Reference is away on sabbatical this semester

[crunchygum]

I had no idea, and obviously should have attempted contact sooner, but upon making contact, I got an automatic response that she is away on sabbatical this semester.

I know I have seeen her around the department on occasion at special talks, so perhaps she isnt fully away, but she certainly might not be answering emails.

So...what do I do now? There is one other professor I could ask, but it would be a much weaker reference.

[fuzzylogician]

Email her anyway and hope for the best. Even if she is away chances are she still has internet access.

Options for more active lurking: ask your department's secretary or her current advisees if they know if/when she will be in her office, or check if she updates talks,etc. on her website. That may give you some indication as to her whereabouts. Wait at least a week--possibly longer, depending on when your deadlines are--before you give up and ask the other professor for a letter.

[crunchygum]

Unfortunately I am very bad when it comes to procrastination; my deadlines are December 1st for nearly every school, so I feel as though I am running out of time. However, I do appreciate the reassurance, perhaps she will still be checking emails, and I have heard from others who know she is still in the area, so that gives me hope. She will already be my weakest reference, so switching to another is not that bad, I just dont want to be in the situation when I still dont know and then am asking the third professor with merely a week or two to go before it is due, especially with Thanksgiving thrown in there

[fuzzylogician]

In that case, don't wait any longer. Ask someone else on Monday.

[crunchygum]

THanks, think I should reference that myother was away? I dont want to give her the impression that she was a last choice, but I also dont want her to think I am unconscientious, or that I expect a great reference from her.

...ok after typing that out I realize it sounds like a pretty bad idea, but I do feel bad about asking the new professor.

At the very least I guess there is still the chance that the other will respond, but I probably should have a backup ready

[Sigaba]

Unfortunately I am very bad when it comes to procrastination[.]

CG--

As a fellow procrastinator, I can tell you that if you keep riding that tiger it is eventually going to turn on a dime and eat you. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, or next year...but eventually.

(I'll have more to say about this tomorrow... )

[UnlikelyGrad]

When my advisor was away on sabbatical, she also had an auto-reply set up on her email. But she still answered every one of the emails I sent her; and she also responded to my friends for whom she serves as a committee member.

I think she primarily wanted to warn people on campus who wanted her for silly things that she would not respond to them...and she didn't. (She's normally the department grad admissions chair and in charge of one of the required undergrad classes so she gets lots of trivial emails.)

So...wait a few days, try again, and if that fails then give up.

[Karajan]

I've got the same problem. One of my referees is on leave and his email box is over-quota so I can't even get emails through to him... I've very concerned he's going to forget about my application that's due on Dec 1!!

[crunchygum]

Well as it turns out, she did respond to me and is more than happy to write a recomendation, but thank you everyone for your help