i want to scream!

[Avenue Q]

I am so frustrated!

I asked for letters of recommendation in Feburary and March, maybe 1 in april. I submitted AMCAS days after you were allowed to, and have completed almost all of my secondaries (while working at camp, eventhough I only got 1 hour off a day). I was on track to have secondaries complete early. I should be complete at most schools right now.

EXCEPT 2 OF MY LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION ARE NOT INTO THE COMMITTEE YET!

I got to a small liberal arts school, where everyone I asked knows me very well, and would write awesome letters, and should be "student-centric" and try to get them in in reasonable time. I have sent countless e-mails and a phone messages, with no reply. The committee has sent them reminders as well.

This could only happen in academia!

I don't know what else to do except keep bugging them. I spoke to my dad, and he says I should just call the profs at their home phone numbers, but I don't know if I am willing to resort to that yet. Tomorrow I am going to do a huge track down mission, and hopefully something will come of it.

At least this has given me time to collect a few more, if forced to look on the bright side...

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[LabMonster]

As one of my letter writers said when I mentioned I was bugging him, "I agreed to write the letter, so the burden is mine."

They agreed to write the letters - so hound them - nicely, until they fulfill their agreements. Remeber - they were once in your shoes, asking and waiting for LORs.

 

[it.]

we feel your frustration

 

[tank you]

we feel your frustration

you like that picture a lot, dont you

 

[it.]

you like that picture a lot, dont you

 

[Avenue Q]

we feel your frustration

the monkey made me feel better!

 

[Indryd]

the monkey made me feel better!

Monkeys always do that. Crazy little monkey bunkey boys! Oh yer so cutesy wootsy you cutesy little munkey bunkey boo!

 

[Kiroro]

I feel you Emily. I have exactly the same situation with you.

One of the professor even said that she will send in the letter by mid May and it's still not in

Some professor just doesn't have integrity.

 

[ShyRem]

My late professor just sent his in last week. I sent him an email basically saying "I gave you all this stuff EARLY so I could get in the EARLY batch of interview invites. Now your letter is the only one not received anywhere, interview invites are starting to go out and I'm *not* in the first batch! Didn't I tell you that early was the key?!?!? So when are you gonna send it, huh?? Oh, and send me an email when you DO send it so I can track whether or not you really did!"

If you put it in a way that they are harming your chances of a medical school admission, they might speed it up a bit.

 

[red dot]

same thing here... i asked for a letter of rec in february/march from my english teacher. she said "of course!" but

i have been emailing her and calling her EVERY WEEK since then

i gave her a deadline. ... today.

i'm going to give her a call again.... *sigh*

 

[Avenue Q]

same thing here... i asked for a letter of rec in february/march from my english teacher. she said "of course!" but

i have been emailing her and calling her EVERY WEEK since then

i gave her a deadline. ... today.

i'm going to give her a call again.... *sigh*

That stinks! I really think there is a major flaw in the academic world that this can happen so much.

I did hear from one prof today after a really stern e-mail - he said he "just got back" (right...), and that he will send it later today.

YAY!

God, these things can't take more than a few hours. They know me really really well. It's not like it's major remembering/research.

 

[firebird69guy]

OK I am going to be very very stereotypical here..


Professors are LAZY!


Think about it... once they come up with a set lesson plan, learn their material inside and out, and get a few ambitious grad students to do their dirty work, it's all smoooooth sailing. Anything extra is, well.. burdensome.

Hint: In my case, I had a committee interview on Aug 11th. I told every letter writer they had until Aug 8th to have the letter written and turned in, so that I could be evaluated based on their letter. I stressed it over and over, and even called them the week before. Sure enough, I had all my letters in by the 8th. Granted, a few of them had to be sent back for various reasons... but it was somewhat successful!

Remember: Professors probably just don't ever think of having the time to sit and write a letter. It's just too "extra" for them and they'd rather be at home watching NFL preseason games.

 

[Avenue Q]

OK I am going to be very very stereotypical here..


Professors are LAZY!


