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Am I expecting too much? I mean, really? It's been nearly 5 weeks since I put in an application for an MSc, and I'm still waiting for my 2nd academic reference. I gave my first choice 3 weeks, no correspondence back from him before I decided to go with another one. That's now been 2 weeks waiting, no correspondence.
Both agreed beforehand that they were willing to help, at every stage/email/phone call I have said that if they're too busy then to let me know and I'll find someone else. My window of opportunity to get funding is rapidly decreasing and I've just got to sit and bloody wait!
Maybe I'm used to being in business, where the least you can expect is correspondence to say "yes I'm on it, bit busy but will get it to you by x", and certainly don't have to wait 5+ weeks for something.
Getting really quite stressed about it and don't know what my next move is...
just call. they will have forgotton.
Hell, I'll give you a reference, what is it you are wanting to do?
Academics are ****ing useless - and if they are eminent in their field they get away with being incredibly ****ing useless.
Hell, I'll give you a reference, what is it you are wanting to do?
Carbon Capture & Storage, Edinburgh Uni. Graduated from the same department/school as the MSc so thought references would be the least of my worries...
Going to call up tomorrow.
I assume its from UoE. Go up and stand in his office until he writes it.
Going to call up tomorrow.
Give them a ring today.
just ring them now!
yep ring them they will probably have forgotten
Do either of them have secretaries / P.A.s? If so, ask them for help getting it, they probably have more of a chance of dragging a reference out of the academic.
If you're having real trouble getting a reference, phone up the head of department and waste some of their time - things get fixed very quickly once they start inconveniencing important people. After all, writing references for people is part of the job of an academic, and it is really important to get the darned things written quickly, as like you say, a lot of things can rely on a reference (and it isn't like it takes more than half an hour to write one).
Joe
Give them a ring today.
just ring them now!
yep ring them
I'm feeling the peer pressure... Right, where's that number again?
Oh, and if that doesn't work, it's possibly worth calling up the person responsible for the course you are applying for, explaining what is happening and seeing if they could pop down the corridor and bug the person who needs to write a reference.
Joe
Academics are generally running from room to room and project to project, not sat answering emails. Just give them a call or go and find them yourself, if you make the effort they will.
Academics are not ****ing useless. They are very important and very busy, with barely any time to sit and read STW 😉
if you make the effort they will.
😯 I ask them for a reference; they provide a reference (or decline). Why should I have to do the legwork to guarantee even a response?
It's part of the test. If you can be arsed to get it, you will.
Actually, I feel your pain.When I did my teacher training, places were/are limited and the wait for my academic ref when the rest of my application was ready was the biggest ball-ache of the whole process.Second coffeking about what they spend their days doing mind.
[i]Academics are generally running from room to room and project to project[/i]
Ahem, yeah... I e-mailed my tutor last year requiring a fairly urgent response about my dissertation. 2 days, no reply. I went to see him without arranging a meeting, he was sat in his office looking very un-busy listening to classical music. "Oh oh yes, you e-mailed me didn't you..." cue lots of disinterest. Never spoke to him again until hand-in day.
My physics tutor used to just bulk delete new email. Safest way was to either hang around his office in the mornings or catch him over his lunchtime pint in the uni bar. I can't count how many tutorials I've had in pubs. 🙂
Funny, the reference I [b]have[/b] got back so far was from the guy who was [b]never[/b] in his office during my degree.
And if they're too busy, 10 second email saying "I'm too busy" and I'll go bother someone else!
Kit,
I'm an academic. Academics are often (though not always) very busy (probably far busier than you realise - most students seem to think we are solely there to serve them). So a gentle reminder (and give them a short deadline - like 'I need it tomorrow') should work...
Oh and
. Perhaps you should realise that you're not necessarily the only one demanding things from them. If you want a response, chase it up - welcome to the real world!Why should I have to do the legwork to guarantee even a response?
P.S. I am an academic in the same department you are waiting for a reference from - so you are busted for moaning on the internet!
Do either of them have secretaries / P.A.s? If so, ask them for help getting it, they probably have more of a chance of dragging a reference out of the academic.
MWah ah ah ah ah
Perhaps you should realise that you're not necessarily the only one demanding things from them.
Sorry but that's not good enough. Shouldn't have agreed to provide a reference if they couldn't manage to respond within 2-3 weeks.
welcome to the real world!
Oh the irony.
P.S. I am an academic in the same department you are waiting for a reference from - so you are busted for moaning on the internet!
Please, please be the referee. Please. It'd be soooo funny. 🙂
Anyway, Scotlandthescared - arent you supposed to be too busy to be on STW? 😉
P.S. I am an academic in the same department you are waiting for a reference from - so you are busted for moaning on the internet!
D'oh, well at least I've not named names 😉 If you think you can be of any further help, by the way, drop me an email!
And both referees have had gentle reminders. I know they are busy, and the 2nd one has (sort of) a deadline. But probably forgotten. Just very frustrating when I've got funding to chase down as soon as possible.
Please, please be the referee. Please. It'd be soooo funny.
At least it'd be my first response from them...
I'm a full time researcher - dont do teaching so I can spend my lunch time on STW if I like 🙂 - but that also means I cant be of any further help. Can you ask anyone else?
True - they shouldn't have agreed if they weren't going to deliver - hence why you should just go and knock on their door.
If they are anything like the lot I work with then getting the course organiser to chase them would be your best bet. If there is a departmental secretary then you could get them involved as they ususally scare the Academics. Face to face requests also work best as they inspire more guilt!
References for MSc posts such as yours are not difficult or time consuming to write but neither do they secure funding, papers, collaborations or results. Any of those will trump the 15 minutes required to bang out an email as yours can be done in that spare moment (which never appears). Not necessarily helpful but at least it helps understand why!
I work with busy clinicians 24/7, it can be difficult, but you have to manage them better than just emailing them and sitting back expecting to hear back. Telephones and PAs help big time. As does constantly bugging them until you hear back.
Ahem, yeah... I e-mailed my tutor last year requiring a fairly urgent response about my dissertation. 2 days, no reply. I went to see him without arranging a meeting, he was sat in his office looking very un-busy listening to classical music. "Oh oh yes, you e-mailed me didn't you..." cue lots of disinterest. Never spoke to him again until hand-in day.
Aw diddums. Poor little student learns the hard way that academics (mostly) hate students and already have full time research jobs to do without teaching courses on your degree.
At least, that's the attitude Dr North demonstrates whenever she has to deal with what she calls "entitled" MSc or PhD studes. She never mixes with the undergraduate riff raff... 😀
Having been down this road myself, I suggest you write a reference for yourself - without taking the piss - and politely send it to your referee, commenting that you know they are busy and that you have provided a starter for them to edit. On the several occasions that I've employed this technique, the reference has gone off nearly word-for-word with just a few adjectives fiddled with.
You have forgotten the supplementary forms.
They look just like 4 X £50 notes.