Application in pieces?

[Bennet]

I just graduated college this past May and am starting my applications for entrance to graduate school in Fall 2012. The professors I talked to for my letters of recommendation want to get them done before the school year starts up again and things get busy, which is understandable.

But my earliest deadline is January 1st, and my advisor told me I should take my time revising my statement of purpose and my writing sample, so while I shouldn't be last minute with it, I shouldn't send them in this early. I want to take this advice, but it seems bizarre to me. Is it normal for admissions offices to receive applications in pieces? What will they do when they receive LORs for a person who hasn't even applied yet?

I'm taking the GRE August 10th, too, so my scores will probably get to the admissions department before my actual application does. Is that an issue?

[Kitkat]

I think that schools are used to the idea of getting things in pieces. In many cases, they want the GRE scores sent to them straight from ETS, and you are sending them your stuff. So those two part are probably going to get there at different times no matter what. As for the letter writers, it is completely understandable that they want to get things done when they are quite. But if you want to send them a bit closer to the deadline, so that they don't get lost in the next six months before they start looking at applications, have you tied looking into services like Interfolio? They let you store things like LoRs over a period of time until you are ready of sending them out, so possibly you can have it done that way. I don't remember if there are other services that do this but I am sure that there are.

[newms]

Most schools have online applications now, and if it's the case that the program you are applying to uses an online application, then the delay between when your letter writers submit their recommendations online and when you submit your application shouldn't be a problem, since the recommendations submitted would be linked to your application. Some online applications, however, only allow you to send the link to your letter writers (for them to submit their recommendations) after you have submitted your application - if this is the case then you might have to submit your application before September to comply with your letter writers' wishes. Most online applications aren't like that so hopefully your programs won't use a system like that. another concern is that some online applications 'open' in September (or even October) so if that's the case, your writers won't be able to submit until then.

As for off line application submissions - you would really be at the mercy of the admissions people at your department as to whether they match up all pieces of your application. The vast majority of programs (I'd like to think) would be able to handle a situation like this in which the pieces of your application arrive at different times. Just make sure to regularly check with them to make sure that they have received the various pieces when they have been sent.

The GRE scores being sent in August shouldn't be a problem - just check with the admissions people at your program to make sure that they have received them. They will keep them until you submit your application. Some schools will have a section online where you can check to see if and when the various pieces of your application has been received.

It does occasionally happen that a piece of your application (such as the GRE scores) may get misplaced or not processed, so it is important that you check regularly to make sure that all of the pieces of your application arrive and are processed properly.

[runonsentence]

Most schools have online applications now, and if it's the case that the program you are applying to uses an online application, then the delay between when your letter writers submit their recommendations online and when you submit your application shouldn't be a problem, since the recommendations submitted would be linked to your application. Some online applications, however, only allow you to send the link to your letter writers (for them to submit their recommendations) after you have submitted your application - if this is the case then you might have to submit your application before September to comply with your letter writers' wishes. Most online applications aren't like that so hopefully your programs won't use a system like that. another concern is that some online applications 'open' in September (or even October) so if that's the case, your writers won't be able to submit until then.

This is true. I'd recommend you consider having your writers send in their letters as hardcopies.

I had a similar situation: one of my recommenders insisted she couldn't submit her letters to the online application systems over winter break, which was the earliest I would be ready with most of them. So my work-around was to have her submit a paper recommendation to all of my schools.

Most say on the website that, while they encourage electronic submission of LoRs, they'll still accept paper ones. (I think they recognize that it's not worth fighting with some senior academics still stuck in the stone age, hah.)

If a school did not mention that it accepted paper LoRs on its website, I called the grad secretary (who was usually more than helpful). All assured me that it was fine, and that I should just make sure to check in that it was matched up with the rest of my application before the deadline.

If you go this route, it takes a bit of administrative work on your end. I spent about two hours getting a list together of all the schools, addressing all the envelopes, enclosing some blank letterhead, printing out accompanying forms for schools that required them, and filling out the basic information on the forms for her.

[newms]

This is true. I'd recommend you consider having your writers send in their letters as hardcopies.

I had a similar situation: one of my recommenders insisted she couldn't submit her letters to the online application systems over winter break, which was the earliest I would be ready with most of them. So my work-around was to have her submit a paper recommendation to all of my schools.

Most say on the website that, while they encourage electronic submission of LoRs, they'll still accept paper ones. (I think they recognize that it's not worth fighting with some senior academics still stuck in the stone age, hah.)

If a school did not mention that it accepted paper LoRs on its website, I called the grad secretary (who was usually more than helpful). All assured me that it was fine, and that I should just make sure to check in that it was matched up with the rest of my application before the deadline.

If you go this route, it takes a bit of administrative work on your end. I spent about two hours getting a list together of all the schools, addressing all the envelopes, enclosing some blank letterhead, printing out accompanying forms for schools that required them, and filling out the basic information on the forms for her.

This is so true also. One of my letter writers had difficulty uploading the letter via the application website. When I contacted the admissions people, they gave me an email address to which he could send the letter. So that, as well as snail mail, may be an option if you have timing issues caused by when the online application allows letter writers to submit your letters.