Letter recommender hasn't responded to request and has conference deadline coming up. Should I remind them? The title is a bit lengthy but captures the crux of the issue. I made a bit of a hasty decision to apply to PhD programs this round rather late (last Thursday) and sent potential letter writers a request on Friday. One of them is my advisor, another is a professor who I've worked with briefly, and the last is a professor who's not in my field but has known me personally for a while.
The second professor hasn't responded, and I'm beginning to worry. It has only been 5-6 days since I sent the request, but there is also a deadline coming up for a major conference on the 16th.
I also made the mistake of not including the deadlines in the initial email. The deadline for application is December 1st, so there isn't much time.
I'm wondering if I should follow up this week with a reminder, or if I should go in person.
Any feedback or opinions are appreciated. Thanks.
You sent the request last Friday. It is now Wednesday, i.e., the third working day after the request. That is not a lot of time at all, in the calendar of a professor. Moreover, the deadline is on December 1, which is still almost four weeks away.
Give the professor at least one more week. Maybe then send a reminder, and mention the deadline in that reminder.