recommendation letter from a prof who gave me B+ Forum

[Split90]

So my TA who promised to write a LOR is not so responsive with my emails lately.... I never expected this to happen. She was so nice... nicest person ever I met in my gloomy undergraduate days.. and this happens. I have seriously lost my serious hope in humanity.

With that said, hey what do you guys think about getting a LOR done by a prof who gave me B+? Pretty lame I know.
My paper however was A-. I know... still lame. In the subject of Art History. I was seriously not good enough for that prof. But heck I need one another.

Any input will seriously be appreciated.

[Sirs_LMNOPQRS]

A B+ isn't necessarily that bad. Does the professor like you? If he doesn't like you, don't get a LOR from him. Getting a negative LOR is worse than having a generic 'i can't remember this guy' LOR

Are you applying to schools that need 2 academic LORs?

If yes, you're probably better off getting a letter from a professor who gave you an A but doesn't remember you than someone who remembers you and doesn't like you.

If no, maybe a boss could provide a good LOR.

[Split90]

thanks!

i actually have a prof who really did like me. she gave me A and A- (even on a crappy paper I wrote) But she recently got fired (university discontinued her contract).

probably not so right time to approach her....?

[Sirs_LMNOPQRS]

no, you should definitely approach her.

She probably feels pretty down about her professoring abilities right now, so you should tell her she was your favorite professor and she really impacted your life and so on and so forth. That will help her feel better about herself and it will justify her belief that she's a good professor and the administration has their heads on backwards. AND it will get you a rec that is more representative of your abilities than a rec from some cranky old Art History fart.

[midwest17]

no, you should definitely approach her.

She probably feels pretty down about her professoring abilities right now, so you should tell her she was your favorite professor and she really impacted your life and so on and so forth. That will help her feel better about herself and it will justify her belief that she's a good professor and the administration has their heads on backwards. AND it will get you a rec that is more representative of your abilities than a rec from some cranky old Art History fart.

This isn't necessarily bad advice. But be careful about how you phrase the initial contact with her, and definitely don't make it seem like you're insisting she write you a letter.

[ltrego]

Approach the prof who gave you an A if you feel more confident in that letter.

That said, one of my LORs came from a prof who gave me a B+. He is the hardest grader in my department, and he was really impressed with my writing and analytical ability. (That B+ was the second-highest grade in the class.) What I'm trying to say is this: B+ doesn't mean anything on its own.