<p>Hi. This is my first post after being a long time reader. Very long story, but bottom line question is: What is the generally accepted, respectful, and polite amount of time to allow for a faculty member to write a letter of recommendation?</p>
<p>D requested hers last April for a study abroad program that has a rolling admit policy and a deadline of 10/15. Prof said " I need a deadline", so told him "2 weeks, or if that is not possible I will provide my summer address and you can mail it to me". He never responded, she left campus and emailed several times requesting the letter so she could submit her application in August. Finally when he responded, he was terse and said it could be done in Sept, "no one has ever had a problem before applying to programs".</p>
<p>She reconnected with him, set up another meeting (I truely don't know whether he even remembers that they had the exact same kind of meeting in April), re-requested the letter and asked for it to be done within a weeks time. She told him everything else is done, just need this last letter. Today is the seventh day and she still has no idea whether he will come through. Should she blow him off and find someone else?</p>
<p>If he is getting terse about it, I would find someone else… Tough timing now with only a few weeks left – she should probably explain to the person she asks now that she had asked another prof back in April, and has met with him a couple of times, but still does not have the letter. So believes it is better to move on to another person to write the recommendation. Otherwise she sort of looks last minute, since it is only a couple of weeks until Oct. 15.</p>
<p>I agree that I would find someone else. D was able to get letters from college professors very quickly. One even did it within an hour of her request.</p>
<p>I agree with the other posters. I think you should ask another professor for a letter. Possibly the orginaly professor really doesn’t want to write for you and by putting you off hopes you will find someone else?</p>
<p>Yes, but very sad for me to believe that if someone is a professional educator, and does not want to write it, or does not think they have the time to write it, that they do not have the courtesy and respect to say so. Thanks for the replies.</p>
<p>DD had a professor last year who volunteered to write a LOR. She went in and asked him in person, sent the link, etc… and then he never did it. She reminded him, he never did it, finally she asked someone else who did it right away. For the life of me I can’t figure out why he volunteered to do it and then didn’t.</p>