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One of my professors not responding

Posted: Wed Dec 25, 2013 10:43 pm
by safetybelts
Happy Christmas y'all.

One of my recommenders has been on sabbatical this semester and I found this out too late. He hasn't done any of my recommendations, he is not responding to my emails and the department will not give me another way to contact him. In a best-case scenario if he completes all the references in early January, will that hurt my application? Admissions committees must understand that references are sometimes late, right?

Re: One of my professors not responding

Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2013 7:03 am
by Gasquet

Re: One of my professors not responding

Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 4:01 am
by safetybelts
Thanks. Guess I should have searched first.

Re: One of my professors not responding

Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2013 5:07 pm
by lowdt
That sounds like a tough and stressful situation. Perhaps it would be in your best interest to have another faculty member at your school contact him, maybe someone you are close to. You should also prepare for the worst case scenario and have a backup recommendation, as some places will not consider your application if you do not have enough letters. If no such person comes to mind, I would write to the schools and explain to them the situation.

Re: One of my professors not responding

Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2014 6:43 pm
by yl2868
Well one of my professors still has not finished half of the recommendation letters, and the deadlines have passed for 2 weeks. I have expected this, but it's really annoying. I have absolutely no idea when he will reply.

Re: One of my professors not responding

Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:02 pm
by ThisFoodIsEW
This happened to me for a professor who was writing a letter for an application due on December 1st. I called the school and they told me that applications wouldn't begin being considered until Jan 1, so I was able to relax.

But by now, if a school has a Jan 15 deadline, they are probably starting to read applications right away. I would look into getting a new letter writer if he doesn't respond because it would put you below people with complete applications. A professor would probably be understanding if they hear their colleague is not responding to any communication.

Good luck!