Ever been rejected nicely for a LOR

[tatabox80]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Just wondering if any of you have been rejected nicely from a professor about writing a LOR and how they did it. I had one refer to me to another professor instead, very nicely.

 

[UCLAMAN]

Yes, I have. Several times by the same professor actually. I even set the curve in his physics class. He knew me from office hours intially. He knew me better after I started tutoring physics for his class. He would just say that he didn't think that he'd be able to write me one and that perhaps I should find another prof. Never figured out why he wouldn't write me one. He's a nice guy and I figure he was just always busy with his research. Didn't take it personal. He actually planned my itinerary to Vandy last year when I interviewed there(he's a travel buff) and always wanted to be kept abreast of my progress despite not writing an LOR for me.

 

[Random Access]

Originally posted by UCLAMAN
Yes, I have. Several times by the same professor actually. I even set the curve in his physics class. He knew me from office hours intially. He knew me better after I started tutoring physics for his class. He would just say that he didn't think that he'd be able to write me one and that perhaps I should find another prof. Never figured out why he wouldn't write me one. He's a nice guy and I figure he was just always busy with his research. Didn't take it personal. He actually planned my itinerary to Vandy last year when I interviewed there(he's a travel buff) and always wanted to be kept abreast of my progress despite not writing an LOR for me.

That's so weird!! He had enough time to keep on top of what you were doing, but not enough to write you a letter? You even tutored for his class!

 

[Dr. Wall$treet]

ya totally, u set his curve and tutored for HIM, u talekd to him in office yet he wouldnt write a letter? that is a little shady. Maybe it is the school. I go to ASu and all profs here are happy to write. Even my bigger name profs who didnt know me personally took hte tiem to interivew me and write a kik ass letter. Poeple are all friendly at my school.. he must have been super busy. In general though no biggie if they turn u down, dont take it personal.. well unless you are uCLAMan

 

[UCLAMAN]

RA

Haha...ya...not sure what up with that.

He obviously wasn't trying to be mean or anything. Maybe he's not a good writer? Perhaps I should've asked him if thats just his general policy with all students. I've never heard of other students getting LORs from him.

Dunno 😕 🙂

 

[Random Access]

Originally posted by UCLAMAN
He obviously wasn't trying to be mean or anything. Maybe he's not a good writer? Perhaps I should've asked him if thats just his general policy with all students. I've never heard of other students getting LORs from him.

Dunno 😕 🙂

He definitely wasn't trying to be mean. If he's not a good writer...hmmm...perhaps. He does teach physics, not to stereotype. 🙂 But he has to be able at least to write a letter? How else would he become a professor? Maybe he just doesn't write for anyone, for whatever reason.

What annoys me are the profs that sort of want psycho-premeds to bend over backwards for a letter. This one prof of my told the class that everyone he had written a letter for had gotten into med school. He recommended that people come to his lab/etc to meet him and schmooze him. I'm sure many of them sucked up quite nicely.

 

[UCLA Paratrooper]

Hey UCLAMAN,

Was it Prof. Waung that refused to write you a LOR? I just remember him talking about his expertise as a travel agent...

UCLA Paratrooper

 

[kidsmd]

It'd be weird if it was Professor Waung... cause one of my friends got a letter of rec from him.. actually professor waung had him write the rec and then he signed it....

 

[UCLAMAN]

ya...dr. waung...he's tight....one of my fav profs. i asked him like 2 or 3 times like 2 years ago....didn't really get to know him til i became a covel common tutor. he's a nice guy though. he hooked it up with ucla's corporate discount on the rental car(keep that on the dl tho) 😀 he even offered to drive me to the airport last year. i declined the offer but it was a nice gesture.

so in the end...i dunno why he never wrote me a letter. i think it was really because he was busy when i was asking him and perhaps he already had other letters lined up. by the time i really got to know him i was already applying to med school.

no worries...i had other letters lined up. but like i said...even if he didn't write a LOR for me...still one of my fav profs at ucla.

 

[Joe Joe on da Radio]

prof waung is the nicest man! i can't believe he would refuse to write a letter.

 

[Street Philosopher]

he refused to write me one as well. i guess he had a lot of others he still had to write. no hard feelings. 🙂

 

[Amy B]

Some professors are really not comfortable writing something as important as a letter of recommendation for a student. I wouldn't take it personally.

I probably would have asked him if it had to personally due with me or was it another reason.

And as said before their are some profs that don't write well at all and some where english is their second language and don't like how they sound when they write. That happened to me before.

 

[CaNEM]

I don't really think of it as a bad thing when a professor declines to write a letter. If he/she was going to write a less-than-stellar rec, then I'd personally rather he/she just decline. I know I've talked to some profs, and they've said this is often why they won't write letters for students. They know the student excepts a shining letter, and if the prof doesn't think he/she can do that, he'll decline.

 

[lola]

it's not a bad thing for a prof to decline if he/she can't write a good letter. on the other hand, it's part of the job...

 

[LoveDoc]

They don't want to be tied to your first malpractice suit. 😀

j/k

I had someone refuse to write me a peer review at work. We had known each other for years and even shared meal time. It took me for a blow so I can relate. She still speaks and is nice but declined to write the review. I think it's downright rude. I write reviews for people I barely know so they can get their annual raise. Scratch my back...I'll scratch yours. 😉