even lukewarm recommendations are good enough for me but it's hard to get them

[chloroform2009]

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I would be happy with almost any lukewarm or average recommendation letter. Even a letter that only talks of the course I took and the grade I earned in it is good enough for me.

The problem is that I've been asking as many as ten professors so far. I met prof #1,2,and 3 in person. Those three said yes to writing me a letter but my career services folder remains empty and it's been almost two weeks since I've asked them. As for prof #4, I emailed him three weeks ago. He also said he will write me a letter. But every time I email him and ask about the status of the letter, he says will do it by the following week. But so far, it has been four weeks and he's been saying that same thing with nothing accomplished.

I called up prof #5 last week and left a voice message. It's been ten days, no response. Prof #6 was also contacted via email. We've been exchanging emails quite a few times. Due to my hectic personal schedule, I was able to send him my latest email reply after one week of getting his email. It's been four days now and there's no word from him, who usually replies in one day or less. Prof #7 was sent an email three days ago. Not a single reply as to whether he is willing to write me a letter. Also, I met prof #8 in person. He said "no" to me, even though I got an A in his class. He refused to write me even a simple letter that only talks of my grade and his course.

Prof #9 was asked for a letter three months ago. When I first asked him and gave him the letter materials in person, he said to remind him at around this time of the year. I emailed him a reminder last week. No reply via email and nothing in letter folder yet. Prof #10 said he's studying for the LSAT and there is no time for him to write any letter.

What should I do at this point? Should I email-blast the next ten professors for the next ten courses listed on my transcripts? ( remember, for me, I don't expect good letters. As long as they don't hurt me, I will be content )

 

[LizzyM]

Lukewarm letters will hurt you. So many applicants have "walks on water" letters that a lukewarm letter makes us wonder why the professor is not singing the applicant's praises.

Rather than a shotgun approach, and impatience (when is your deadline for these letters?), make an appointment to meet with a professor (or stop in during office hours if that is an option). Bring a listing of your activities (as you would for the AMCAS application) and a draft of your personal statement. Attach a note stating where the letter should be sent and the date by which it is needed.

Alternately, if you are an underclassman, develop a professional relationship with a few professors with whom you enjoy having conversations. Again, this may depend on the culture at your school. A letter coming from someone who has known you for 3 years (taught you freshman year & has kept in touch) is better than a letter written 3 years ago by someone who has known you for 5 mos.

Believe me, you do not want lukewarm letters. Those things stay in your file forever and will bite you in the butt on an annual basis as you apply again and again wondering why you can't get in anywhere.

 

[Sillyshoes]

I am glad you are being assertive so far with your letters, but the letters do take time. For some of my writers, it took them almost 3 months to write my letter and send it in over the summer. They are professors and they can have extremely hectic hours.

Unless you are on a tight deadline, I would give them some time. Are these letters for this app cycle?

Sorry but a lukewarm letter is not good enough. I would try to get letters from professors who really know your character and can mention more than the fact that you got an A in his or her lecture class for that one semester.

 

[7starmantis]

Some good advice already here. Also, do you have a research coordinator or someone that knows you well? You want personal knowledge not just "this person got an A" letters. I'm a non-trad so most of my letters were not from professors, but you need someone with good personal knowledge of you not just what you have done.

Good advice from LizzyM, lukewarm letters will come back to bite you.

 

[brooklynblunder]

yea one of my interviewer asked me why i had a lot of lukewarm letters, i think that hurt me the most

 

[GoSpursGo]

The problem is that I've been asking as many as ten professors so far. I met prof #1,2,and 3 in person. Those three said yes to writing me a letter but my career services folder remains empty and it's been almost two weeks since I've asked them. As for prof #4, I emailed him three weeks ago. He also said he will write me a letter. But every time I email him and ask about the status of the letter, he says will do it by the following week. But so far, it has been four weeks and he's been saying that same thing with nothing accomplished.

I called up prof #5 last week and left a voice message. It's been ten days, no response. Prof #6 was also contacted via email. We've been exchanging emails quite a few times. Due to my hectic personal schedule, I was able to send him my latest email reply after one week of getting his email. It's been four days now and there's no word from him, who usually replies in one day or less. Prof #7 was sent an email three days ago. Not a single reply as to whether he is willing to write me a letter. Also, I met prof #8 in person. He said "no" to me, even though I got an A in his class. He refused to write me even a simple letter that only talks of my grade and his course.

Prof #9 was asked for a letter three months ago. When I first asked him and gave him the letter materials in person, he said to remind him at around this time of the year. I emailed him a reminder last week. No reply via email and nothing in letter folder yet. Prof #10 said he's studying for the LSAT and there is no time for him to write any letter.

What should I do at this point? Should I email-blast the next ten professors for the next ten courses listed on my transcripts? ( remember, for me, I don't expect good letters. As long as they don't hurt me, I will be content )

I definitely agree with LizzyM; if everyone else's letter is strong and your's is only lukewarm, that make's your letter bad. Furthermore, I would say that a letter that simply says you got such-and-such grade in his class IS actively bad. It doesn't tell an adcom anything that isn't already on your transcript, so you might as well just send in a blank piece of paper; it tells the adcom that there's absolutely nothing to you beyond your grades, at least as far as anyone else at your school can tell.

