Getting an LOR, he said "I will consider it" what to do?

[harkkam]

Hey guys I recently contacted my professor for one of my science classes and I sent him and email and he said...

"I should go to other professors first who know me better and classes I got a higher grade in and if I have trouble to come back to him then"

I got a B in his class and I am having trouble finding a second science teacher to write me a LOR.

I wrote to him again explaining that and he said

"Sorry for the late reply, I will consider it"

I sent him a Email saying

"Prof im not sure i understand what you mean, if I should come into the office and have a meeting with you or if you will get back to me on it"


Its been 4 days since my last email.

Should I show up at his office instead of just waiting for an email or will that annoy him after what he has written me.

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[wannabeaDO]

Are you sure you want a letter from this guy? Sounds like it would be better not having a letter.

I would really try to get someone else. If you can't find someone else, ask "do you think you could write a POSITIVE recommendation letter". It sounds like he will be honest with you if he can't.

 

[BKtomodachi]

Be sure to use a formal email style when communicating with your professors, unless you know them well enough that it doesn't seem necessary. (Which I doubt is the case here)

 

[harkkam]

what would be a formal style of email?

 

[dapdrow]

Are you sure you want a letter from this guy? Sounds like it would be better not having a letter.

I would really try to get someone else. If you can't find someone else, ask "do you think you could write a POSITIVE recommendation letter". It sounds like he will be honest with you if he can't.

This.

 

[DitchDoc73]

what would be a formal style of email?

Professor (Doctor) XXXXX,

What ever you want to place in the body of the e-mail. Avoid slang and abbreviations, remember this is a professional e-mail. Make sure to use proper grammar and spelling (at least use spell check!).

Sincerely (Thank you, etc),
Your First and Last Name

 

[DitchDoc73]

Hey guys I recently contacted my professor for one of my science classes and I sent him and email and he said...

"I should go to other professors first who know me better and classes I got a higher grade in and if I have trouble to come back to him then"

I got a B in his class and I am having trouble finding a second science teacher to write me a LOR.

I wrote to him again explaining that and he said

"Sorry for the late reply, I will consider it"

I sent him a Email saying

"Prof im not sure i understand what you mean, if I should come into the office and have a meeting with you or if you will get back to me on it"


Its been 4 days since my last email.

Should I show up at his office instead of just waiting for an email or will that annoy him after what he has written me.

****RED FLAG**** Find another professor to write your letter. It sounds like your professor is politely telling you that you may NOT get a letter that you would want in your application! Just my personal opinion!

I think you should send him/her a professional e-mail thanking them for considering writing a LOR, but that you are no longer requesting one from them.

 

[antapolar]

****RED FLAG**** Find another professor to write your letter. It sounds like your professor is politely telling you that you may NOT get a letter that you would want in your application! Just my personal opinion!

I think you should send him/her a professional e-mail thanking them for considering writing a LOR, but that you are no longer requesting one from them.

Agreed. I also believe this is a polite way of telling you that he doesn't feel he can write you a positive letter or at least one that can help you out. Even in the first e-mail, he has already told you that you should look for someone else who knows you better and better grade - that is already a way of saying 'no.' Try your best finding someone else, this isn't going to work, even if he does write you one in the end....I wouldn't trust it. GL

 

[WonderBoy]

Agreed. I also believe this is a polite way of telling you that he doesn't feel he can write you a positive letter or at least one that can help you out. Even in the first e-mail, he has already told you that you should look for someone else who knows you better and better grade - that is already a way of saying 'no.' Try your best finding someone else, this isn't going to work, even if he does write you one in the end....I wouldn't trust it. GL

Agree with the last two posts; You want a letter that will help you get in, not keep your from getting your foot in the door. Find someone else and you will be better off.

 

[TexasPhysician]

Look elsewhere

 

[lovemesomeTJ]

Three emails and no resolution? This is not the one.

