Letter of Recommendation

[Milo_10011]

So, I've given my letter of recommendation forms to my two references. That would be about two weeks ago. The deadline is May 1. How long do I wait before "reminding" them? The 15th? The 21st? Today?

[speed]

I think the right time to remind them is two to three weeks after giving the forms...that's what I do

By the way, shouldn't this post be in the letters of recommendation section?

[newms]

I guess either of those dates are fine. Maybe you should go with the 15th and then remind them again a week or so before the deadline. One way of politely reminding them is to ask them if they need any more materials from you, such as your transcript or statement, etc. Good luck!

[fuzzylogician]

As newms suggests, you could write them and ask if they need any additional materials from you. In that same email, if you feel comfortable doing so, you could just ask if/how often they would like you to send them reminders. Some need more reminders than others and many are likely to write the letter at the last minute regardless of how many reminders you send. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, sending a reminder 2 weeks before the deadline, and then again 4-5 days before the deadline would be reasonable.