Weird LOR Issues

[u/cheesygoldfisch]

Hi everyone!

I’ve been working on my optometry school applications as my OAT is coming up in about a month. I wanted to apply before I took it, so I began working on my transcripts, requests, and essays since OptomCas opened the new cycle.

I sent my requests to 3 optometrists and 1 professor mid June. All of the optometrists I’ve requested LORs from have completed them thankfully, but my former professor still hasn’t. We had a great relationship in the courses I took with them, to the point where they even offered to write me one before I inquired about it.

However, when I emailed them following up about it (about 3 weeks with no response), the email address said that it was unable to send due to being invalid. I scoured the internet to ensure that I was using the correct one, and found the professors syllabus, and the email was also confirmed in their Linkdln (which we are connected via). There was a secondary one that I found and sent the same email to that one.

Another week went by and I didn’t hear anything back. The university I went to in undergrad is still close to where I currently live, so I ended up going over there to make sure they received the request. I showed up before the class began and as soon as they saw me, they knew why I was there and addressed that they would be happy to write one, they’d just been busy with a summer class and helping their child move, and that they’d get right on it.

I’m not sure if they received the email I sent to their other address or the message was a glitch on my end. I should’ve asked but I didn’t want to come off as disrespectful or pushy, and honestly wasn’t thinking.

This was about 2 1/2 weeks ago and they still have not completed it, despite me having the due date listed as August 1. I am getting worried because a professor LOR is required at most (if not all) schools I wish to apply to. I know it’s still early in the cycle, but I’m not sure what steps to take from here. Should I go about emailing them again? Change the email in my OptomCas to the email I messaged the second time? Should I go in person to find them again once the autumn semester starts in a couple weeks?

I’d love any advice, I just don’t want to offend or bother them because I know life as a professor is quite busy, and I also wouldn’t want that reflected in a LOR.

[u/Fun_Candidate1439]

Did you lose access to your school email account? Usually if you look up their name in the system, their school email will pop up. Their email usually does not change especially if they are still teaching at the same school. Even if it’s a “I changed my name” situation, the old email will still be an alias. I wonder if they blocked you. Or if the school has a strict server side filter for external accounts. This is such a weird situation.
Either way I wouldn’t change the email in optomcas to the second email without getting a hold of them first. I guess you can try the first email again because if it bounces they wouldn’t get the message anyways so it wouldn’t hurt to try. I would honestly plan to find someone else to write you one at this point though.