Time is running out and professor hasn't replied to email

[alaa]

 

All of the grad programs I'm applying for need 2 references and so far I've only gotten one. The other prof I contacted hasn't gotten back to me yet and deadlines are fast approaching. Unfortunately, the two profs I emailed are the only two who know me well enough, so there's no one else I can ask. However, there is also another course instructor I had who I think would have good things to say about me, but she's a Ph.D. student and I've heard we should only get well-known professors to write reference letters.

So should I still ask the Ph.D. student to write a reference letter or just wait for my other professor to reply (or email her again)? If I decide to send the second professor another email, is there a way to do so without coming across as impatient? I understand how busy professors are so I'm worried about being a burden or putting extra pressure on them. My application deadlines are 1-2 months away (I stated specific deadlines in the email) and I have one semester left until graduation so I don't think I have enough time to get to know any new professors, unless there's a quick way to do so? 

I know this is my fault for not asking earlier and/or in person but there isn't much I can do about that now since the holiday started and I don't go back until January. So is there anything I can do between now and January to get the second referee? This is the only thing getting in the way of my grad application. I have everything else - good grades, sufficient research experience, CV, letter of intent - so I'm not ready to give up on applying all together.

If there's absolutely nothing I can do, can I get away with one referee?

P.S. I'm not sure if this matters but I'm applying to the MA public policy programs at Carleton and UofT, and MA social justice at Brock and Laurier, so if anyone is in any of these programs can give insight into the application process and what the admissions committee is looking for, especially regarding references, that would be helpful

Edited December 19, 2017 by alaa

[fuzzylogician]

Is this the case: 

2 hours ago, alaa said:

All of the grad programs I'm applying for need 2 references and so far I've only gotten one. The other prof I contacted hasn't gotten back to me yet and deadlines are fast approaching.

Or this: 

2 hours ago, alaa said:

My application deadlines are 1-2 months away...

Because 1-2 months is a very long time, and it's not surprising that someone might choose to take time off after a busy semester, celebrate the holidays with family, prep for next semester, and catch up on a variety of other tasks that have deadlines much earlier than 1-2 months from now -- before submitting letters with fairly late deadlines.  I don't know when you emailed, but keep in mind that this is a fairly busy time of year for most profs, as fall grades are due around now at most institutions. If you're emailing with great urgency about something that really isn't urgent now, you might get ignored in favor of actually urgent things. 

It's also not actually important for you to choose now and replace a strong letter with a potentially weaker one, if there's this much time left to go. At best, if you want to put your mind at ease, you could ask the student if she would be willing to act as a back-up referee just in case anything happens, so you know you're set either way. But it's entirely premature to actually swap letters this far out. 

(To answer your other question, it's unlikely that you can get by with just one letter. You can ask the relevant schools, but I'd be willing to bet that they'll want two letters. That's already a low number.)

[fuzzylogician]

Asking someone during finals week isn't exactly the best time -- it's one of the busiest times of year. The semester might have been over for two weeks, but that means exams happened about a week or so ago, and grades were due less than a week ago. And even professors get to take time off during the holidays <gasp!>. That would be why a professor who you've otherwise had positive interactions with would be slow to respond to your email. This most likely has nothing to do with "being irresponsible." I would suggest writing again early in the new year, and in the future I would also suggest planning better (i.e., being more responsible).