my prof isn't finishing my Letter of rec!

[CerealBox]

I asked my bio professor a over a year ago if he would write me a strong LOR for med school. He enthusiastically agreed, said I was an amazing student, and wouls write a letter that almost no adcom member would disregard. So I met with, talked about my goals, gave him a copy of my resume, transcripts, info on where to send the letter (a letter file), and a cover letter emphasizing what i thought my strong points were.

He never wrote it.

So a couple of months ago I met with him again. Again he told me how he was going to write this fabulous letter. I gave him updated stuff.... and still nothing has been turned in.

A month ago I sent him a copy of my PS to look over and as a reminder that i was waiting for a letter.

Then, a couple of weeks ago i wrote him an email flat out asking when he was going to write my letter.

how much more can i bug him????

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[prettygirl1908]

If he/she is still in town for the summer, go to office hours. There is nothing like face to face interaction.

 

[laya533]

I asked my bio professor a over a year ago if he would write me a strong LOR for med school. He enthusiastically agreed, said I was an amazing student, and wouls write a letter that almost no adcom member would disregard. So I met with, talked about my goals, gave him a copy of my resume, transcripts, info on where to send the letter (a letter file), and a cover letter emphasizing what i thought my strong points were.

He never wrote it.

So a couple of months ago I met with him again. Again he told me how he was going to write this fabulous letter. I gave him updated stuff.... and still nothing has been turned in.

A month ago I sent him a copy of my PS to look over and as a reminder that i was waiting for a letter.

Then, a couple of weeks ago i wrote him an email flat out asking when he was going to write my letter.

how much more can i bug him????

Well, my professor keeps telling me : keep the pressure on me. I go maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. Come on. gimme my letter.

 

[CerealBox]

If he/she is still in town for the summer, go to office hours. There is nothing like face to face interaction.

do profs still have office hours during the summer even if they aren't teaching any classes?

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

I asked my bio professor a over a year ago if he would write me a strong LOR for med school. He enthusiastically agreed, said I was an amazing student, and wouls write a letter that almost no adcom member would disregard. So I met with, talked about my goals, gave him a copy of my resume, transcripts, info on where to send the letter (a letter file), and a cover letter emphasizing what i thought my strong points were.

He never wrote it.

So a couple of months ago I met with him again. Again he told me how he was going to write this fabulous letter. I gave him updated stuff.... and still nothing has been turned in.

A month ago I sent him a copy of my PS to look over and as a reminder that i was waiting for a letter.

Then, a couple of weeks ago i wrote him an email flat out asking when he was going to write my letter.

how much more can i bug him????

Arrange a meeting as soon as possible. Then, tell him bluntly that you need the letter within 2-3 weeks. Say that if he cannot provide it by then, then he should say so right away and you will look elsewhere.

 

[Overeducated]

When I asked for all my LORs I gave specific requested deadlines (i.e. "by the end of June") and just today found out that my final one was sent.

My advice: don't simply ask again if they'll write it or if they remember... specifically say that you NEED it urgently by such and such date. Professors know about deadlines the same way students do... and without deadlines they can also procrastinate just like students do.

 

[Flopotomist]

Maybe I am taking a different approach here than the other posters, but I would be weary about getting a LOR from this individual. It is possible that he may not feel comfortable writing a strong letter for you, and is procrastinating hoping that you will drop the subject. Maybe he just doesn't have the cojones to tell you this, and is hoping that you will pick up on the message (like the guy that doesn't call back after the first date).

It is also possible that he truly does intend to write a decent letter. However, if his letter writing skills are reflected by his level of organization in other areas of his life (eg procrastination) I would be a bit concerned.

Is it possible that you have other people that could write you a strong letter of recommendation?

 

[candyholic]

This may not be the greatest advice, but it is thought to speed things up. See if perhaps your professor wouldn't mind you writing up a draft of the recommendation and having him edit and then approve that as your official recommendation...granted you do have to be objective about yourself and write from his perspective. He still has to sign off on the letter as his own.

When I was applying last year, my professor asked me to do this for him...write a draft...and then he edited the whole thing. The final product was a letter far better than I could have imagined.

 

[CerealBox]

Maybe I am taking a different approach here than the other posters, but I would be weary about getting a LOR from this individual. It is possible that he may not feel comfortable writing a strong letter for you, and is procrastinating hoping that you will drop the subject. Maybe he just doesn't have the cojones to tell you this, and is hoping that you will pick up on the message (like the guy that doesn't call back after the first date).

It is also possible that he truly does intend to write a decent letter. However, if his letter writing skills are reflected by his level of organization in other areas of his life (eg procrastination) I would be a bit concerned.

Is it possible that you have other people that could write you a strong letter of recommendation?

I would think this too, except he expressed LOTS of enthusiasm each time he talked to me. He even told me in detail a bunch of exceptional qualities he was going to write about. ?? wierd

I also did say I needed all my letters by early June. I think I'll email and call him and let him know that I really need the letter done by the end of June and need to be able to send them out by July 1. (Is that too little time?)

I don't really have a good back up professor....