Think about it... once they come up with a set lesson plan, learn their material inside and out, and get a few ambitious grad students to do their dirty work, it's all smoooooth sailing. Anything extra is, well.. burdensome.

Except that's not the way it works at my school. Profs never teach the same class more than a couple of times, and most often each class is a one shot deal. We have no grad students, they do everything for themselves (including grading everything). The know all of the students really really really well since average class size is 16. I don't know what to say other than this prof screwed me - and it makes it worse because I know him really really well. This kind of stuff isn't supposed to happen at my school, they are supposed to be responsible and caring about us and all this stuff.

 

[bubbleyum]

i totally agree and sympathize.

in my case, i had to hunt down a professor who had agreed to meet with me and write me a letter, then ignored my several attempts to nail down a time and place to meet. i finaly had to find out his whole class schedule and ambush him in the hallway, all the while apologizing profusely for bothering him etc etc. he promises to write the letter before he leaves for vacation on the 12th, and of course i call today and the letter has not been turned in, and now he's gone on his vacation.

i thought they already had some kind of standarduzed form letter they use for most students and they just plug in my name and grades. i don't understand why that would take so long.

meanwhile, my premed advisor has had a death in the family and is out of the office indefinitely, and the only other premed advisor is now telling me by the time the commitee letter is complete, it will be mid september! and everyone else on this board seem to be getting their interview invites. i am frustrated and depressed.

 

[BaylorGuy]

This is what happened to me last year...which equals why i was so frustrated with my school ever since then. The majority of profs dont remember lots of things...considering they have classes to teach, meetings to attend to, research to do, family, tests, etc...it seems reasonable why they would forgot, or not choose to put at the top of their priorities, a letter of rec.

My advice, start asking once a week...or perhaps twice, maybe at the beginning and at the end. Keep at it...dont let them keep you any more behind.

 

[LJDHC05]

Ok here's a fun one:

My pre-med advisor last year in late september: "We didnt know you were applying...it'll be 2-3 weeks before we can send out your letter because things are kind of backed up on my desk"

Meanwhile my inbox has emails from a few schools to the effect of "Where are your LOR's? We just want to make sure that you're still interested in our program" or "Thanks for the 85 bucks, but since you've passed our deadline for completing our application we can not consider you for acceptance at this time...pay us again next year."

Two grand and a year later here I am doing it all over again. GAHHHH, second time around things are VERY different. One of my Profs offers to write a letter for me, unprompted, so I send him everything he asked for and NEVER heard from him again. Oh well, to quote me new advisor "your letter should be out in the next 10 days...or atleast by the end of August, but I'll be out of the office for another 3 days"...JUST WRITE MY DAMNED LETTER AND MAIL IT ALREADY...they have me address and stamp all of the envelopes myself...it requires pushing print, folding, stuffing and sealing the envelope.

Glad that I got everything done early so that my apps could collect dust waiting for my letter to come a month later...sweet.

 

[Avenue Q]

we need to start a support group. first meeting:

"when I hear 'not in yet' i get angry"

Tuesday, 9:00, Community Center Common Room A.

Refereshments will be served.

 

[Helicon2]

I know what you mean. My school sends out a packet with a cover letter, and even though all my letters have been in for a few weeks, I'm still waiting on the damn cover letter. It's really frustrating when you do what you can to get things in early, but are still held back by things out of your control.

 

[mi1020]

I know what you mean. My school sends out a packet with a cover letter, and even though all my letters have been in for a few weeks, I'm still waiting on the damn cover letter. It's really frustrating when you do what you can to get things in early, but are still held back by things out of your control.

Amen. That's how I feel about the ENTIRE process of applying.. LOR's, secondary invites, AMCAS processing, you name it.....

 

[tank you]

you need to make them feel guilty and it should work. thats how i finally got my clinical letter in despite giving her a deadline in the first place, sigh.

 

[Avenue Q]

The non-responsive professor got his in!!

I think I might just faint with excitement! I just checked my e-mail and got one from him saying it was in, one from my advisor, and one from the director of pre-professional advising. At least now I feel like I have people on my side!

Of course, the prof who said he would get his in tomorrow still hasn't. But at least there is some hope!

joyous day!