Hey everyone,
I recently received an email from a PhD program asking me to provide a reference for a student who applied. The thing is, I’ve only met this student once during an interview for a Master’s internship, which he will start in the summer. He didn’t ask me beforehand if I’d be willing to be a referee, and I was surprised to see my name listed.
I’m not sure how to handle this. Should I:
1. Ignore the request and let the program move on without my reference?
2. Reply to the program explaining that I haven’t worked with him yet and can’t provide an evaluation?
3. Reach out to the student to let him know that I received this request and that he should have asked me first?
I don’t want to harm his chances, but I also don’t feel comfortable providing a reference for someone I haven’t worked with. Has anyone been in a similar situation? How would you handle this?
Comments
Explain to the student that you cannot because referee, since you haven’t worked with them yet and suggest they contact somebody else instead.
Option 2. Just be honest and say you don’t know them well enough to provide a recommendation.
I would reach out to the student and help them be more professional going forward. Saying something like, I received an unsolicited request for a reference. Since I did not have a heads-up, I declined the request to protect your privacy. If you are looking for references, reach out to professors who you may have had a class with to see if they would be willing to provide a reference.
Option 1. Option 2 will hurt his chances for sure, but with option 1 they will likely ask for a new reference