 

[RAD11]

Hi...I agree with Flopotomist on this one. Maybe your professor is really not comfortable in writing you a letter of rec. I mean professors know what's the deal when it comes to writing LORs and that there are deadlines because I'm sure you're not the first student that asked him for one. Since you don't have a back-up professor, ask him one last time and if he still doesn't come through then you might want to ask someone else (i.e. employer, place where you volunteered/did research, etc.) Good luck!

 

[dmoney41]

Some professors are just incredibly busy or disorganized. You just need to go get in his face about it - rule 1 of academia is that if you really want something done in a timely fashion, never ever use email.

 

[CerealBox]

ok. still no letter.

Do you think I'll be ok with 4 letters??)
1 from an econ prof (my major) at my undergrad institution
1 from a bio prof at my post-bach institution
2 from PIs that I have worked with for >3 years and published with...

because i think i have to give up on this last bio prof. you're all right... I might be better off without a LOR from him.

 

[emgirl]

do you need one more letter from another sci prof you took a class with? Or does a research PI count? I'm inclined to think a LOR from a sci prof you did research with would suffice (I think some schools usually require 2 letters from a sci prof), but I'm not sure- do you have to have taken classes with them?

 

[tangledupinblue]

Send him a thank you note and possibly a thank you gift. Guilt him into finishing it. I had to do that for one of mine. He got the point and finished it by the end of the week.

 

[Learfan]

I asked my bio professor a over a year ago if he would write me a strong LOR for med school. He enthusiastically agreed, said I was an amazing student, and wouls write a letter that almost no adcom member would disregard. So I met with, talked about my goals, gave him a copy of my resume, transcripts, info on where to send the letter (a letter file), and a cover letter emphasizing what i thought my strong points were.

He never wrote it.

So a couple of months ago I met with him again. Again he told me how he was going to write this fabulous letter. I gave him updated stuff.... and still nothing has been turned in.

A month ago I sent him a copy of my PS to look over and as a reminder that i was waiting for a letter.

Then, a couple of weeks ago i wrote him an email flat out asking when he was going to write my letter.

how much more can i bug him????

Give it one more try and then move on. First, alert a backup source for a letter if at all possible. Next, make a specific appointment to see him face to face, briefly and politely mention the situation and the pressing deadline, hand him a copy of the letter that you believe he would write based upon previous discussions in both paper and electronic form for editing and politely tell him that the relavent authorities require it in Y days or you will be excluded from the application process. Check back one to two days before the deadline. If he wrote the letter, great. If not either go to the backup source immediately for a letter or live with what you have. Just accept the fact that the individual you are currently working with is a person of zero honor and courage who either would not honor his commitment or did not have the stones to say that he did not care for you and would not write a letter. In the business world I meet people with no stones and no honor frequently. Get used to it. That is how people behave. You will encounter much worse on the wards.

 

[nockamura]

Send him a thank you note and possibly a thank you gift. Guilt him into finishing it. I had to do that for one of mine. He got the point and finished it by the end of the week.

Yeah, this is what I did too. Send 'em a premature Thank You card and they'll feel guilty so they actually do it.

 

[Demeter]

I had the same problem. it is pretty damn frustrating when your future is the hands of lazy professor. just keep hounding him, every day.

 

[tigress]

Send him a thank you note and possibly a thank you gift. Guilt him into finishing it. I had to do that for one of mine. He got the point and finished it by the end of the week.

I actually did this by accident. I had a professor who I knew was procrastinating with my letter, but I thought he had written it. I sent a thank you note, but not long after when I called to check on my letters I found out he hadn't sent it yet! Well, I felt pretty bad, like he must think I was deliberately shoving it in his face, but actually he didn't even mention it to me, and when I called back a week later to check on my LORs, his was there

 

[CerealBox]

ok. still no letter.

Do you think I'll be ok with 4 letters??)
1 from an econ prof (my major) at my undergrad institution
1 from a bio prof at my post-bach institution
2 from PIs that I have worked with for >3 years and published with...

because i think i have to give up on this last bio prof. you're all right... I might be better off without a LOR from him.

I finally got the letter!!! He emailed me this morning with the letter attached. It is an awesome endorsement too.

Now I just need to get some secondaries so I can send my wonderful letters in

 

[AxlxA]

Thank you guys for this thread because now i have to bug my english professor for my letter. I asked 3 years ago and still NO LETTER. i bugged her a few times this year already and i guess she is really busy. Gonna leave her ANOTHER voicemail since she doesn't give out her email.

 

[45408]

Yeah, even the guy who I thought would have it done in a heartbeat procrastinated for almost a semester. Good thing I didn't need it in any hurry.

 

[Medikit]

There were people on here last year who still hadn't got their letters in August. Maybe you should ask someone else for a LOR so you can use it until this professor has time for you.

 

[ShyRem]

Hmmm. I thought it was not a good idea for you to handle your LORs... ? in fact, I think I looked up some schools that specifically stated the letter could not come from your hands (and two even required a copy of the waiver). One wanted the letter writer's signature across the back of the envelope (along the seal).