No response from important recommender. Move on?

[kithughes]

In 2008, I had a great internship with an important figure in my field. She told me she would be happy to provide a reference for me, and wrote a letter of recommendation for me on one occasion. A week ago, I asked her to write a letter (or re-send the old one) for my graduate school application, but I've gotten no response. I sent the request again yesterday and still no response. I'm anxious not to make a nuisance of myself, but time is running short, and I'm honestly puzzled by the lack of response from someone who had previously been so eager to help. Her recommendation would go a long way with my prospective graduate program, so I'm very reluctant to give up. I know she's in town because I follow her company on twitter.

My question is: Should I take her silence to mean she does not want to write the letter, or should I contact her assistant and ask if my email has, say, gotten caught in a spam folder? Again, I'm very anxious not to seem like a stalker or like someone who can't take a hint, but I could really use her help.

[Resendes8909]

Well, you have only given her a week, correct? That is not a very long amount of time. When are your deadlines?

My app cycle was last year and I asked for letters in September / October for December and January deadlines. The holiday season is a very busy period, so I wanted my referees to have enough time to write for me before things got too hectic. Still, one of my referees didn't submit his letter until the day the application was due, so that should tell you something about how people prioritize letter-writing.

If the deadlines are fast approaching, I would suggest finding as many back-ups as possible as quickly as possible.

Edited December 13, 2012 by Mindfields88

[ohgoodness]

In 2008, I had a great internship with an important figure in my field. She told me she would be happy to provide a reference for me, and wrote a letter of recommendation for me on one occasion.

I dont mean to be a bummer but 2008? My feeling is that if you have had zero contact since 2008 then I would be careful in using her/him as a reference. She is bound to have an outdated knowledge of you and your skills and all your other assets should be well-represented by your other LORs. A key advice when it comes to LOR has always been to chose them carefully and refrain from simply going by "fame factor".

Unless she holds mighty sway over the adcom then I would go for someone else.

Edited December 13, 2012 by cherub

[bamafan]

Yeah, you definitely waited really late to *ask* for a recommendation. It takes them time to think about and write it, and then even longer to get to submitting them. Ideally, you should have given your rec writers at least a month or two's notice.

I also second the post above. If you haven't heard from her in four years, I'm not sure how good of a letter she can write. Or if she will even write one... I know if I were a professor and a past intern from so long ago emailed me on such short notice, I'd put it dead last on things to think about.