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Reference courtesy

Hi. Just a quick query about something which, being autistic, I struggle with.

I'm applying for PhDs with deadlines throughout January, earliest deadline being the 3rd.

My 2 referees have already written me references for a course from which I got rejected a couple of months ago. Two questions:

1. The courses I'm applying to are similar to that one, but a bit different - I previously applied for a machine learning course but am now applying for 4 computational neuroscience courses, plus another machine learning course. Do they tend to just copy+paste references, or would they write new ones? Just wondering because I feel I may have left it a little late, I'm hoping they can just paste the same references in for the 5 universities I'll be applying to and be done with it.

2. Would it be discourterous if I just sent them the reference requests without e-mailing them first? I did e-mail them last time, wondering if it's necessary I do that again, or if that would bother them.

Many thanks

Reply 1

chanthony

1. They will not just copy and paste, instead they will make necessary change to ensure the reference letter fit for your course, and it will take them much less time to write a new one. My professor told me they are generally willing to do so.

2. You must send them an email asking for permission.

Reply 2

MonteCristo

Act now if the deadlines are looming. If they are very tight, I'd send them each a short email explaining that you have also applied to these courses and hope they will be willing to reproduce their reference for these courses. You could then send the electronic form. If there is a little more time to play with (e.g. a week), then you could email first and wait for their response.

They are likely to tweak one or two lines but essentially copy/paste their earlier references.

Reply 3

Klix88

Original post by Killer Bean

I'm applying for PhDs with deadlines throughout January, earliest deadline being the 3rd.

Firstly, don't pin your hopes on getting a response in time for that deadline if you haven't already emailed your referees. My uni closes at 4pm today and will not re-open campus until 3rd Jan. For most staff this is a holiday/leave period and if my office colleagues are an indicator, many will not be checking their email during this time.

Some application systems will allow you to submit an application with "Refereees to follow" so check whether you can do that. References will only be taken up if you get to a later stage of the selection process so this is occasionally possible.

1. The courses I'm applying to are similar to that one, but a bit different - I previously applied for a machine learning course but am now applying for 4 computational neuroscience courses, plus another machine learning course. Do they tend to just copy+paste references, or would they write new ones? Just wondering because I feel I may have left it a little late, I'm hoping they can just paste the same references in for the 5 universities I'll be applying to and be done with it.

Your prospective uni will expect to see a reference tailored to the specific project you're applying for, so there should be a difference reference for each application. A generic reference would harm your application. Having said that, if they're very similar, then it may just be a case of cut/paste/tweak/edit.

2. Would it be discourterous if I just sent them the reference requests without e-mailing them first? I did e-mail them last time, wondering if it's necessary I do that again, or if that would bother them.

Yes, you do need to ask them first. As a member of uni staff, getting a reference request I know nothing about is at best confusing - I won't know what I'm trying to give a reference for. At worst, it will annoy your referee and affect what they write - or put them off writing it at all. Always remember that nobody is actually obliged to provide a reference when asked.

Reply 4

Killer Bean

Original post by Klix88

Original post by MonteCristo

Original post by chanthony

Thanks a lot for this, really helpful information. I sent the reference requests a couple of days ago (I originally made this post on another forum on Tuesday, didn't get a response so I thought I'd just get that done ASAP), will be e-mailing them today. Other deadlines are later in the month so I imagine the references should at least get in on time for the other deadlines.

Reply 5

username858757

As Klix88 alluded to in his/her second paragraph, I think there probably is enough time for your referees to get their references in even if they only read your email at the start of January. In my experience, there is leeway of around a week and a half to two weeks for the references to come in; the whole process really can take quite a bit of time.