Yesterday I asked a professor for a letter of recommendation for my grad school applications over email, and he said yes but in an obviously reluctant way.
He replied “I am willing to write letters for you, but about all I can do is say you did very well in my class, which they can see on your transcript”. I said “I know I didn’t make a strong impression and that it would be difficult for you to speak about me in detail, but I believe that a letter from you would still enhance my application and I would welcome a recommendation from you if you were willing to write it”, and he replied tersely “Ok. I am willing.” I thanked him and asked if I could drop by during his office hours to discuss it, and he never replied.
I know that this should be an obvious signal to ask somebody else, but I have no other options. Firstly, I’m not an extroverted person and didn’t get to know any of my professors as an undergrad, and I graduated 2 years ago with a liberal arts degree.
I am now trying to switch fields and apply to Computer Science M.S. programs. I took 5 math/CS courses this year, but one of them was an online class and the other was a summer course taught by a grad student, so the 3 remaining professors are the ones I asked.
I admittedly have some social anxiety, and while I was taking this professor’s course I was nervous when talking to him because I wanted to make a good impression, which ironically made me come off as socially awkward. I got the distinct impression that he didn’t like me, and that impression was confirmed by our exchange yesterday.
How much would a tepid or generic letter hurt my chances? And is it at all possible that a professor would agree to write a letter for a student they don’t like, and then recommend against them whether explicitly or implicitly?
If the prof is giving those kind of negative signals, you had better get someone else to write the letter!
I really have no other options. The only other professors I could ask are those whose classes I took over 2 years ago, don’t remember me at all, and are teaching a liberal arts subject.
Apparently, you haven’t figured out that a tepid letter IS a bad letter.
Yup. In most disciplines, a letter that reads, “John is a hard worker who always came to class on time” is the kiss of death.
If the prof is giving those kind of negative signals, you had better get someone else to write the letter!
Oops - double post! Sorry.
If you have absolutely no one else to write a letter for you, then take what you can get.
If you are rejected then I recommend taking a few more classes, which would provide a GPA boost and an opportunity to make a good impression on a few professors.
It would take a very vindictive prof to write an explicitly bad LOR. The kind of letter this prof would write for you is going to be lukewarm which is pretty much just as bad from an admissions standpoint. He has made it very clear that that’s the letter he’s going to write which is generous to do rather than blindsiding you with a mediocre letter. Unless being a CS prof is a requirement of the letter writer, a non CS prof glowing about you will be far better than a CS prof writing a lukewarm letter. Are you sure you have no options with that route?
^Yes, professors usually don’t write overtly bad negative letters, but a lukewarm letter is almost as bad. You want professors - at least 1 or 2 - who can write enthusiastically supporting your application.
If a professor flat-out tells you his letter won’t be strong, that means you should ask someone else. If you really have no other options, proceed, but with the knowledge that you need to do things this year to get stronger recommendations in case you don’t get in anywhere this year.