LoR Dilemma, looking for advice please.. Forum

[CCNhopeful]

I requested a letter of recommendation from a Poli Sci instructor whom I had 2 classes with in the beginning of last October. A week later, I dropped off the LSAC form, stamped, addressed envelope along with my transcript, resume, previous exams etc. Six weeks past and the letter hasn't been received by LSAC so I went ahead and sent him a friendly reminder via email. He responded a couple days later, apologizing for the delay and asked when it was due. I stated that the application deadline for most schools is around 2/1 but chances are typically better if submitted earlier in the cycle (I had told him I was applying in the previous cycle intentionally to avoid problems like this!). It is now 4 months later, and 10 days has past since the 2/1 deadline I mentioned in my email.

It's frustrating because I knew I was going to ask this guy for a letter from the start. I busted my behind to build a close relationship with him and let him know of my intention of going to law school so I figured he'd write me a decent letter. If I was really applying in the 2011 cycle, needless to say, he would have totally screwed me over.

Should I send him another reminder or should I just give up and ask someone else? Would a mediocre letter from another professor suffice?

Thanks TLS!

[fundamentallybroken]

Wait - so you lied to the professor and told him you were applying this cycle, but really don't plan on applying until next cycle? And then you told him the deadline was 2/1?

Looks like you blew your chances of getting one from him anyway, since now you'd have to own up to lying about either (a) what cycle you're applying in, or (b) that the deadline was two weeks ago.

Move on, and look for new people to ask for letters from - you have plenty of time at this point to ask around and have them submitted for next cycle.

(Also, you should consider the possibility that, if he didn't get it written quickly, and forgot about you for months, it really wasn't going to be that great of a recommendation anyway.)

[gaud]

Next time have your recommender fax the letter. It's much faster.

[lawhaus]

this LOR doesn't sound like something that would impress the adcomm.
Do you have any backup professors?