How to submit extra rec?

[ilmank]

Hey guys, I submitted three recs from professors to all my schools (humanities PhD, deadlines in the past). The editor of an online journal to which I contribute offered to write a rec as well. I think it would be a valuable rec because he knows my writing and is very highly educated himself (humanities degrees from Harvard and Oxford), though not faculty. The question is: how do I ask him to submit the rec? Should I ask him to email the program chairs, or would they be annoyed by that? Email the admissions office? I would like the rec to go directly into the proper hands, obviously, but I don't want to turn off the program chairs. Advice, please?

Edited January 14, 2011 by ilmank

[fuzzylogician]

Are your deadlines in the past or in the future? Some application software allow you to add a fourth LOR directly. If you can do that, it's the easiest route to go. Otherwise, you don't have a choice and you need to contact the DGS or grad secretary and ask how to submit the extra LOR. Schools that will be willing to receive extra letters will probably let you email them directly and will tell you what address to use. Or, if you're submitting hard copies of materials and haven't sent them out yet, you could ask your writer to write a paper LOR and add it to the package. If for any reason you can't submit a formal letter, a famous contact could still be very useful if he is willing write or call his friends at your schools and put in a good word for you.

[uromastyx]

I did the same. Three profs I had worked with (2 in my field) and a fourth professional LOR.

I had an additional recommender mail me a stack of signed and sealed letters. I contacted the graduate director of each program to inform them that I would be snailmailing an additional letter. It was not really an issue and most pragrams were happy to oblige.