dendy

Thanks! My main worry is having that blank spot on my app count against me. I really doubt any prof would be so petty as to get upset that I email them so close the deadline; at worst they just won't respond. I don't have anything to lose so I guess I'll try and shoot some (thoughtful) emails off.

If they can vouch for you character and ability to work hard, the letters will be beneficial. If the prof is from a different field and all they can say is "this person got an A" then definitely don't have more than one of those.

Yup, and I was assured that it was very positive

It's extremely common in lab sciences for a grad student or postdoc to write a draft because they are the person you actually work with while the PI sits in their office playing solitaire working on grants. Even my non deadbeat PI does this.

Most of my apps are due Dec 3rd. I've been so busy with work, the NSF GRFP, and rounding up my letters that I haven't really thought about emailing POI. There are many POIs at each school I would love to work with so I haven't really narrowed it down. Some of my apps--namely for Stanford--ask you to list faculty you have contacted. It's not a required entry, but is it "required?" Could the POIs consider it rude for some reason to email so soon before applying? Some apps just want me to list several profs I want to interview with--should I contact these people before listing them as well?

Just wondering---would it be any better if they had a phd even if they were not a prof? I considered getting one from a grad student (who has since finished and started a postdoc elsewhere) that I worked closely with when our PI was incommunicado... Where would that letter rank in the scheme of things? Only slightly above a grad student?

Are you or your PI worried about being scooped? Have them check your SOP to make sure you don't divulge any ~secrets~ My PI is paranoid as fuck and he didn't care. There shouldn't enough detail that they could really steal anything unless your findings are earth shattering, yet easily reproducible, I guess.

At my testing center they were extremely strict--I seriously felt like I was visiting a prison or something. I wouldn't count on using your own pencils or even watch. The only things I was allowed to bring into the room were myself, my clothes, my ID, and the key they gave me for my locker. I tend to write fairly large and use a ton of scratch paper and I only used two packets of scratch paper for the three match sections I had.

For my CV, I personally listed them in descending chronological order of when I worked with them, which coincided with their relative "importance." The only thing I've seen so far where professor order mattered was on the NSF fellowship app where you could have up to five letters submitted but only three would be read--in case one or two professors ended up not submitting their letters. Unless your applications specifically say otherwise, order of professors is the last thing I would worry about.

Wait, how many letters total are you submitting and who is this fourth person? If ranking matters at all--it may not--then I would personally put him last. I worked as a low level lab tech for four years for a prof whose work I didn't care about but he wrote me a glowing reference. I rank him below profs whose research I was much more interested and involved in but for a much shorter time period.

I was planning on waiting until I made my final selection before writing a physical thank you to my profs so I would have something to share with them--is this poor etiquette? I have of course already thanked them a million times over email.

Haha sorry, the way you worded sounded to me like you asked for letters months ago and only checked today to see if they were in (I know someone who actually did this... maybe I'm projecting). I totally sympathize and hope they got your letters in on time! If not, you still have 35 minutes--barge into their offices if need be!!

This almost happened to me (last letter submitted an hour ago after urgent email last night) and I agree the timing is awkward. But if you are only checking now that the letters aren't in, you are partly to blame. Even the most responsible professors need periodic reminders, and the NSF system doesn't send them for you automatically like some school apps do.

Well after sending more emails and attempting to call several times, she finally replied to the email with the subject ""URGENT!!! letter deadline!!" though still has not submitted it hopefully will never have to ask her for a letter again

Get a job doing research. Save money, get an awesome letter of rec. I wouldn't really worry about getting them in right when the application opens unless you are an international student or something, grad schools (different for med schools) realize plenty of smart people are lazy procrastinators so it won't make a difference either way in your admittance. Though it would be nice to get them out of the way I guess.

No, there is no one I could get a letter from in two days, and if I don't get a letter from her the reviewers will probably be suspicious as to why a professor i have done significant work with wouldn't give me one.

My former PI agreed to write me a letter over a month ago. She hasn't responded to any of my reminders or questions since then, which is unsurprising as she is a huge flake. The deadline for the NSF GRFP letters is the 27th and since they are NOT FLEXIBLE AT ALL I'm panicking a bit. Her grad student gave me her cell phone number but he told me she's in Italy right now!! The grad student actually wrote the letter so all the prof has to do is submit it, but apparently this is an insurmountable task. I'm not sure what to do at this point--I'll try calling her on monday but I'm not expecting that to work. My only plan of action is to flood her inbox to the point where she can't avoid me but that runs the risk of pissing her off and I'm not sure how to even phrase an email that doesn't sound demanding and accusatory.

My PI is obviously a really smart dude and is very well regarded in our field but he's, uh, a bit out of touch when it comes to the admissions process. PI: Well you have great grades and GRE scores, great research and some publications, awesome letters of rec--especially the one from me, mwhaha--but I really think you should work here for a few more years and get some first author papers if you want a decent chance of getting into grad school. Me: uhhh Eavesdropping labmates: *raucous laughter*

What style are you guys writing this in? I was thinking of mostly reusing bits of my personal statement for the NSF GRFP--which ended up reading like an undergrad admissions essay and is pretty casual and a bit cheeky. I talk about being from a rural area, low income, and my mom's disability.

I just filled it out and it asked what state I was born in and what city I went to high school in, in addition to the normal citizenship questions these apps always ask.

Hmmm, I dunno. I got a packet from my school that contained reviewer comments on a completely unsuccessful app and one reviewer made a snarky comment about the applicant needing to proofread more. But they're reading so much so quickly they may not notice unless it's really blatant and your app is solid overall.

No, it just alerts you of possible mistakes or things you may have overlooked. I graduated last year and am currently working while applying to grad school--I got a conflict message asking if I didn't have a current school.

Yeah, that's my plan too. I'm also applying to grad school so maybe I'll send some reminders through those apps. Last time my grad student mentor literally had to corner him in his office while he wrote me a letter but we are both hundreds of miles away from that lab now. ughhhhhh flaaaaaaaakes.

Ugh, I'm in the same scenario. My current PI who is way busier had no problems writing me a letter weeks ago but this dude can't even resubmit my old letter. And they are due on such an awkward day--I can't really be bugging him over the holiday without seeming like a pushy jerk, if he even checks his email. He will be out of his office and calling his cell while he's digesting turkey would make me seem like a psycho. Maybe I can beg a grad student to take pity and harass him for me...

So they don't automatically send reminders to the recommenders? Ugh, I was hoping an official reminder from NSF would make one of my profs stop flaking out >:-[