If you're still in school and can see these professors, I recommend not writing emails and just going to talk to the professor during office hours. Have an arsenal of not only your grades, but your PS, resume, and anything else that may help a professor write a stronger letter for you. If you do the legwork for them and meet with them in person, that shows the severity of the situation and they may be more inclined to help you. Have everything ready for them so that they're less likely to say no. I did this after being out of school for five years, with professors whose courses I got As and Bs in, and it worked out.

Definitely target a more approachable professor, too. I tried to get one from a jerk like this guy, and as soon as I felt the bitchy vibes from him I exited the building and never went back.

 

[creativename]

No further contact with this professor should be necessary other than to inform him that you will no longer be needing a LOR and thanking him for responding.

His LOR may only go to hurting your chances of acceptance. Surely you've received an A in another professor's class that you could ask?

 

[UpwardTrend]

Run.

If it must be an academic letter perhaps you could get one from an advisor, dean, etc. Think of all the hard work you have put into your EC's and school work. Don't take a chance on this guy.

 

[ShyRem]

This doesn't sound like a good LOR prospect. Find someone else.

 

[istunn]

Yeah, I agree with everyone here. Even though he told you to come back if you couldn't get an LOR from someone else, he didn't think that you would actually come back.

 

[harkkam]

Yeah...I am not going to get it from him. I mean I really dislike prof. who do this. I took your class and I was attentive and focused and asked more questions that anybody in the class. I was awake taking notes and asking relevant questions while everyone else was sleeping.

Its your job to write LOR, they act as if they're doing you a favor.

 

[peppy]

I have to disagree. Your letter writers are definitely doing you a favor. They are investing extra unpaid time in writing the letter itself, and they are staking their reputation on vouching for you. If you act like a fool at your med school interviews, then that will make the professor look foolish for recommending you, so your letter writers are trusting you not to embarrass them.
This is why you need to make sure you approach them in a very polite and respectful way.
I get the impression that the professor you emailed may have been offended by your informal style of writing emails. Next time definitely err on the side of being very formal and polite like in the example that DitchDoc73 gave.

 

[cpants]

Yeah...I am not going to get it from him. I mean I really dislike prof. who do this. I took your class and I was attentive and focused and asked more questions that anybody in the class. I was awake taking notes and asking relevant questions while everyone else was sleeping.

Its your job to write LOR, they act as if they're doing you a favor.

HA! I'm sure your prof. would disagree with you. His job is to teach you and do research for the university, not write letters. Obviously you didn't make that great an impression on him. He's doing you a favor by letting you know that rather than agreeing and writing a lukewarm or cookie-cutter letter.

 

[ShyRem]

It is NOT their "job" to write you a LOR. I have had professors offer to write me a LOR when they heard I was applying to medical school - I didn't have to ask. I know other students who asked the same profs who wrote my letters and received a very luke-warm reception to their request.

It is very dependent on the people involved. Being attentive, asking "more questions that [sic] anybody in the class" (which I took as a clear indication of suck-uppery), and being awake and attentive in class does not automatically garner you a wonderful glowing LOR. Nor does an A in the class. And if you really think that's all there is to getting a fabulous LOR, then I can't say I blame the prof for not wanting to write you one.

The professors job is to provide education. They hope to see a spark of that wonderful thing known as curiosity, intellectual stimulation, and even better - fun while in their class. The grade is superfluous. The passion is not. Being a total gunner won't get you a great LOR. Loving the class, enjoying the education, taking the information out of the box and seeing other new applications, expanding horizons - that gets you a great LOR.

But make no mistake about it: a professor's job is to teach. Not to write fabulous LORs for every student that asks. And I'm sure you would rather not have a professor that agreed to write a LOR for every student who asked for one. I mean, really, if this prof actually wrote you a LOR without gently discouraging you (and this was gentle), you probably would not have received a single interview to medical school. His LOR would have buried you.

 

[harkkam]

Getting LOR's has been tough, I've noticed somehow that I am not able to connect with prof. and even with good grades. I dont know what it is. Im afraid that it will hurt me in the future.

This isnt the first prof who has said no to me. I got a B+ in Orgo, and two A's in Bio and both professors said they wouldn't be able to write a strong letter. Either I dont get to know them well enough or I am putting them off somehow.

