helmetedhamster

I have no idea if this will affect your chances at admission or not, but I thought I'd let you know you're not alone in this problem! I also had a very enthusiastic professor disappear after the application deadline passed, and I had to contact the admissions department to allow an alternate reference to submit my final letter of recommendation. I'm worried too, mainly that admissions will think my original recommender failed to write a letter because of misgivings about me or something I did.

I would do this, but also ask her if she'd like you to send her some of the assignments you wrote for her class or meet her during office hours (if that's possible) to catch up before she writes the recommendation. Seeing you in person might help her remember your academic performance. Or, if you can't meet with her, is there something memorable about you that you could subtly mention in an email? For example, I broke my ankle halfway through a semester...I'm sure some of my professors don't remember my name but would remember me as "that girl on crutches."

As an update, I contacted the admissions department, and they allowed me to have a replacement reference email a letter of recommendation. Still waiting to see if my original reference will submit something...

Thanks for the reply! I am new to this site, and I couldn't figure out how to delete the original post or report it to the moderators. I think my application is pretty strong without the final LOR, but I am very concerned that my application will just be thrown out if it's not complete. On the other hand, it seems that it is somewhat expected that a few professors will submit the LOR late.

Like seemingly every poster on this forum, I have one LOR writer who has promised and promised to submit an LOR, but two weeks after the deadline, it still hasn't been submitted. I'm still hoping the professor will submit an LOR, but in the meantime, is it a good idea to contact the admissions department and explain my situation? I wouldn't say anything negative about my professor, just let them know that I'm aware that the LOR is missing, but my professor is working on it. Is this a good idea? Has anyone else done this, and what was the result? Also, would it make sense to call admissions, or should I contact the specific department I applied to? Thanks for the input! I am going nuts knowing that my application is stilllllllll incomplete.

Like seemingly everyone else on this forum, I have one LOR writer who has been promising and promising to submit an LOR for me, but the application was due January 1 and it still isn't in. I haven't given up yet, but in the mean time, is it a good idea to call the admissions office or the department to which I'm applying and explain my situation? I wouldn't say anything negative about my professor...I'd just let them know that I'm aware the LOR is still missing and that the professor has assured me it will be submitted soon. Do you think this would be a good idea? Has anyone done this, and if so, what were the results?