Hello! This is my first post to CC. I am a rising senior and facing an unique situation regarding my letter of recommendation.
I’m extremely mathematically advanced – I finished all my school’s math offerings three years ago, so I started taking dual enrollment courses. I’ve taken 6 university math courses over the past 3 years, and will be taking probably two or three more college math courses by the time I graduate.
My very first two classes had terrible professors that didn’t know me at all. In soph. year, I met an amazing university professor and got to know him. He’s been my only decent math teacher for the past 3 years, and I’ve taken half of my courses with him and will be doing some research with him next semester. He’s consented to write me letters of rec. for summer camps, but he apparently contacted my GC to tell her that he wouldn’t write a letter of recommendation for me for my common application, as his daughter is applying to similar colleges (a “conflict of interest” in his words, which I don’t really get).
Of note:
-he is literally the only good math teacher I’ve had for 3 years
-i have a physics teacher who could potentially write a good letter, but I don’t think I performed as well in his classes as I did in this professor’s math class.
-I’m applying to college as a math major, so it’d obviously look odd if my math teacher doesn’t give me a recommendation.
Any insights or suggestions on how I should handle this situation? Currently I’m planning on writing him an extremely respectful email, and then asking my physics teacher if he still doesn’t agree, but I’m worried that an email might damage my relation with him.
If his daughter isn’t graduating HS the same time you’re graduating, then there should be no conflict of interest. @CorpusChristi , a conflict can exist if the prof’s daughter is in the same graduating year in that a rec letter may be somehow construed as not fully supportive of OP since OP is competition. Hope that makes sense.
@SeinfeldFan1 Actually, I’ve never heard of it for a potential letter writer. I understand it however. I’m an alumnus volunteer interviewer/recruiter for my alma mater. We ask alumni to recuse themselves a year when a child potentially may be applying to our alma mater. It’d create a sense of impropriety – to interview/report upon your own kid’s competition. So if this prof’s daughter is OP’s same graduating year, I understand.
The bottom line is this - you don’t want anyone to write a college recommendation for you who doesn’t want to write a college recommendation for you. This prof has made it very clear he doesn’t want to write that recommendation for you. Whether his stance makes sense or not, there should be nothing further to discuss regarding this quite honestly. It’s a no go.
Instead, you need to strategize with your college advisor on what your best options are among your other teachers.
You have nothing to lose by writing the email. I mean logically speaking him writing a recommendation for you shouldn’t affect his daughter’s chances at all. It is weird that he didn’t reply to you directly. But I agree you should move on if he doesn’t respond. Even if you haven’t done as well in other classes, teachers can still testiment to your hard work and other personal characteristics
I’m not totally sure what you should do, but it seems like @doschicos is right.
Your professor’s logic, especially for a mathematician, infuriates me. The fact that he thinks his recommendation for you could directly affect his daughter’s chances is ridiculous.
Perhaps try your best to find the second best math teacher you have had, and then add physics or any other teacher you would feel comfortable writing your recommendation. I’m sorry you have to deal with this man…
@Formless , I wouldn’t worry that you don’t have a rec from a math teacher. Your transcripts are going to make it clear that you are advanced in math. Your physics teacher is fine. You don’t have to be the star student to get a good rec. Do you try, participate, work hard? That is what counts. Your recs should be from teachers who know you and like you, and who you like also. This is true of any student. It’s a bummer the math prof won’t write it, but he won’t, so move on. You seem like a student who probably does well in other classes and you are sure to find a teacher in another subject who will write a good rec.
Could you get a letter from someone at the math summer camp?
Have you tried all the other professors or searched them on rate my professor and there is no one else you would want to take a class from?
Otherwise I agree with @Lindagaf pick someone else who likes your work ethic, even if they’re not in math.
I don’t really get how it is a conflict of interest, but if the math prof. doesn’t feel comfortable writing your LOR for any reason, then you don’t want him writing it for you. Your math accomplishments should be obvious from your transcript.
Here’s how it can be a perceived conflict of interest: prof writes a ref letter. OP and prof’s daughter apply to three same schools. Daughter gets accepted into all three, OP gets three rejections. Did the prof tank the application with a less than great recommendation? What if a lukewarm recommendation is all that is warranted? It’s a no win situation for the prof.
^^^To alleviate that concern the prof. could share his recommendation letter with the OP. While teachers are not required to show LORs, they are free to do so. Nonetheless, if the prof. is uncomfortable writing a letter for any reason, then it is time to move on to someone else.
My guess is that the prof. doesn’t want to “hurt” his own child’s chances by writing a sterling recommendation for someone he would be in competition for a spot at the college (perhaps failing to recognize that there is room for both his child and the OP at any college – it is not a one or the other scenario).