Will he write a strong letter or Rec?

[chau0056]

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I emailed a prof. and asked him if you would write a strong LOR for me, but I'm confused by his reply.

Hi

I would be happy to write a letter - it is part of my job. To
preserve the integrity of the process, I don't commit to writing a
"strong letter" when asked - it may or may not be depending on the
merits after I have all the information. So, with that input, you can
decide whether or not you want me to write one.

Prof. T.

He's the head of the department. He was my mentor for 2 yrs, and I took a class with him; i didn't do to well (I got a B). He doesn't read between the lines, and takes things quite literally, so i don't know what to make of his response. Thanks

 

[Apparition]

I emailed a prof. and asked him if you would write a strong LOR for me, but I'm confused by his reply.

Hi

I would be happy to write a letter - it is part of my job. To
preserve the integrity of the process, I don't commit to writing a
"strong letter" when asked - it may or may not be depending on the
merits after I have all the information. So, with that input, you can
decide whether or not you want me to write one.

Prof. T.

He's the head of the department. He was my mentor for 2 yrs, and I took a class with him; i didn't do to well (I got a B). He doesn't read between the lines, and takes things quite literally, so i don't know what to make of his response. Thanks

I would find someone else probably.

 

[dfleis]

.

 

[marr]

His "strong" is not the same as your "strong" so as long as he could write you a postive rec I would go ahead and use him. By the way, he said that it all depends on your merits. Good Luck

 

[Jason110]

He's the head of the department. He was my mentor for 2 yrs, and I took a class with him; i didn't do to well (I got a B). He doesn't read between the lines, and takes things quite literally, so i don't know what to make of his response. Thanks

You got a B in his class and you're still asking him? I wouldn't ask any prof. who gave me less than a B in his/her class.

Jason

 

[dfleis]

You got a B in his class and you're still asking him? I wouldn't ask any prof. who gave me less than a B in his/her class.

Jason

...?

 

[futuremsfdoc]

personally, i'd get someone else.

 

[Jason110]

...?

I would stick with profs in whose class i got an A or A- in.

Jason

 

[superdevil]

its all about your confidence. if you think you've given him enough info to write a strong letter (he said it would be based on your merits, right?), then go for it.

he's probably just covering his ass regarding the use of the word "strong". doesn't sound like a big deal to me, but only you know for sure...

 

[tinkerbelle]

Since this professor was your mentor, does that mean he knows a lot about you on a personal level? If so, he might still be able to write a good letter since he can elaborate on your personality and what you do outside of academics. Plus, a letter from a person who has known you for 2 years will be more meaningful than a letter from a professor who has only taught you one class. And a B isn't bad if it was in a hard class.

 

[anitat]

in addition to being your prof, if he was your mentor for 2 years, i'd still ask him for a letter ... unless there's another professor who knows you as well as this one potentially does. and in his repsonse, he doesn't say that he won't write you a strong rec, he just doesn't promise that he will. it seems like he's just going to be fair in his letter ... if you deserve a strong letter based on your "merits" then you'll get one. and if you don't deserve a strong letter, then he'll just write you a good one, or however well you deserve one. if you don't feel comfortable discussing aspects of your potential letter with him, then i'd think about what he'd say about you if you were in his shoes, and make your decision from there.

 

[PrincessCKNY]

Wow, how's that for mind games? I suggest seeing if you can find someone that is more up front about writing you a strong letter, and who's class you got an A in. More importantly, find someone that you feel you are fairly tight w/. When faced w/ the mediocre head of dept letter vs. strong regular joe faculty letter, I always opt for the strong one. Only those letter writers truly know you and what your intentions/ambitions are.

 

[VPDcurt]

The fact that he was your mentor for 2 years means, to me at least, that you have to get an LOR from him. Wouldn't it look very strange if you didn't? PS - he sounds like a nightmare to me.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

He may very well write the best LOR that you get. Just a thought.

 

[uclabruin2003]

ok if he was a mentor...you think he would know you enough to write a letter without saying all that stuff (i dont understand how he could mentor you and still act like this?). anyways i would def pick someone else if you had the choice. if not...then go with the flow.....

 

[leechy]

this faculty person sounds a bit anal and w/o personality. i know the type. it could very well just be whatever he tells anyone who asks him for a letter. if you don't want to risk it, though, might want to see who else you could ask.

 

[momof2]

He is just protecting himself by not commiting to your demand (although it is a request) to a "strong" letter. Chances are he will write you a strong letter or he would have just answered that he wouldn't be a good recommender for you and suggested you move on. He knows that to answer "yes" without having thought it out well wouldn't give him credibility. Those who just do it for anyone that asks probably submit plain ole canned LOR's. This guy wants it to be as personable as possible but accurate, possibly. Maybe ask him if he thinks you'd be better off using another recommender after he has reviewed your credentials carefully.

 

[OnMyWayThere]

Find someone else immediately...

 

[chau0056]

When he was my mentor, it was very difficult to hold a conversation with him, so I don't know how much well he really knows me. I took a Biomedical mass transfer class from him. It was not the easiest subject, and he wasn't by any means teacher of the year either. He isn't the most like prof. either, and usually has a couple of grad students leave his lab every year.

P.S. When they ask for science faculty letters, Does that mean that you have to have taken a class with them?

 

[ambrosia]

usually yes...i had a huge problem with that, because i had 2 science letters, but one was from a prof i had, and the other from someone i do research for but never had a class with, and many med schools wont accept this. so i had to get another science prof last minute, it wasn't fun

 

[i77ac]

goodness, what an ass... he's been your mentor and talks like that? my advise, dont ask him for the letter. find someone else.

 

[djohnston]

Too bad you didn't/couldn't ask him face to face. Often, you can get a better idea if they are really going to help you if you can see their body language.

 

[Darko]

Personally, I wouldn't include him. He knows you as a B student. Plus admission committees won't care if you don't have a letter from your mentor; a lot of us (especially the non-traditionals) don't even have mentors.

I know he says he doesn't commit to a strong letter for anyone, but in my opinion the potential harm from a weak letter from him far outweighs the marginal utility from having him do it rather than someone else.

Get an A professor to write it.