cquin Posted November 23, 2011 Posted November 23, 2011 (edited) Not really looking for advice here, just want to vent... So the professor of my grad class (which I'm taking as a non-matriculating student) told me MONTHS ago that he'd be more than happy to write a letter for me. Fantastic. I've submitted papers for class and he's read over a very early draft of my SOP. Yesterday after class, I reminded him that my first deadline--December 8th--was approaching. Suddenly, things got weird. He said he wouldn't feel comfortable writing a LOR for me before he read my final, 15 page paper. Okay, that seemed completely understandable to me. I told him that after a few more edits I'd be done with it and would email it to him this weekend, so he could read it over. He hemmed and hawed for a bit and then finally admitted that he had too much work over the next week and wasn't sure if he'd be able to get to it in time. But, he said, he could definitely write LORs for my schools with later deadlines... Aside from feeling peeved (I mean, he was positively effusive about recommending me when we first discussed it AND I told him about this deadline weeks ago), I am now freaking out. There's no way I can contact a professor from undergrad and expect them to whip something up within the next 2 weeks. I'm giving serious consideration to just not applying to this school, even though it's one of my top choices. But, that sucks. And I am simultaneously anxious and depressed. And I hate how emotionally calamitous this application process is. Blergh. Edited November 23, 2011 by cquin
Timshel Posted November 23, 2011 Posted November 23, 2011 Ouch. That is incredibly douchey. I would be hesitant to want him to write ANY of your letters after that because it doesn't seem like he is excited or supportive of your PhD endeavors. And, how do you know he won't do this again?
cquin Posted November 23, 2011 Author Posted November 23, 2011 Ouch. That is incredibly douchey. I would be hesitant to want him to write ANY of your letters after that because it doesn't seem like he is excited or supportive of your PhD endeavors. And, how do you know he won't do this again? I know That thought has definitely crossed my mind. In his feeble defense, the final paper for the class isn't due until mid-December, so he wasn't anticipating having to read long-ish essays until that time ("And my undergrad class had a paper due on Monday so I have to grade all of those this weekend and blah blah blah") but wtf, he knew that this deadline was coming up... I'm going to call the school and ask if there's any way they will accept one late LOR, but my hopes are not high.
eco_env Posted November 23, 2011 Posted November 23, 2011 I wonder how people who are so disorganized manage to get so far along and become professors... DeeLovely79 1
ecritdansleau Posted November 23, 2011 Posted November 23, 2011 (edited) This is so unfortunate--I think contacting the department is a smart idea. If they do not okay the submission of a late rec, my advice would be to get your professor a decent version of the paper ASAP, apologize for the inconvenience of the timing, and say that if he cannot submit the Dec 8th recommendation that you will understand, but that you would be highly appreciative if he ends up being able to do so. If nothing else, just submit everything else in the application that is within your power. It seems as if departments vary on how they handle things like this (some are more strict), so don't throw in the towel just because he can't write the recommendation. Again, it might really help to talk to someone in the department (perhaps if there is a secretary who handles the graduate application submissions) to gauge flexibility in this area. Edited November 23, 2011 by ecritdansleau
Timshel Posted November 23, 2011 Posted November 23, 2011 I wonder how people who are so disorganized manage to get so far along and become professors... Are you kidding? Pretty much every professor is unorganized. I teach English at a university, and it is impossible NOT to be disorganized and perpetually behind, but I would NEVER back out of writing a letter of recommendation if I promised I would give one. You push yourself and make exceptions for students you support because you don't want to go back on your word and you don't want to screw over a student.
Timshel Posted November 23, 2011 Posted November 23, 2011 Also, OP, you may still want to consider contacting another professor since it's just one letter they need. One of my schools ended up allowing a fourth letter and I contacted a fourth perspective LOR a week ago and told him I would need it by December 1st, and if he couldn't do it, I would understand, and he said no problem. So, I think it might be worth a shot if your original LOR can't come through.
lolopixie Posted November 24, 2011 Posted November 24, 2011 Yea, I would reach out to another professor and ask. Explain the situation. Admit it is extremely last minute, but it could not be helped because it was unforeseeable on your behalf. If you're really excited about the program, you shouldn't let this from stopping you. Is it Riverside?
TripWillis Posted November 24, 2011 Posted November 24, 2011 December 8th, eh? Sounds like Maryland to me. I think the fact he's put you in this position is nonsense. Letter writing is part of what they are getting paid for. Reality. Not to mention, you let him know really far ahead of time. I thought I had it bad: I gave my letter writers packets (spreadsheet of schools and deadlines, SoP drafts, Writing Sample, work from course /w comments, etc.) way back at the end of August and told them I wanted to submit early before I and everyone else got busy. Letters submitted as of 11/23/11: 0. Almost all my applications are submitted, but no letters.
0000000000AAA Posted November 24, 2011 Posted November 24, 2011 December 8th, eh? Sounds like Maryland to me. Or maybe Duke?
