LOR from a jaded professor...

[siarabird]

So, next Fall is my app season, and I'm starting to stake out who exactly I want to ask for a LOR. I'm an English student, if this matters.

I have one professor that I really like, I've done very well in her class, I think I stand out from the rest of her students for various reasons, yada yada yada...I'd really like to ask her for a LOR when the time comes.

HOWEVER...

On the first day of class she came in and started complaining about how our university was hiring four new English professors and she had to sit in on a bunch of meetings. She then asked (very obviously rhetorically) if anyone in the class was looking to go to grad school. I remained silent as did the rest of my peers, because she went on to very abrasively say "Good, don't ever do it", and then went on to say something about how "terrifying" job interviews are for English professors...

So this left me feeling very downtrodden for a couple of weeks, although the rest of the semester has been going swimmingly and she hasn't mentioned anything about grad school yet except for her background - which, by the way, is my ideal situation, she's a postcolonialist who went to Duke and I just...I want to be her. :[

Anyway, is it at all smart to ask this woman for a LOR next semester, after basically being specifically told by her not to go to grad school? That little spiel at the beginning of the semester just made her seem so jaded, I'm almost afraid to approach her about it. But like I said, I feel like if she were to write me a LOR, it would be a good one...Gah.

Anyone else have any experience with "jaded" professors such as this? I have no idea what to do.

Edited March 17, 2012 by siarabird

[Darth.Vegan]

Ok well, I would suggest just going to her office hours or making an appointment with her. See how the reacts to you going to grad school, if she is supportive take the letter, if not don't. You can't base all this off of an off handed comment.

[wine in coffee cups]

If you admire and respect this professor, you should take her concerns about English PhD prospects very, very seriously. I would set up a meeting with her to hear her out about graduate school and the job market. Just because what she has to say makes you uncomfortable doesn't mean you should ignore it!

[crazygirl2012]

Ok well, I would suggest just going to her office hours or making an appointment with her. See how the reacts to you going to grad school, if she is supportive take the letter, if not don't. You can't base all this off of an off handed comment.

I agree. It sounds like she might have been having a rough day/week. I wouldn't let that automatically stop you from asking her for a letter. From what I've been told, interviews for faculty positions in any field really are horrible. Thankfully, it's a small portion of the career.

[siarabird]

Ok well, I would suggest just going to her office hours or making an appointment with her. See how the reacts to you going to grad school, if she is supportive take the letter, if not don't. You can't base all this off of an off handed comment.

I guess you're right. It's hard to think so logically when faced with such a bold and absolute denouncement of grad school from someone I respect very highly. I think it would be best for me to just try to forget about what she said and act like I would approaching any other professor, until/unless she says something similar again.

If you admire and respect this professor, you should take her concerns about English PhD prospects very, very seriously. I would set up a meeting with her to hear her out about graduate school and the job market. Just because what she has to say makes you uncomfortable doesn't mean you should ignore it!

I do admire and respect her, to the point where I'm almost too intimidated to even speak with her! (Just something about myself that I have to come to terms with and get over, haha.) I think what made me most uncomfortable about it was that she didn't really give any solid reasons to not go to grad school, just a general statement about how grueling the interview process is. She also didn't really seem to regret her decision to go to grad school! But you're right, I definitely want to talk to her more and see what else she has to say on the subject.

I agree. It sounds like she might have been having a rough day/week. I wouldn't let that automatically stop you from asking her for a letter. From what I've been told, interviews for faculty positions in any field really are horrible. Thankfully, it's a small portion of the career.

Yeah, I tend to forget that these professors that I look up to so much are people too. She just seems so perfect/like she has it all together in class...but of course, she has as crazy and unpredictable a life as the rest of us.

Thanks for the advice everyone! I really appreciate it, it definitely helped to calm my fears a little bit. You guys rock.

[vertices]

Your professor might be referring to some of the issues outlined in this series of advice columns:

http://chronicle.com/article/Graduate-School-in-the/44846/

It sounds like your professor can give you some very honest perspective on graduate schools in the humanities and meeting with her to talk about would be very beneficial. It sounds like she has a lot of knowledge to share on the subject. I'm sure she can still write to the strengths of her students as well... she's just looking out for people when she discourages attending graduate school.

[crazygirl2012]

Yeah, I tend to forget that these professors that I look up to so much are people too. She just seems so perfect/like she has it all together in class...but of course, she has as crazy and unpredictable a life as the rest of us.

They do seem superhuman most of the time, don't they? I agree!

[ANDS!]

I had an instructor tell us about a peer of his in his graduate program who committed suicide - he was the star student in the program and one day just decided to end it all. A lot of instructors have little nuggets like that about their experience in grad school. . .they still write great LOR's.

You'll be fine so long as you ask if she can write a strong LOR; if she likes you she knows she has to do what she can, to help you succeed (even if she thinks you're making a mistake).

[sareth]

Anyone else have any experience with "jaded" professors such as this? I have no idea what to do.

One of my letter writers was a professor who actually left academia because she hated the career so much. She also strongly discouraged me from applying to a few of the schools on my list because she felt that I'd be miserable at them. After we talked, she still wrote me VERY strong letters, so strong that professors at various programs commented on how impressive my letters were.

I think it comes down to what the professor thinks of _your_ potential. Good luck!

Edited March 29, 2012 by sareth