The other day one of my old TAs forwarded me this email from a former student of hers:
Hey [TA],
My name is [Student]. I was in your [lab] last summer. I don't know if you remember me or not, but I was there. I sent you some Brian Regan clips a while back. Anyway, hey, I was wondering if you can help me out. I am trying to get a hold of the professor. I am almost sure his last name was [Minnow], but I can't remember his first name. Also, I think he left the school for another one. My point is, I am trying to get into Dental school and I need some professors to write letters of recommendation for me and I was going to see if he would be interested. Can you help me out at all? If not, thanks anyway.
[Student]
Um, yeah, Dude Who Can't Even Remember My Name*, let me get right on that for you.
*He emailed me today and tried to make it sound like we were tight during the semester**.
**I politely told him I don't remember him and he'd be better off having someone else write on his behalf.
4 comments:
i got a request last semester. it started out: [Last name only].
then it went on to request a letter for a scholarship. no real information about anything. and finally, "oh, and you are one of my favorite professors."
i thought about discussing some etiquette in the professional world.
i thought about agreeing to write the letter: "He showed up to class nearly every day, but still managed to be just an average student."
then... the least effort: nothing.
HA HA HA, you are nice. I would have written a wicked awesome letter about how you always noticed his abhorrent dental hygiene and that you think dental school would do him good as long as they taught him how to floss and maintain his unbearable halitosis.
And to think when I need letters of recommendation I *show up* at my Professors office hours with portfolios and shit and ask them in person. I've been doing it wrong.
Loser. Doesn't deserve the amount of work it would take to write a letter. Those aren't easy to write... even harder when you have no memory of the person.
Well, at least I knew your name... right? ;) Thanks a million, even if I did fail miserably, I still owe you big time (I almost did bring you that Haitian immigrant from NYC, but it would pale in comparison to the Palin toilet paper. That was too awesome)
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