Furthermore, you need to chill out and be patient. Look at what you've been saying. You said that due to your own hectic personal schedule, it took you a week to respond to one of the professors when we're talking about YOUR OWN LETTER. Yet when it takes these professors, who are DOING YOU A FAVOR, a couple of weeks to get back to you on a letter that isn't even due for like 8 months (I'm assuming this is for next cycle, because if it's for this cycle you're probably screwed anyways), you think it's completely unreasonable. What, did you think that they DON'T have a hectic schedule, or that they have nothing else to do than to write your letter? It took one of my letter writers about 4 months to finish my letter, but luckily I had given him plenty of advance notice, so that didn't slow me down at all. You are way ahead of the game; try not to annoy your professors to the point that they won't want to help you.

 

[bigal40]

I don't believe that you can possibly be so busy that it takes you a full week to respond to an email.

 

[J ROD]

I don't believe that you can possibly be so busy that it takes you a full week to respond to an email.

True, they are not that busy; however, you are not their top priority!!

You are at their mercy to an extent....

 

[J ROD]

yea one of my interviewer asked me why i had a lot of lukewarm letters, i think that hurt me the most

anything that is less than the norm is a red flag to me. Makes me think why?

 

[J ROD]

Lukewarm letters will hurt you. So many applicants have "walks on water" letters that a lukewarm letter makes us wonder why the professor is not singing the applicant's praises.

Rather than a shotgun approach, and impatience (when is your deadline for these letters?), make an appointment to meet with a professor (or stop in during office hours if that is an option). Bring a listing of your activities (as you would for the AMCAS application) and a draft of your personal statement. Attach a note stating where the letter should be sent and the date by which it is needed.

Alternately, if you are an underclassman, develop a professional relationship with a few professors with whom you enjoy having conversations. Again, this may depend on the culture at your school. A letter coming from someone who has known you for 3 years (taught you freshman year & has kept in touch) is better than a letter written 3 years ago by someone who has known you for 5 mos.

Believe me, you do not want lukewarm letters. Those things stay in your file forever and will bite you in the butt on an annual basis as you apply again and again wondering why you can't get in anywhere.

Great advice and I second.....👍

 

[GoSpursGo]

True, they are not that busy; however, you are not their top priority!!

You are at their mercy to an extent....

I think they were talking about how the OP said he took a week to get back to one of his prof's emails, which I agree is ridiculous.

 

[J ROD]

I think they were talking about how the OP said he took a week to get back to one of his prof's emails, which I agree is ridiculous.

My bad!!! I try to read in between the lines....

 

[Tatastrophy]

I don't know if this has been mentioned but
Professors are busy people and generally do not have plentiful amounts of time to write letters. Also the best professors need time to write a thoughtful letter. The fact that you do not know these people very well may make that second part especially difficult.
Relax and give them time.

 

[J ROD]

Yeah, personally, I always try to make "friends" with my professors.

Most times, they really want to see someone interested. They are so alone up there!!! 🙁

 

[sassilysweet]

In general I have been told to request LORs from ANYONE (professor or otherwise) at least 3 months before they are needed. You then tell that person that they have two months to write them. That way, if they are late, it is fine because you gave yourself the month bumper.

To expect someone to write you a good LOR, let alone a great one, in one week is pretty ridiculous.

 

[LizzyM]

To expect someone to write you a good LOR, let alone a great one, in one week is pretty ridiculous.

qft

I've seen some pretty funny letters due to a time crunch combined with a lack of attention to details. Some faculty recycle letters and change the name but sometimes they forget to change the name in the middle of the letter or they overlook a single pronoun and suddenly you have a letter on behalf of Michael suddenly telling us that Carla is pleasant and she has been a joy to have in the lab. 😕

Don't rush your professor; you could regret it.

Just to be clear, we don't hold it against an applicant if the letter writer f-s up.

 

[rockymhs]

Man I feel really bad for you.

I never realized how helpful my letter writers were until I read this thread.

All of my letter writers were more than excited to write me a letter.

My research professor wrote a letter and submitted the letter in less than 2 days, but he already had a nice letter to work upon since I had him write a letter for a previous summer research program.

And my Honors seminar professor that I often visit and chat with worked with me to write the letter.

My other professor from lectures had my letters up in less than 3 weeks.



My advise is to visit the professors in person rather than conversing through email.

Any professor would have hard time saying no to a person directly who asks nicely.

Good luck!

 

[mvenus929]

I never realized how helpful my letter writers were until I read this thread.

Ditto. Two of my professors this cycle had already written me letters, but even the first time they wrote them, they were sent off/uploaded within two weeks of my request. My supervisor at work wrote up a letter within a couple hours... it was literally on interfolio by the time I got home from work the day I requested her to write it. Of course, there are tons of complaints going around now that her job is basically pointless...

 

[swamprat]

Letters suck ... It took forever for me to get them from some faculty members and others not that long. It's hard because you really don't want to bother a professor who has already said they would write you a letter... but if the deadline is approaching (which its the fall now so if your applying next cycle you got plenty of time), do what ya gotta do.

 

[FluffyRabbit]

Some of my professors have actively asked me to remind them if time was running out, and then email them repeatedly until it got done. They are busy people, and sometimes they honestly forget. You're just helping them. 🙂