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Reference Letter

I hope this is the right section of the forum to post this question.
I talked with my referee about my reference letter but he told me it would take a while for him to write it since at the moment he is quite busy with exams and other academic activities .
There is also the option of putting contact details of the referee so that it is the university that has to deal directly with the reference process.
My fear is that he may ignore their email or not reply in time and that, since in Italy this is not a common practice, I may not answer in the best way.
What do you suggest me to do?
I will be grateful if there will be someone who will share his/her experience with me.
Thanks :smile:

Reply 1

ByronicHero

Are you applying to UK universities? Assuming you are....

Even if you put his contact details it is very unlikely that they would actively chase the reference for you. All that usually happens in that case is an automated request is sent explaining to the referee what information they need to provide, where to send it and the like. The onus is still on you to chase the reference and make sure it is provided. Some universities will assess your application without all of your references being submitted, but that's besides the point.

I would ask him for a more informative time-frame ('a while' is not useful) and then gently remind him if he has not provided it by then. Appeal to him on the basis that you have application deadlines to work with. Academics are not always the most organised of people so you may find you need to remind him a few times before anything happens.

Failing that, if you have trouble getting the correct references talk to the universities. My experience is that most are willing to work with applicants to facilitate their applications.

Reply 2

MaggieFromIta

Yes, sorry I forgot to mention I am applying for a UK university MA program.
Unfortunately Italian university are not really organized and professors have to deal with hundreds of student which they basically don't know and they are not used to write this kind of letters.
I have written him an email with some ideas but I don't honestly know what to expect.
What worries me most it's how much the reference letter influence the decision of the university :/

Reply 3

ByronicHero

Original post by MaggieRome

I would find some examples online and send them to him. It is worth noting that unless your are applying to extremely competitive courses, your references do not have to be particularly substantial for you to mount a competitive application. As long as the reference is obviously positive, your academics are reasonable and any proposed research projects (which won't matter for most MAs) are sensible you are in with a good shot of getting an offer. It's reasonable for him to need some times to do it, but if it is going to take him many weeks you may want to look at other options.

I would talk to that professor and ask him if there is anything you can do to expedite the process. I suspect he will have provided similar references before, even if not regularly. Hopefully he wants the best for you and will facilitate your request within a reasonable period of time. If not, it may be worth considering if another professor could provide a reference for you. Failing that, talk to the universities. If this is a common issue with Italian applicants (I have no idea if it is), they may be able to advise you of alternatives.

Best of luck.

Reply 4

MaggieFromIta

It is kind of typical Italian issue. Thanks for your very kind reply!