Asking for a reference letter entire via e-mail?

[Taranis]

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So I submitting 3 individual letters for my application this year, and I have 2/3 of them received by AMCAS. For my third letter, I am planning to ask a science professor that I had a small (16 students) upper level science class in. The problem is, my university that I got to is in an different city than I am now, and I still haven't asked for a reference letter from him yet. He knows me fairly well, but I never indicated my interest in medicine to him.

I could ask entirely via e-mail, but I feel as though that would come across as very rude, and wouldn't want to get a poor letter because of it. If I waited to ask in person, which would be in September, this one letter would hold my application from being complete until early September instead of early August. Do you think I should ask entirely via e-mail, or should I wait until September to ask in person?

 

[NickNaylor]

It's entirely appropriate IMO. Just don't email him from your [email protected] address and be professional.

(sent from my phone)

 

[Ironmandoc]

Is making a phone call an option? If not then sending an email will be better than waiting so long to do it in person.

 

[karkatvantas]

I asked for one of my LORs via email because the professor I was asking no longer works at my school. It was a very small class, though, and we got to know other very well, so it wasn't a problem.

 

[Verum]

I asked my high school precalc teacher for a LOR by email and he told me to come and ask him in person 🙁. i walked past his class everyday. Thinking back on this makes me cringe. If you can ask him in person that would be great but if you can't try to make the email as professional as you can. Use your .edu top level domain email address or if you have a personal domain like i have (.com, .net, .org, .name and .me (i registered all those)) i would use that. If you are unsure what extention you want, do like i did and register all of them. Then set up a forwarder to your main email.

 

[Barley426]

If you are close with him it won't matter, I emailed 3/5 of my letter writers and 2 of them that I was closest with were absolutely fine with it. The other I havent heard from but I haven't talked with him in a while so who knows if he was put off by it or just isn't at that email anymore. Either way, I've got enough and I didn't have to fly all over just to ask in person.

 

[kami333]

I emailed 7 people for LORs (1 PI, 1 non-science, and 5 science) and ended up hearing back from 4 of them (3 said yes, 1 said no). Going to ask in person wasn't an option for me and calling during the summer is spotty at best.

 

[Renaissance Man]

I asked for 2 LORs via email. I don't think there is anything wrong with it, especially if the professor and you are close.

 

[skiing]

So I submitting 3 individual letters for my application this year, and I have 2/3 of them received by AMCAS. For my third letter, I am planning to ask a science professor that I had a small (16 students) upper level science class in. The problem is, my university that I got to is in an different city than I am now, and I still haven't asked for a reference letter from him yet. He knows me fairly well, but I never indicated my interest in medicine to him.

I could ask entirely via e-mail, but I feel as though that would come across as very rude, and wouldn't want to get a poor letter because of it. If I waited to ask in person, which would be in September, this one letter would hold my application from being complete until early September instead of early August. Do you think I should ask entirely via e-mail, or should I wait until September to ask in person?

Ask him by email, and include a line at the end saying you'd love to talk with him on the phone at his convenience. That gives him the option of accepting or declining. It shows your interest in being helpful, as well as your gratitude.

 

[davidbm95]

I emailed 7 people for LORs (1 PI, 1 non-science, and 5 science) and ended up hearing back from 4 of them (3 said yes, 1 said no). Going to ask in person wasn't an option for me and calling during the summer is spotty at best.

Lol why would someone say no to giving a recommendation letter?

 

[tn4596]

Lol why would someone say no to giving a recommendation letter?

1. they are busy
2. they have to write too many letters for other people
3. they dont know you
4. you left a bad impressions

....

 

[Renaissance Man]

1. they are busy
2. they have to write too many letters for other people
3. they dont know you
4. you left a bad impressions

....

this.

 

[Praefectus]

1. they are busy
2. they have to write too many letters for other people
3. they dont know you
4. you left a bad impressions

....

Especially this...

 

[circulus vitios]

Especially this...

They could always ask you to draft your own letter of recommendation. It's not going to be amazing, but then again most LORs aren't.

 

[Praefectus]

They could always ask you to draft your own letter of recommendation. It's not going to be amazing, but then again most LORs aren't.

I never had that happen, but I wish I could have done that for one professor I asked.

 

[kami333]

1. they are busy
2. they have to write too many letters for other people
3. they dont know you
4. you left a bad impressions

....

5. It's been 5years since the class.

It was a combination of 3. and 5. Can't blame him, I was working full-time and doing a full-time postbacc at the time so I only went to class to take the quizzes and tests but I thought I'd try anyways since I had an A.

I have 2 PI letters (1 MD/PhD and 1 MD), 1 non-science and 1 science (and hoping to add a DO letter), I need to figure out if that's enough. If I need another science letter the best I can do is my undergrad adviser from 9years ago.

 

[NonTraditional3]

I would go ahead and say that e-mail is fine. I think it depends on the relationship you share with the letter writer. For instance, all of my letters are coming from professors and mentors, each of whom I have known for several years and on a much deeper level than "oh, I got an A in your class" or "oh, your my academic advisor, so I only need to meet with you once a semester to discuss course enrollment," so I actually made it a point to travel to my alma mater (5 hours away from where I was living at the time) to ask these people in person if they would write me a letter of recommendation. Again, it depends on your relationship with who is writing the letter. Email isn't something that would typically deemed rude or inappropriate, but if its someone you are particularly close with, it's a nice touch to do it in person. Alternatively, you could send an email asking them when you may be able to reach them by telephone, and then bring it up on the phone so that you are having a discussion with the person instead of just addressing them through a body of text.

 

[mirimonster]

I asked for all 6 of my letters of rec in an email, all of them said yes, and absolutely no one cared that it was in an email. This included several mentors I was very close to, one teacher I hardly knew except I got an A in his class (wrote a very flattering email to him, and he just couldn't say no 😀), a doctor and a PI, so I got the whole range. I even had one who preferred to communicate by text message Because it's summer, most of them were travelling and wouldn't/couldn't meet me in person, and office phones are unreliable. Just write very friendly emails, be very grateful, insert anecdotes to remind them who you are...you'll be fine. Don't wait to ask in person.

 

[MedPR]

I did it because one of my LOR writers was being flaky. I emailed a professor from last year on June 16 and she submitted her LOR on July 4. She also sent me a copy... Best LOR anyone has written for me.

Just be professional about it.