berlinelk

I would say you should focus on the other parts of your application and make sure those are also strong. Focus your energy on writing the letter of intent and applying. You could also consider using [service] for getting your letters of recommendation because it allows you to suggest topics for your recommenders to talk about and ensures a professional recommendation.

Emailing a professor is appropriate as long as you keep it respectful and professional. I used Referrio for my reference letters and it was really easy to provide my recommender with information as to where the recommendation was going even though I was not able to visit the recommender in person.