next »

[new_anth]

Good evening,

I'm applying to fellowships while I'm on the field doing research and thus not in the same city (country) as my grad program. Added to the stress of trying to craft a convincing proposal for dissertation year funding, one of my reference writers has increasingly seemed difficult-to-get-a-response-from as I'm trying to manage this by email (and by having close friends swing by the department to mail the letters... there's no forwarding service at my university, so these have to be put in the mail by me or pseudo-me). It probably doesn't help that I'm applying to several fellowships this fall (i.e. that there's more than one letter to send away) and at this point I'm quite self conscious of being incredibly annoying as one of those people who's always asking for a letter of reference. My other letter writers are really great about getting them in, but given that there's a month-end deadline, I don't really have options of finding another third letter writer in time and I've heard nothing back on this latest round of letters from my third letter writer.

I suppose I should have opened a dossier service account at Interfolio (my advisor advised against it because said advisor likes to write personalized letters... I'm grateful), but it's a bit late now. Err... if there's any insight fora folk can offer on how to pretty please make sure there are letters to be picked up November 30, I'd be super grateful.

Thanks.

[mountainguy]

Aside from calling your 3rd writer, I'm not sure what to tell you. Do you have any other contacts who you can ask as a favor, perhaps people who've written for you in the past?

I too have been told not to rely on a dossier service (because it "looks impersonal"), but I think a letter forwarded by a dossier service is better than no letter at all. So that may be something to think about for the future.

[alleyoxenfree]

Is it possible that the recommender has some sort of personal crisis that is delaying them?  I once learned that a recommender had been diagnosed with a fast-moving cancer and was hospitalized.  I was able to get another faculty member to get my materials off his desk and write me a letter as proxy.

To find out what's going on, I recommend trying to contact the department admin and asking nicely - but allowing your panic in your voice - if anything has happened to Professor X, because you were promised this letter, which you need by Y date, and you know they would have it done if they could.  If they are just swamped, an admin can sometimes light a fire under their butt in a good way.  It's also possible that they will step in and help draft the letter for the prof's once-over and get it in the mail.  Cultivate admins!

[ucprof]

offer to write a draft of the letter if it would help them - where they can make changes etc.

[lorelei]

Pick up the phone.

[msparticularity]

Even if your prof is "individualizing" each letter, it is very helpful for him/her to know if a new one can be very similar to one s/he has written before. When I was applying for jobs, I found with my referees that if I emailed and said, "I am applying for X, which is really almost exactly like Q from last month," they could respond quickly. It's the figuring out what to write that delays things, generally.

[systeme_d_]

Pick up the phone.

Yes.  Do this.

offer to write a draft of the letter if it would help them - where they can make changes etc.

This tactic, in some fields (like mine), would be highly problematic.

[ucprof]

If an offer to write a draft is problematic, then perhaps there is some analogue that would make sense?
E.g. an itemized list of what the student has accomplished in grad school....something that is appropriate fore the field?

[crowie]

By the way, fyi for the future, your advisor can use interfolio to create 'personalized' letters, each letter would just get a different title.  ie. you would go on interfolio and request a "letter for fellowship A from professor X" and then a "letter for fellowship B from professor X" and so on, and the prof can upload the appropriate letter for each.

[mozman]

Provide stamped, addressed envelopes for each letter (this is key - I won't write letters of the requester doesn't do this)

Attach a copy of the fellowship/job/award etc... description.

Attach your current CV.

Provide a draft letter.

Provide a list of things you want the letter writer to mention.

Provide a list of letter due dates.

Provide all of these at least ONE MONTH in advance!

[vardahilwen]

Provide stamped, addressed envelopes for each letter (this is key - I won't write letters of the requester doesn't do this)

Attach a copy of the fellowship/job/award etc... description.

Attach your current CV.

Provide a draft letter.

Provide a list of things you want the letter writer to mention.

Provide a list of letter due dates.

Provide all of these at least ONE MONTH in advance!

I'm not on the market yet, but I asked my mentor (who is), and she gave me the above advice, plus, submit your requests for letters in "batches" if at all possible, not one-by-one.  This cuts down on the feeling (on both ends) that you're being annoying.  And my mentor emphasized providing prepared envelopes (and/or labels), job descriptions, etc. - make it as easy for your referees as you possibly can.  Also, some people recommend having an additional referee - four if the job calls for three - just to be on the safe side.

[normative_]

I hope your letter arrived in time.

Don't forget your referee's secretary. I depend on mine to ensure that things get done on time and she manages me well so that I don't forget all that much. I can at least make a conscious decision to prioritise one item over another if need be. My secretary has access to my Outlook calendar and puts in deadlines so that I can see and review them on a regular basis.

As Mozman said, provide all the documentation the referee needs plus name a deadline and do it early. It's also important to stipulate whether the deadline is based on arrival or postmark.