I am applying for a doctoral programme. Applicants need to provide information of two academic referees. A few days ago, one of them told me that he received an email asking for a reference letter. I asked the other referee and he said that he did not receive the email. Is this normal? I have checked my application form and the email address is correct. Also, trash has been checked. What should I do?
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2 Answers
Yes, sometimes committees are lazy and only check one of the two. Sometimes they check both, but not at the same time (e.g., one in the first round of selection and the second only for the final candidates). Sometimes they will get such useful information from the first that the second is no longer needed.
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3I listed a few reasons for not checking both referees. Laziness is just one of them. Commented 2 days ago
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3Another plausible scenario: The decision-maker(s) know(s) one of the referees to be very reliable and want(s) to see that particular letter. Commented yesterday
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1@AndreasBlass: That appears to be a different way to say the same as answer's last sentence. Commented yesterday
To answer the final question in the body of your post, there is nothing to do. The answer of Significance explains why, along with answering the headline question. Put another way, the committee (or whomever) that controls admissions has its own processes and procedures. The information they may require will possibly differ from those of other institutions and committees.
The possible things you would do would probably be counterproductive. In particular, don't complain about their process.
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Hmm… I definitely get back this same page on mine…. ????? strange. Also there is no linked answer that appears in the right panel… Commented 2 days ago
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2The question and the answesr are, in fact, on the same page @ZeroTheHero. I generally include such links in case a question gets a lot of answers, but here there are only two. On my monitor, the question and the linked answer are both visible, with my answer requiring a bit of scrolling from the top.– BuffyCommented 2 days ago