Will professors ever refuse to write a letter for a student with an A?

juillet
Mon, 03 Aug 2015 23:14:40 +0000

Professors can refuse to write a letter of recommendation for any reason, even if you got an A. It might be because they don’t like you; it could be because they feel like they don’t know you well enough to recommend you for grad school; it could be because even if you got an A, they still don’t feel like you would be successful in grad school. For example, I would not write a recommendation for a PhD program for a student who had no research experience, even if they got an A in my class. I wouldn’t feel comfortable recommending a student who has no experience in the thing they are signing up to do for 5-6 years of their life.

Ethically, professors should turn you down if they feel like they can’t write a strong rec for you. Don’t be nervous; simply ask the professor whether he feels like he could write you a strong letter of recommendation for MS programs. He’ll either say no (in which case you move on) or yes (in which case you give him what he needs). Ask him ASAP for program deadlines in September - really, you should always give professors 4-6 weeks’ notice for recommendations if you can. Personally, I say ask him in person if you still have access to him. It’s okay to ask over email if you’ve moved away, but if you still see him every day, it’d be weird to ask him via email. However, others have said that it’s better to ask over email so that he doesn’t feel put on the spot and can take their time to think about their decision and send you a tactful answer if the answer is no. So really, it just depends on you.