repatriate

Thanks. I'll call the department tomorrow to ask about where I would send an additional letter, but I am not hopeful, since the department's website says that letters must be sent online and the application instructions state that any hard copy letters should be posted directly to the department. I hope that they're more flexible than their website suggests. An alternative I just thought of is to ask the 4th recommender to send the letter to someone in the department via email, but I do not like the idea of asking more of someone who has offered me a kindness.

Thanks. Unfortunately, I cannot add an additional recommender to the application.

I am applying to a program that has no online application. And the application form downloaded from the website is just a plain PDF, not a form PDF, so the application had to printed out and completed by hand or with a typewriter. I did 1 or 2 applications like this way back in 2000 when I applied for undergrad, but even then, online applications were the norm. And now I am living overseas and have to deal with international postage and delivery times. And we've been having postal strikes!!

I got everything set up with my three letter writers, sent packets to them, sent reminders, and now the deadlines are approaching. But I got an offer that is really hard to refuse: A professor at my current program graduated from my top choice school and has a good relationship with my faculty of interest at the program I am applying to, and he has offered to send a letter on my behalf to this program. Such a letter would be a boost to my application, but I cannot add an additional recommender to the application. I have already entered everyone else into the online form and they have gotten request emails. The department says that letters must be sent online. Can I ask one of my other writers to forgo sending a letter to this particular program so that I can use the alumnus's letter, or is it simply too rude ever to un-ask such a favor?

Thanks. I do not meet any of the "standard" fee waiver categories such as income.

When I mentioned the cost of applying, a professor told me to ask departments for fee waivers. He said that many will grant them, especially for applicants they might be interested in. Has anyone tried approaching departments about fee waivers (other than through proscribed methods). Did you have success? How did you broach the topic?