<p>I'm going to be transferring to a new college pretty far away next semester (far enough that it is not feasible for me to make any sort of trip back here except on breaks). But I want to apply to a number of summer programs next summer, and I'll need letters of recommendation. The applications will be due starting around the middle of February, which means I won't have sufficient time at my new college to get good letters.</p>
<p>Therefore, I will need to get letters of recommendation from my teachers this semester. I've done really, really well, so I'm sure they would write me great letters. The issue is that I just don't know how to go about doing this. It's currently finals week. I don't know if I should ask right now or wait until next semester and ask via email.</p>
<p>One problem with asking right now is that I don't have a list of programs together that I want to apply to, which means they wouldn't be able to actually write anything right now anyway. And that in turn means there would most likely be some long-distance negotiation involved anyway.</p>
<p>Any suggestions on what to do? I'm thinking of just sending out emails to them tonight to see if I could meet with them and explain the whole situation before the break starts; maybe then I could communicate via email (or possibly come back up here over break before I physically go to the new school).</p>
<p>I agree that you should email and try to get a face-to-face meeting before you leave. Then you can at least give them a general idea of what the LOR is for and approximate deadlines. Next semester, when you figure out which programs you’re applying to, you can communicate via email to get them done. I think most people are OK with doing this sort of thing at a distance, so you should be fine.</p>
<p>I went ahead and emailed them both last night. I got responses today; they both said they’d be more than happy to write for me, but neither wanted to meet. </p>
<p>My advisor’s email actually worries me a little bit. He knew I had applied to Rice and we even discussed it for quite a while once, but this was the first time I’d told him my official decision was to transfer (I just decided recently). In the past he’d always been really supportive, trying to help me decide, and it seemed like he wanted me to do what was best for me. But in his response he didn’t even comment on it. Maybe I’m looking way too much into his lack of comment and lack of interest in meeting, but I’m a bit worried he’s not going to write me as good a letter as he would have if I had stayed here–and that could mess up my chances of getting in to any programs quite a bit.</p>
<p>I’m not too worried about the other professor not wanting to meet. It’s consistent with his personality–I don’t think it has anything at all to do with me or the quality of the letter he’ll write.</p>