letters of recommendation crisis

[Grimnir]

So I need 3 letters of recommendation for the programs I am applying to. I assumed that I would get one from my lab adviser that I worked under when in college and one from another professor who wrote me a letter previously. I am also getting one from my current boss who I do research for. I e-mailed my lab adviser from college last week and got no response even after he had written me a letter previously and told me to not hesitate to ask for help. The professor I was going to ask for a letter from is either dead or retired and I have no way of contacting him. I only have 1 letter now and 6 weeks to sort this out. I e-mailed another professor I had for 2 large classes who probably didn't remember me, but I did receive A's. No response. Not sure how to fix this. My luck has been absolute crap lately....

[Realities]

How many times did you email your old lab advisor? It may be that he just missed your email, especially since he told you not to hesitate to ask for help in the past.

 

I ran into a similar crisis last year where a professor who agreed to write me a letter went MIA (due to illness) and I didn't know who to ask.  I ended up asking for an emergency letter (after the deadline) from someone who advised an organization I ran/led - do you have anyone like that?  Although they won't be able to speak to your coursework or research, mine was able to speak to my maturity, work ethic, and interest in the field (since it was an on-campus organization related to mental health).

[Grimnir]

How many times did you email your old lab advisor? It may be that he just missed your email, especially since he told you not to hesitate to ask for help in the past.

 

I ran into a similar crisis last year where a professor who agreed to write me a letter went MIA (due to illness) and I didn't know who to ask.  I ended up asking for an emergency letter (after the deadline) from someone who advised an organization I ran/led - do you have anyone like that?  Although they won't be able to speak to your coursework or research, mine was able to speak to my maturity, work ethic, and interest in the field (since it was an on-campus organization related to mental health).

I'm going to send him a 2nd email this weekend if I don't get a response, but he has never been slow to reply to me before...gives me a bad feeling. And no I don't have anyone like that, unfortunately....

[Guest lacrosse789]

I have the exact same problem this year -- one is on sabbatical and I can't get ahold of her, the other has extenuating circumstances and can't. I'm at the point where I am just going to use professors I've had for one class and hope they remember me. : / 

 

When I was applying to programs previously I ended up calling and leaving voicemails for them, which worked better than email. I know it's obnoxious but if a prof said they would do it, I would at least try to get ahold of them in a more direct way. 

[Rose Tyler]

I agree on emailing again. Things happen and emails get lost in cyberspace.

 

I have one LOR set and I'll probably be asking the other two professors tomorrow. I found out a couple days ago that my academic advisor, who was going to be my third letter, left the university without even letting me know so I've been scrambling to figure out who I'm going to ask. It doesn't help that the professors here who are more clinical-focused all have bad reputations.

[HermoineG]

Dont wait till weekend! They would totally understand if you are persistent in your efforts to contact them. Get in touch with other students if you know anybod who worked with them. Dont worry, you can explain your situation and tell them you are freaking out! They are humans too They will understand your concern.

 

Good luck!

[Grimnir]

Well, I sent out a second email Friday night. If he doesn't respond, what do I do? Call or let it go?

Edited October 18, 2014 by Grimnir

[when]

I would give it a few days into the next week and then give him/her a call. Someone in the department may be able to reveal what's going on. If all else fails, find the next person who knows you best and explain your situation. They might be able to embellish a little bit if you convince them of your plight and provide them with lots of information about you that they can at least talk about. Is/are your other LOR/s strong?

[Grimnir]

I will have one really strong letter from my current mentor. I was hoping to have a very good letter from this individual who hasn't responded yet, and my third letter was going to be from a professor I only had for class who had written me a letter previously.