When to start nudging LOR writers to start your letter?

[honurasp]

Just wondering if any of you know when it would be an appropriate time to remind your reference writers to start working on their letter for you for PhORCAS. 2 weeks before your deadlines?? 3? 4?? My letter writers have been sent information by PhORCAS at the beginning of the month and so far I have 1/3 in, but the others still say "New", not "In Progress". I know faculty and pharmacists lead busy lives and I do not want to bug them or have them rush a good letter, but I also dont want to be forgotten either!

Any tips? How long does it usually take to fill out the forms?

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[lionheart555]

Just wondering if any of you know when it would be an appropriate time to remind your reference writers to start working on their letter for you for PhORCAS. 2 weeks before your deadlines?? 3? 4?? My letter writers have been sent information by PhORCAS at the beginning of the month and so far I have 1/3 in, but the others still say "New", not "In Progress". I know faculty and pharmacists lead busy lives and I do not want to bug them or have them rush a good letter, but I also dont want to be forgotten either!

Any tips? How long does it usually take to fill out the forms?

I think if you have not heard from them in a week or so, it is OK to send a reminder e-mail. In my first reminder e-mail I would usually just ask if they even received the notification. After that I think it's okay to ask how their schedules look with respect to filling out the LOR. As the deadline approaches, (2 weeks away), you can certainly increase the frequency of reminders. Another thought is if you CAN, stop by their office or workplace and just check in and see what their workload is like. I always found that an in person visit helped get things rolling better than an e-mail.

There probably isn't a "usual amount of time" to fill out the form. You want them to dedicate as much time as they can and need to give you an outstanding LOR.