external links refer to Sindhu and some refer to me as Sindhuja. I start my SOP with I’m Sindhuja (Sindhu) full name. Will this be a problem?
Thanks.
On your first question: the important distinction is what role this letter plays in your application. Your 3 mandatory recommendation letters are not the same as your 10 evidence documents - they sit separately. So the CEO’s letter being one of your three mandatory LORs is fine, and the startup not having its own evidence document doesn’t invalidate the letter. What matters is that the letter still meets the LOR requirements: the CEO must have known your work for at least 12 months, and the letter needs to speak to your exceptional talent or promise, not just describe the startup.
On the name question: what you’ve done is correct. Introducing yourself as “Sindhuja (Sindhu)” in the opening of your Personal Statement establishes the link immediately. Also add it to your CV header - something like “Sindhuja (Sindhu) Veeravalli” - so it’s clear across the two main application documents assessors read first. The concern here isn’t cultural; assessors understand nicknames.