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I am not a man, please don't call me sir. A little sleuthing goes a long way. However, if you don't care that much you can simply begin your emails with "Dear FirstName LastName" "Hello" "Greetings" or similar. Don't send me an email that says something like "I would like to work under your supervision." I'm not hiring anyone. Don't send the exact same email to me, the department head, and three faculty members. Similarly, why do so many international students email the department head? Do you think you're going to jump the line? Do people advise you to do this? Please carefully read the emails I send. If you seem to have extreme difficulty comprehending them, I will make a note of that and share it with the admissions committee. With some time and attention to your communication, you will receive better information from us. I don't work in the English department so your grammar doesn't have to be perfect. However, it does make a difference before and during the application process. Also pay attention to capitalization. You'd be amazed at how many emails I receive without capital letters. They can be hard to read. I am happy to get settled. However, things will be easier for you if you take advantage of the resources I (and the college) send you before arriving. It will be much easier for you if you take our suggestions about finding housing and a roommate. Just a few suggestions to make your application process (and my life) easier.

If you're not sure of the gender of the person you're talking to, it is ok to simply begin an email with "Hello." I have received an inordinate amount of emails this cycle addressed to "Sir" and it makes you look silly. Also, what's up with the Sir/Ma I get a lot of? Why not Sir/Ma'am? Is Ma commonly used in some countries?

It is a very busy time for people involved in graduate admissions. Just hold your horses.

I'm pushing my committee to have everything decided by Feb 1. Here's the thing about faculty: they move at a glacial pace. Their usual work of research, writing, and revising is a SLOW process. I find that their slow pace spills over into everything they do.

My system doesn't automatically send reminders. However, I bet in your case it was automatic. I doubt people were working on the 24th and 30th to push the button to send reminders.

I work with scatterbrained profs all day, every day. Because of this, I also understand that some of them find it an absolute chore to upload a letter. I'm going to design a research project to determine if grad school turns people helpless or if helpless people are attracted to grad school. After some of the applicants I've seen this season I'm going with the latter.

That's hilarious! If I got that message (and an immediate apology) but the applicant had otherwise demonstrated competency in the application process I probably wouldn't say anything to the committee.

My committee will call people they know at PhD applicant's MS schools all the time. No MS references when applying to a PhD program would be a HUGE red flag. If you're serious about continuing your education in this field you must find a champion in your current department. Don't do any of this via letters or emails. Make an appointment with someone.

Sure. January 3 is a Saturday. The grad secretary probably didn't realize it was a Saturday and didn't change the deadline from the previous years. (Totally something I would do.)

For the love of all things holy, READ THE DIRECTIONS. When I get emails like this: Dear GradSecretary, Should I mail my transcripts to you? Please respond soonest. Applicant Here's how I want to respond: Applicant, You have received emails about this very topic. In addition, that information is on the department's website AND on the university's website. If you can't follow these simple instructions what makes you think you can hack it in grad school? Also, I respond as soon as I can. If you ask me to respond "soonest" though, my sense of urgency drops. Also, if you continue to be incompetent during the application process I WILL tell the committee. They want to know if they're considering admitting an idiot who takes an inordinate amount of hand-holding. GradSecretary

IME you really need to make it look like you're not copying and pasting. My professors HATE that. Show some genuine passion.

My guess is Don meant to send the email to the "Submitted" applications instead of all of them. The other possibility is that because you were close to completing it they assumed (or maybe hoped) that you would complete it soon. And yes, I can see everything even if it hasn't been submitted yet.

For clarification, are you thinking about making changes without showing him the final letter? IMO, that's a big mistake.

Glad to see you asked! That was going to be my advice. If there's a letter missing by the deadline and you haven't contacted me to explain, it doesn't look very good. Life happens and professors can be forgetful.

THIS I get this kind of stuff regularly and it is no big deal. Also, the phrase absent-minded professor exists for a reason...