Asking for LOR before end of course?

[confusedchild]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hey, I did a search and didn't seem to find an existing thread regarding this question. Is it bad to ask for an LOR before the end of a course (while taking the class with the professor you want the LOR from)? I'm planning to apply this summer but will not be around my campus for the entire summer and in fact I'll be out of the country for an entire month. I am doing well in this class and will try to go to as many office hours as I can before asking for the letter. What does everyone think?

 

[STXGregor]

I did this for my Mol. Gen. class. I was on my way to getting an A (B at the least) at that point and I had shown an interest in the class. Of course, these are the same circumstances that I based my other choices of LOR writers, I just happened to still be in this particular class. So I say it's fine. As long as a good chunk of the term is over and you've shown some kind of initiative in the class, I don't see why not having taken a final yet would matter.

 

[nick_carraway]

Yeah I had to do this for one of my courses. The two midterms were already over and I was doing well in the small class. With a presentation left and a term paper left, I felt a little odd asking for the LOR.

As of now, the LOR packet hasn't even been opened so maybe the professor is waiting for the other assignments to wrap up before she writes it.

Either way, it's fine to ask. If the professor is uncomfortable, they might tell you to hold off on it for a few weeks.