letter of recommendation

[purplepepper]

Hi all,

I asked a prof. for an LOR about a month ago. He was my MA thesis advisor and worked quite close with him a few years ago. Understandably, he forgot a few things about me (he asked me many questions), so I answered all of his questions in an email and he agreed to write me a letter.

I told him that I wanted to apply to 6 schools, but he told me he thought it was too much and advised me to cut the list down. I explained that at this point I had the momentum so I would like to keep the list at 6. I asked him whether he'd like to submit the LOR online or by post and I have yet to receive an answer. I emailed him again thinking that maybe he did not receive my first email, but again no response.

Like I said, this was about a month ago

Anyone have any advice on how to proceed? Should I email him again next month and ask if he's still willing to write a letter, or should I try to find another one (which would undoubtedly be less strong)?

any advice is appreciated!

[Ferrero]

Have a back-up plan just in case. E-mail him again politely, reiterating your question about whether he'll pen you a LOR. If AGAIN he doesn't respond, visit him in his office and act belligerent but firm. Swipe his papers/books off his desk and say you are here for a reply to your email. THAT will get his attention.

[Nofia]

I might call actually, rather than email. Assuming that he is still interested in helping you out, he's likely not emailed back because he has gotten busy and this has slipped his mind. A polite call to say hello, see how hes doing, update him on where you are in the application process would be a good way to gauge how receptive he'll actually be to writing your LOR...tone of voice, etc should tell you much more about his willingness/interest than you'll ever get in an email. I would in the meantime seek out some other potential profs to write a letter for you as well though. If his lack of response is an indication of him being overly busy, he might end up being quite late in sending letters in, which will only cause you distress as deadlines approach. And on the off chance that he doesnt actually want to write the LORs it will be better to find out now.

Speaking of which, he should know well enough that applying to 6 schools is a sound decision...applying to fewer would be foolishly overconfident, so don't let him talk you out of it because he doesnt want to send out recommendations to 6 schools!