Timshel Posted November 24, 2011 Posted November 24, 2011 . Is it Riverside? Riverside's deadline is the 10th.
indalomena Posted November 24, 2011 Posted November 24, 2011 Or maybe Duke? or UW-Madison? (I've been making spreadsheets of deadlines... ) OP, this is such an annoying situation, totally my worst nightmare as it's the part of the application that's out of your control. I'd also suggest trying to find someone else. Good luck!
cquin Posted November 25, 2011 Author Posted November 25, 2011 (edited) It's Duke. Totally my dream school and now I am in a state of utter panic over it. I called the graduate office and was told that submitting a letter 2-3 weeks late shouldn't be an issue, but I would need to confirm with the specific department. No one answered at the Literature department office (this was on Wednesday, so I assume they all must have left early for the holiday) so I'll try them again on Monday. I also reached out to another professor from my undergrad institution and am waiting on a reply. In the meantime, I'll be sending my current prof an e-mail and I assure you I shan't mince my words... Ugh. I still kind of want an LOR from him because he's well-connected and is a bit of an academic darling. Is that very shallow of me? (Probably.) Edited November 25, 2011 by cquin
Sigaba Posted November 25, 2011 Posted November 25, 2011 In the meantime, I'll be sending my current prof an e-mail and I assure you I shan't mince my words... cquin-- Please do give the draft of that email a few days to cool before you hit send. Do not light a fire to your rear as you're attempting to advance onward and upward. One never knows when one may have to take a step back to move forward. Remember the lesson that Anna Freud taught to her father on his eightieth birthday.
cquin Posted November 25, 2011 Author Posted November 25, 2011 cquin-- Please do give the draft of that email a few days to cool before you hit send. Do not light a fire to your rear as you're attempting to advance onward and upward. One never knows when one may have to take a step back to move forward. Remember the lesson that Anna Freud taught to her father on his eightieth birthday. Haha, thank you I am of course remaining respectful and diplomatic in my email, but I also don't want to sugarcoat the issue and tell my prof that everything is a-okay.
cquin Posted November 28, 2011 Author Posted November 28, 2011 Good news! Duke said they have no problem accepting a late LOR. Just putting this out there in case anyone else finds themselves in a similar situation and has a near meltdown like I did--check with the department!
Origin=Goal Posted November 29, 2011 Posted November 29, 2011 Similar situation is unfolding here, as two of my recommenders have yet to begin their letters assuming there is an implicit grace period. Unfortunately several of the department heads I contacted today have said otherwise (i.e. they need to be in by the first or else)! Anyone have any insight into this? Most of the schools are UCs.
Mistral Posted November 29, 2011 Posted November 29, 2011 Similar situation is unfolding here, as two of my recommenders have yet to begin their letters assuming there is an implicit grace period. Unfortunately several of the department heads I contacted today have said otherwise (i.e. they need to be in by the first or else)! Anyone have any insight into this? Most of the schools are UCs. I don't have insight, but I have the same problem. Two of my recommenders assume there is a grace period.
wintergirl Posted November 29, 2011 Posted November 29, 2011 Good news! Duke said they have no problem accepting a late LOR. Just putting this out there in case anyone else finds themselves in a similar situation and has a near meltdown like I did--check with the department! Yay!! Relieved for you, cquin. : ) But... Similar situation is unfolding here, as two of my recommenders have yet to begin their letters assuming there is an implicit grace period. Unfortunately several of the department heads I contacted today have said otherwise (i.e. they need to be in by the first or else)! Anyone have any insight into this? Most of the schools are UCs. YIKES. I hadn't even thought of this possibility. Which UC schools, may I ask?
lolopixie Posted November 30, 2011 Posted November 30, 2011 I don't have insight, but I have the same problem. Two of my recommenders assume there is a grace period. Light the fire!!!
lyonessrampant Posted November 30, 2011 Posted November 30, 2011 A lot of programs will take LORs later if everything else for your app has been turned in. Contact the school's DGS secretary and ask.
cquin Posted November 30, 2011 Author Posted November 30, 2011 Origin: Yikes, I don't know about the UCs. My school was Duke and they seemed fairly lax about it. For what it's worth, I have heard that there is a "grace period" in the sense that ad coms will not actually start reviewing apps until the beginning of January. That information is completely anecdotal and unconfirmed, but it makes sense to me. When you think of how many applications they have to read, ad coms aren't going to want to dive into it until after the semester ends and after the holidays.
HaruNoKaze Posted November 30, 2011 Posted November 30, 2011 Hey yall, I'm having a bit of a crisis. So I just talked to one of my profs that was going to write me LOR for my apps. I'm applying to two English doctorate programs, one Philosophy doctorate program, and one philosophy MA program. My prof told me tonight she will be "too busy" to write different letters for each program, she's just going to write one and send it to all the programs. UT's English app is due this month, UT phil is due Jan 1st, and SMU's English program is Jan 15th, and the last phil program isn't due until Feb. She's telling me now she can't write different letters. Worst part: UT's electronic system makes all the application material visible to every program a student applies to (i.e. the phil program can view all my English LOR, writing samples, SOP, and vice versa) meaning both ad comms are going to have the exact same LOR on file from one prof. Should I just tell her don't worry about my philosophy LOR and try and find someone else to write them b/c she's not going to talk about any specifics? Or will she just look like a lazy prof for submitting the same LOR, even though I'm not really supposed to know what she's writing, but she's told me and now I'm FREAKING out... Advice. plz... Sigaba and truckbasket 2
lyonessrampant Posted November 30, 2011 Posted November 30, 2011 If you think her letter will be reflective of your skills and speak to your scholarly potential (which might be the same in English or philosphy), I wouldn't freak out. If you've got another prof on the wings who could sub for philosophy and you think might write a more nuanced philosophy letter, I'd go to him or her, but if not, I'd stick with what you've got. Programs get hundreds of apps (at UTA, where I applied last year and was admitted, nearly 600 English Ph.D. apps), so I don't think they'll spend time searching everything they can find. It probably won't make a big difference if you go with the same letter. Good luck!
HaruNoKaze Posted November 30, 2011 Posted November 30, 2011 I'm not sure what her letter is going to say now that she told me she's writing one letter recommending me for doctorate programs. I only have two professors in the English grad program, so I've taken like four classes with her and she knows my work well. She would be able to write a letter about my scholarly potential, but she made it sound like she's just going to write some generic catch all letter. I know UT Austin gets a LOT of applicants, but I've already talked to the Phil dept about my application and they are going to be looking out for it, so I was hoping to put my best foot forward. Sigh.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now