Will late recommendations disqualify my application?

[crunchygum]

One of my letter providers is away on sabbatical this semester, and I won't be able to see her until after December 1st. Most of my submissions are online forms, which she said she can do, but some require letters to be mailed, and paper forms that I will need to provide for her.

So basically, it is inevitable that those recommendations will be submitted and received by the school after the deadline.

Does anyone know how negatively this will be perceived?

[ktel]

I would think it would be perceived incredibly negatively, but the best way to know is to contact the schools in question.

[Loimographia]

Some schools mention they will take accept late additional materials, some explicitly say they won't; first priority is to check whether the ones that demand mailed letters accept late materials, either on their website, or by phone (my guess is they will, because of the complications of snail mail).

That said, why can't you mail her the paper forms? UPS or Fedex can get you their forms in the matter of days (yes, it will be expensive, and if she needs to do the same to get them there in time, offer to pay for her cost as well). I've had to mail a number of forms to my LoRs simply because I no longer live in the same state as them (or, indeed, the same country in the case of one). It's less than optimal, and I'm sure a little frustrating to spend the money when you'll see her in person in less than two weeks, but it may simply be necessary.

[orst11]

I second Loimographia's statement on sending her paper forms. Forever stampscan be your best friend when it comes to this if you have time, or if you figure you are sending a lot send it priority mail and they will get it everything in just about the same time as UPS or Fedex. The last but probably least favorable option for paper based LOR forms is to scan copies or fax copies to recs.

[crunchygum]

Hm, not the best answers, but I suppose mail is possible. However, with Thanksgiving being this week, I dont really see much happening there.

I talked with another professor in my department, and he said not to worry since schools often know there can be difficulties when it comes to things like this. Certainly won't be looked at favorably, but it might not be a disqualification or anything, since they may not even start looking at apps for a few weeks after they all come in

[Sigaba]

crunchygum--

If you go the USPS/FedEx/UPS route, do what you can to get the mail codes for the specific departments to which you're applying.

As an example, to the outside world, an institution's mailing address could be:

Department of History

1234 Main Street

Happyland University

Anytown, CA 95005

When the actual address could be

Department of History

MC 0123

Happyland University

Anytown, CA 95005-0123

Also, be certain to make a note of any tracking numbers but avoid driving yourself nutso by checking for updates every ten seconds. (Not that I've ever done anything like that. .)

[Sociograd]

I heard from a graduate admissions counselor that grad programs are typically not as strict on the LOR deadline. She said, "Its usually okay if they are a few days late." Hope this helps, but you may want to check with the program.