ask for recommendation now or in September?

[Bman]

All right, I know that this question is probably one that young adults should be able to figure out on their own but, hey, one advantage of message boards is that one can solicit input for even the most simple of inquiries. So here's my situation:

I have two recommendations nailed down. I want to get a third one from a prof. that I took a class from early last year. I don't know her terribly well personally, but I did very well in her class and she sent me a personal email after it was done thanking me for my contribution. My question is, should I email her now and ask for a recommendation or should I wait until the fall- early September, and ask her in person. The reason I ask is because people often say that you should ask in person rather than by email, but my suspicion is that this general rule is overshadowed by the fact that waiting another month or month and a half to ask is likely to delay my application and make my life generally much more difficult. Does anyone who has been through this process or who hasn't but has some insight want to share their thoughts on whether to ask by email now or in person in September?

[nekko]

I say ask now. Hopefully you can talk with her personally about it in September but if you can get the ball rolling now I say go for it, especially since right now you're fresh in her mind in a positive way.

[Bman]

Thanks. I appreciate the advice

[jacy85]

If you are in the area, often professors head into their offices during the summer.  If you like, you can call her office and leave a message or email her saying that if she is in this summer, you'd like to meet with her briefly to discuss the possibility of getting  a rec.  If she responds that she's not in, then I'd go ahead and ask her about writing it now, and send her the appropriate info (resume, transcript, and if she requests, a writing sample). 

I'd get it done sooner rather than later, so if there's any snags, you can try and fix them *before* application season really gets rolling.

[Anti_Ivy]

If you are in the area, often professors head into their offices during the summer.  If you like, you can call her office and leave a message or email her saying that if she is in this summer, you'd like to meet with her briefly to discuss the possibility of getting  a rec.  If she responds that she's not in, then I'd go ahead and ask her about writing it now, and send her the appropriate info (resume, transcript, and if she requests, a writing sample). 

I'd get it done sooner rather than later, so if there's any snags, you can try and fix them *before* application season really gets rolling.

I second Jacy's post.  Overall, just make sure you ask ASAP.

[The ZAPINATOR]

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