How do I re-ask for a letter of recommendation?

[kelminak]

Hello,

I shadowed a pediatrician in September and he said he'd write a LoR for me. I set up the request on Interfolio and it's now December with no letter. I don't need it until I apply this summer, but I was hoping to not leave everything until the last minute. I set an arbitrary due date for the recommendation for the 31st of December and Interfolio sent him a reminder email four days ago. Is there something I should send as well? I sent him a thank you card the following month (October) for letting me shadow and I didn't want to be overbearing, but I don't think it's normal to wait months for a letter is it? If I should personally email him as well, an example of what I could say would be very helpful as I haven't been in this situation before and don't know how to proceed. If you need any more info, feel free to ask!

Thank you!

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[EnigmaticScale]

Hello,

I shadowed a pediatrician in September and he said he'd write a LoR for me. I set up the request on Interfolio and it's now December with no letter. I don't need it until I apply this summer, but I was hoping to not leave everything until the last minute. I set an arbitrary due date for the recommendation for the 31st of December and Interfolio sent him a reminder email four days ago. Is there something I should send as well? I sent him a thank you card the following month (October) for letting me shadow and I didn't want to be overbearing, but I don't think it's normal to wait months for a letter is it? If I should personally email him as well, an example of what I could say would be very helpful as I haven't been in this situation before and don't know how to proceed. If you need any more info, feel free to ask!

Thank you!

if he doesn't write you one by 12/31, then don't ask again.

 

[kelminak]

if he doesn't write you one by 12/31, then don't ask again.

He is literally my only person that can write a DO letter. He seemed like he was enthusiastic about it when I asked him for it as well and that he had a template of sorts that he would use. I did get this weird feeling like we didn't click *that* well, maybe I was right? I don't know what I would have done wrong though considering he could have told me no and not let me shadow? Now I'm doubting everything. :S

EDIT: Actually, no I'm not going to start questioning myself. The more I think about it, the more I realize there is absolutely no reason he'd lie about this. It seems far more likely that he just forgot about it and when it sent the reminder email, he was out of the office for the holidays. When I asked for the letter at the end of shadowing, I pulled him aside to his office so he wasn't under pressure from anyone else to say yes and he gave no indication he wasn't willing to write me a letter and that he was totally used to it. His office staff treated me very well and I don't have any real reason to think he didn't like me other than my own insecurities. It seems far more likely that he had forgotten or put it off and hasn't even seen the reminder email from Interfolio since it was sent on Christmas Eve.

 

[femmegoblue]

Personally, I would just send an email asking again. I don't think it's annoying and things like this tend to just slip their minds. I would write a polite email saying something like "Good afternoon Dr. X, I really enjoyed my time shadowing you and learning about the profession, and I just wanted to assure you don't need any other information from me in order to write my letter of rec"

Him not doing it likely has nothing to do with you, and mostly to do with not remembering/low on his priority list. I definitely don't think it's abnormal to wait months for a letter from a DO (in my experience), which is why I basically planned 6 months in advance like you.

After that, if you don't get a response, then I would move on and find another DO asap.

 

[pseud0]

He very likely forgot. Just remind him

 

[EnigmaticScale]

He is literally my only person that can write a DO letter. He seemed like he was enthusiastic about it when I asked him for it as well and that he had a template of sorts that he would use. I did get this weird feeling like we didn't click *that* well, maybe I was right? I don't know what I would have done wrong though considering he could have told me no and not let me shadow? Now I'm doubting everything. :S

EDIT: Actually, no I'm not going to start questioning myself. The more I think about it, the more I realize there is absolutely no reason he'd lie about this. It seems far more likely that he just forgot about it and when it sent the reminder email, he was out of the office for the holidays. When I asked for the letter at the end of shadowing, I pulled him aside to his office so he wasn't under pressure from anyone else to say yes and he gave no indication he wasn't willing to write me a letter and that he was totally used to it. His office staff treated me very well and I don't have any real reason to think he didn't like me other than my own insecurities. It seems far more likely that he had forgotten or put it off and hasn't even seen the reminder email from Interfolio since it was sent on Christmas Eve.

I find that we premeds are a very hopeful and neurotic bunch.

Change some of the nouns in this situation and the answer would overwhelmingly be: NO do not contact him again.

Imagine this, 21st century dating. You go on a first date, she says she had a great time and says let's do this again, you get excited and try to hit her up again, she ignores all your messages, do you keep contacting her?

 

[femmegoblue]

I find that we premeds are a very hopeful and neurotic bunch.

Change some of the nouns in this situation and the answer would overwhelmingly be: NO do not contact him again.

Imagine this, 21st century dating. You go on a first date, she says she had a great time and says let's do this again, you get excited and try to hit her up again, she ignores all your messages, do you keep contacting her?

This really isn't the same thing. Doctors get busy. Sometimes you have to remind them. It's that simple.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Call him and ask him you damn young person. An auto-email reminder is so ugh.

 

[kelminak]

Call him and ask him you damn young person. An auto-email reminder is so ugh.

Haha he's actually pretty hip with technology and if I called, I'd just be speaking to a nurse. 😛 I'll give him a bit more time since it's the holidays. I didn't think that "due date" through when I created the request (nor did I expect it to take this long lol).

 

[Wcm21]

My DO letter came from someone I work with almost everyday and he missed the due date and I felt super self-conscience about it and didn't want to bring it up and sound needy. But ended up sending him a text making sure he was still writing it and it turns out he never got all the emails from interfolio. Not sure if it was going to spam or something because I sent him like 6 requests and ultimately just had to submit straight to AACOMAS because he never got them. Might be something as simple as this. I'd definitely remind him by saying along the lines of "hey just wanted to check in make sure you're still writing the letter for me. I set the due date as dec 31st but if you need more time no problem I don't need it quite yet.. or if you're too busy don't worry about it I'm just trying to plan ahead blah blah blah"