LOR Writer Problem

[Krauge]

One of the writers on my letters of recommendations is flaking on me. They sent letters to a few of my schools,  but have now suddenly dropped off the face of the Earth, and my Jan 15 deadlines are now 5 days overdue. I emailed them on the.16th and haven't heard back. Other than them, my applications and letters have been complete for a month now. Any advice on how to proceed would be hot.

[sunrisesunset]

Get in touch with your department and ask if they can get in contact.

[hector549]

11 hours ago, Krauge said:

One of the writers on my letters of recommendations is flaking on me. They sent letters to a few of my schools,  but have now suddenly dropped off the face of the Earth, and my Jan 15 deadlines are now 5 days overdue. I emailed them on the.16th and haven't heard back. Other than them, my applications and letters have been complete for a month now. Any advice on how to proceed would be hot.

Your options are, unfortunately, limited. If you're in the same town or nearby, try to find your letter-writer in person, either at office hours or after he or she finishes teaching a class. If you're not nearby, send another email to the letter-writer and try calling the department secretary to see if you can get this person on the phone. Don't be afraid to be persistent; the squeaky wheel gets the grease, as it were.

[Duns Eith]

I am told that some adcoms can be flexible about when the letters come in. Some schools are pretty rigid. 

 

I think the advice given above are legit. That said, does anyone think it would be a good idea to reach out to the director of graduate admissions? I'm not sure I recommend it. But I am thinking that open communication with the DGA would be a plus. Pros and cons?

Edited January 20, 2019 by Duns Eith

[Kantattheairport]

I'm having similar issues with the final couple of my applications, but based on last year I'm not super worried... at least not yet.

[Moose#@1%$]

17 hours ago, Krauge said:

One of the writers on my letters of recommendations is flaking on me. They sent letters to a few of my schools,  but have now suddenly dropped off the face of the Earth, and my Jan 15 deadlines are now 5 days overdue. I emailed them on the.16th and haven't heard back. Other than them, my applications and letters have been complete for a month now. Any advice on how to proceed would be hot.

Like others have said, if you're in the same town go to the department and see if you can track him/her down. If you do, politely remind them about the letter. It's possible they had something come up and are busy and have forgotten about the letters. Maybe talk to the department secretary and see if they can help you track your professor down.

[Very Hungry Caterpillar]

One of my letter writers was really prompt about his recs, except for one, which he must have missed. Let me just check that I got the email right! ?

[BetweenBars]

On 1/20/2019 at 5:14 AM, Krauge said:

One of the writers on my letters of recommendations is flaking on me. They sent letters to a few of my schools,  but have now suddenly dropped off the face of the Earth, and my Jan 15 deadlines are now 5 days overdue. I emailed them on the.16th and haven't heard back. Other than them, my applications and letters have been complete for a month now. Any advice on how to proceed would be hot.

Email again. Get in touch with the department administrator (as others have suggested). Do you have another way of contacting your letter writer? Call them, message them; whatever you need to do. People forget, and it helps to be reminded!

 

[hector549]

On 1/20/2019 at 5:01 PM, Duns Eith said:

I am told that some adcoms can be flexible about when the letters come in. Some schools are pretty rigid. 

 

I think the advice given above are legit. That said, does anyone think it would be a good idea to reach out to the director of graduate admissions? I'm not sure I recommend it. But I am thinking that open communication with the DGA would be a plus. Pros and cons?

 I think there's no harm in contacting the DGA at the schools that are missing the letter while you're trying to contact the letter-writer. You can perhaps find out when they'll actually be reviewing apps and if your application can still be considered even though the letter is late.

[Rose-Colored Beetle]

On 1/21/2019 at 9:25 PM, hector549 said:

 I think there's no harm in contacting the DGA at the schools that are missing the letter while you're trying to contact the letter-writer. You can perhaps find out when they'll actually be reviewing apps and if your application can still be considered even though the letter is late.

I agree with Hector on this. Given how nebulous (arbitrary?) the selection process can be, it can't hurt to add one more sticking point to your app.

I'm really sympathetic, Krauge... this happened to a friend of mine, which may have had significant bearing on where she got in. Hopefully it works out for you!