As a visiting prof with few future prospects in (or out of) academia, I’ve become at once bitter and reflective about my position. I do my job well, of course, but I’ve shed many of the trappings of a budding academic clawing her way to the top. I’m saying no to requests to do things I shouldn’t have to do, keeping to myself in the office, and mostly looking out for #1. No one else saw fit to fight for me, so to hell with them. I’m half tempted to blow this popsicle stand at the end of the semester and not even give my student evals.
All that aside, I’ve had a request from a student that has caused me a bit of conflict. Actually, I’m not conflicted, I’m just not sure how to express my answer in such a way that I don’t sound like a complete asshole.
I had this student in two classes (one this year, one last year), and this student was relatively good. Not the sharpest pencil in the drawer, but reasonably intelligent and hardworking. Never really stuck hir neck out, was usually in class, etc. This student e-mailed to ask for a letter of recommendation, and I really don’t think that I want to or should. For starters, I don’t have much great stuff to say. This student was good, but not great. I won’t be able to write a resounding letter of recommendation.
The most important part of this is the fact that I’m a visitor. Why am I being asked to write letters for students when I won’t even have a professional identity in 3 months’ time? I’ve read in some places that rec letters from visitors/adjuncts are not taken as seriously.
I am not sure whether I tell the student that my position would be a liability for her, or if I should simply say something about being really busy (also true). My institution likes to toot its own horn a lot, but the way they hire in a constant stream of visitors as they do is downright shameful. I think the students who pay north of $50K/year to go here deserve the truth. I just don’t know if that truth should come from me, and now.
As someone who is on a graduate admissions committee, I can’t say that a rec from a visiting professor is viewed any less than another professor. In my experience I often find that students think it will look great to get a rec from a high ranking prof in the dept or another high ranking university faculty and more times than not, the letter is very much a boiler plate and doesn’t do the student any favors. So they might have 2 glowing recs from other contacts and then just a “meh” rec from someone they though they would impress us with b/c of the virtue of the title of that person. Others mileage may vary, of course, but this is my 5th year of admissions and never has an academic recommendation been noted as visiting or not. (Other recommendation sources, however…)
Beyond the visiting issue, it’s totally FINE that you don’t want to write this recommendation! I have had students from said graduate program ask for recommendations and if I am not comfortable with it, I politely decline. I usually state that I don’t feel familiar enough with their work to write a recommendation that will fairly and adequately speak to their skill set and that they deserve to have someone who can truly highlight their work. I think this is a fair way of saying no, giving the student something to think about and not looking like a jerk in the process!
I think it’s fine to say no, but I also don’t understand what the big deal is– it takes me no more than 30 minutes to write a rec letter. I make the student do most of the work (give me a transcript, statement of intent, resume, etc) and then I say I had them in this and that class, this is the material we covered, this is how the student did, this is what the student did well (writing a paper, attending class) and not so well (study habits), this is what I think I know about the student (level of maturity, commitment, attention to detail, honesty, ability to work alone & in groups, etc) and what I don’t know about the student. Done. Uploaded to a website.
I had a letter request from a student who is a fantastic writer, but I’ve never heard her say two words in class. I’ve got her in class again this semester — the third time! She asked me to write her a letter, and I did, but with some reluctance. It was a teaching grad program she was applying to. How she’d ever be a teacher is beyond me, since she doesn’t speak. But she’s smart as a whip. I don’t know… it felt sort of dishonest writing that letter. I think I’d rather decline under circumstances like that in the future. Basically, I’d say that I wasn’t really qualified to judge whether she’d be good for a teaching program based on her performance in class.
Perhaps you can take the same track, saying that you’re not sure how well you’d be able to represent his/her qualifications based on XYZ. Or you can use the “visiting” status as an out, saying that it might look better to have someone who is full-time faculty to write the letter. It may or may not actually matter, but it gives you an easy way to say no.
Is it or is it not acceptable to be shy? Everyone can’t be an extrovert! I was very quiet and shy through HS and college. (And yes, I was very bright and an excellent student in other ways.) Keep in mind you are dealing with YOUNG people who are still developing in important ways. You have no idea what may help this person to blossom. So: the question is, are you willing to assist this student toward her future ambitions, and possibly be part of her emergence?
Oh, and P.S. I am a retired special education teacher–and if I do say so, I was terrific. I found my favorite niche–junior high/middle school–and thoroughly enjoyed teaching that age group, although I finished my career teaching elementary multi-handicapped kids at a children’s rehab facility. I gained a lot of confidence, but I am still an introvert despite learning how to pretend I’m not shy; (it took years.)
Shy is fine, but demonstrably apathetic is not. I find it interesting that the supposed shy student magically becomes an extrovert when he/she thinks that a grade is on the line. I was fairly shy in class, too, but no one ever accused me of not caring! I found other ways to engage and show interest.
I will file that away!
Like the others I think it’s fine to decline. But I think you could take into account what the letter is for. I was in a temporary position at a slac and I wrote a letter for a student for a scholarship. Also, while a grad student I taught writing seminars and I was recently contacted, after graduating, to write a letter for a student for study abroad. I wrote the letter and the student is now abroad. Like o said I also require a resume, their statement of purpose, a description of what they’re applying to, and sometimes I have them tell me what qualities they have that will contribute to the program to which they’re applying. Of course, I write and submit the final letter.
A lot of times I feel bad for some students because I think that they may not have anyone else to write for them. I would indicate to them if I thought my letter would be more of a hindrance then a help. But sometimes I don’t think that students understand the importance of forming relationships with tt profs, prominent professors, or others at their institution until it’s too late. (Of course that doesn’t mean that you should feel bad. These are my rambling two cents.)
I agree. This person is a major in my dept and really ought to cultivate a relationship with someone who will be there after May 8. As it turns out, I agreed to do it, and then she found out she only needed one rec (one she already had). I came out looking nice, and she got a rec from a tt person. Win-win!
Students usually do not understand what visiting or adjunct professors are, and yes, they should: http://thebillfold.com/2013/02/we-ask-that-you-do-not-call-us-professor/