"this will be difficult"....

[mf2232]

my professor (from when i was in undergrad 4 years ago) finally got back to me. she said she would do it provided she had enough time, but that it would be "difficult." what does that mean? is that a huge red flag that shes gonna write me something sub-par?

[midnight]

She sounds unenthusiastic about it, that's for sure.

Quite honestly she has, what, at least an entire month to write an LOR for you? That seems like enough time to me, though I'm sure some may disagree.

Is there anyone else you can reasonably ask?

[ktel]

I don't think the difficulty is in the amount of time, but in the quality of the reference letter. That is what I think is implied in that statement. I would find another letter writer if possible

[midnight]

I don't think the difficulty is in the amount of time, but in the quality of the reference letter. That is what I think is implied in that statement. I would find another letter writer if possible

Well, clearly.

I brought up the mention of time because it seems like a flimsy excuse and a passive-aggressive way to get out of writing the letter. She should've just said no.

"Difficult" is definitely not a word you want to hear from a letter writer.

Edited October 25, 2012 by midnight streetlight

[TakeruK]

Most people don't like saying "no" to others. If she said no, you might thank her for her time and go ask someone else (ideal response). But some students will ask the prof why, and if she explains, then she has to put together a complete argument describing why she can't write a high quality letter, and then there might be more emails back and forth debating the topic, depending on the type of person the student is!

I think most profs that don't want to write a letter would still agree to write it but give a comment (such as what your prof said) to hint to the student to find someone else, leaving it up to the student to decide for themselves if they want the letter or not.

Edited October 25, 2012 by TakeruK

[Bearcat1]

I think most profs that don't want to write a letter would still agree to write it but give a comment (such as what your prof said) to hint to the student to find someone else, leaving it up to the student to decide for themselves if they want the letter or not.

A professor I'm close to told me that often, they will agree to write a letter and then write one that allows the reader to "read between the lines" and understand that the writer doesn't actually recommend the student. Which is a really shitty thing to do, but apparently happens. I would definitely ask someone else, because you do NOT want a letter like that. On the flip side, I have also experienced professors who are so profoundly lazy that they just can't be bothered with anything. And I would also think a lazy writer would write a bad letter.