Is it inappropriate to ask for a letter of recommendation from a professor if it is your first semester of your first year. I am a student planning to enroll in a university starting august 4th, but I want to transfer into another uni for which the application process begins in december that same year. So would it be rude for me to ask my professor for a rec letter?
Comments
Not really rude, but there will very little of use that they can include.
Rude? No.
Likely to work out well? Also no.
What do you expect them to recommend you based on? Why should they recommend someone they don’t even know?
You could certainly ask. As long as you do so politely, it wouldn’t be rude.
Just keep in mind, however, that a professor you have known for only a few months will probably not be able to write you a particularly strong letter. The professor simply doesn’t know you that well, especially if your class with the professor is large. The professor might not be able to write much more than whether you participated in class actively, met deadlines, etc.
If possible, it would probably be better to get a recommendation from someone who knows you better. If not possible, then ask the professor for a recommendation, and you’ll just have to accept the fact that it won’t be particularly strong or detailed.
Good luck.
Not rude but they’ll very possibly say no… if not, they won’t have much to say in the letter because they don’t really know you so it won’t be a good letter.
No, it’s not rude. I regularly write letters of recommendation for first-year students wanting to transfer to other universities. I am happy to do so when I can say positive things about them. Participate in class, attend regularly, do good work, respond positively to feedback, and be professional.
I’m currently bummed because a student that I thought highly of has been arguing that it’s “not fair” to grade him according to the criteria that were announced in advance. This won’t get him the unearned points he’s after but has ruined his chances of getting a glowing letter of recommendation.
If I were in that professor’s shoes I would write a short letter that verified you were in the class, your midterm score was ___ compared to an average of __, your problem set scores were ___, things like that. If I were reading such a letter I would think “this student has at least not caused any problems in this particular class.” It’s fine to just check the box here.