 

[BKtomodachi]

I'll just reiterate a few things that have been said, in a collective manner:

-Remember that most professors are from a different generation. In addition, their positions should garner them some degree of respect. Always use a polite, formal tone unless you really know them well. Be formal in any written/email encounter.

-Utilize their office hours appropriately. I usually try to drop them an email before coming in so that they can get my name in their heads, then when I stop by they can match the name to the face. Do this fairly often, but for good reasons only.

-When asking for a letter, be sure to let them know (while asking) that you would provide them with your CV/resume and a current draft of your personal statement, along with any other materials they might need. Make it easy for them.

 

[Donvb]

Yeah...I am not going to get it from him. I mean I really dislike prof. who do this. I took your class and I was attentive and focused and asked more questions that anybody in the class. I was awake taking notes and asking relevant questions while everyone else was sleeping.

Its your job to write LOR, they act as if they're doing you a favor.

If you would've gotten an "A" in his course, or done something above and beyond what the normal student does... But to be honest, you sound kindof average in this class and he isn't going to write a great letter for an average student. He was being VERY respectful by letting you know this in a nice/subtle way, you just didn't have the experience here to catch his cues...

 

[HeelHookin]

Yeah...I am not going to get it from him. I mean I really dislike prof. who do this. I took your class and I was attentive and focused and asked more questions that anybody in the class. I was awake taking notes and asking relevant questions while everyone else was sleeping.

Its your job to write LOR, they act as if they're doing you a favor.

I am not trying to be rude, and I think you came to the proper realization by not having this professor write you a letter....But with an attitude like that you are going to be hard pressed to find any professors willing to write a letter of recommendation! Because you are 100% wrong here, the professors are doing you a favor by writing a LOR for you. If you try asking the professor, and phrasing it as if you are appreciative that they are taking time out of their busy schedule to help you, I think you will find professors will be more receptive

I had one professor, who i asked face to face to write the letter, tell me something similar. He offered to write the letter, but said since he didn't know me all that well he only felt comfortable reporting my grade. I was not going to have a professor write a weak LOR, so I took the hint. This happened early on in my college career and helped me focus on what I needed to do to get STRONG LETTERS! I learned from this experience and become close with professors who taught advanced science courses during my senior year, and received (from what I hear) pretty strong LOR. I hope you have time left in college to develop stronger relationships with professors, if not you may want to revisit old professors and see what you can work out.

IMO you are better off not asking a professor who taught a required premed course (advanced science courses may be better if possible) unless you have a personal relationship, or have done something to really stand out. Think about how many students take BIO 101 vs the number of students who take Immunology or Physiology! BIO 101 is required for all science majors, engineers (most of whom have a desire to receive an advanced degree and will require LORs), nutrionists and will attract a lot of students fulfilling GEN ED requirements. Generally the classes are smaller for the more advanced courses, especially if you attend a large university, and allows you more opportunities to make a good impression, which will be reflected by a positive strong LOR.

Best of Luck!

-Hookin-

 

[jm192]

I'll just reiterate a few things that have been said, in a collective manner:

-Remember that most professors are from a different generation. In addition, their positions should garner them some degree of respect. Always use a polite, formal tone unless you really know them well. Be formal in any written/email encounter.

-Utilize their office hours appropriately. I usually try to drop them an email before coming in so that they can get my name in their heads, then when I stop by they can match the name to the face. Do this fairly often, but for good reasons only.

-When asking for a letter, be sure to let them know (while asking) that you would provide them with your CV/resume and a current draft of your personal statement, along with any other materials they might need. Make it easy for them.

I think it's incredibly important to go to a professors' office just so they know who you are. Don't go to chit chat. Have questions to ask, then if you get lucky and fall into a few minutes of chit chat, that's a bonus. I really struggled with Calculus and O-Chem. I spent a ton of time with those professors during office hours. Eventually they started asking about me other than just their class, and both even offered to write me a letter of recommendation.

If you have a chance to take a professor multiple times, and you haven't made a bad impression on them already, they would obviously know you better than a professor you had once.