snap! where are my promised letters!!!

[imisscoffee]

Two of my three profs have not submitted letters yet!!! Oh no! The application is due tonight! Is it ok if they are a day late? Should I send them a personal reminder? I know I have heard back from them recently, and they are definitely on board - but - why are they waiting until the last minute?

[emmm]

Yes, it is generally OK if they are a day late. It is not unusual for professors to wait until the last minute -- only one of mine had his letters in early (and some were late). Most were sent ON the due date. Definitely send reminders -- I generally sent regular reminders, at increasing frequency as the due date approached. But I knew my recommenders quite well, and I knew they would appreciate this. In fact, I was chatting with one of my recommenders recently, and he was complaining about a student who HADN'T done this and who now needed a letter ASAP. I don't know why it should make a difference, since he sent all my letters in right on the deadline anyway, but apparently it does. I guess he'd worked it into his mental list of things that need to be done, and this other student's lack of reminders meant her letter caught him by surprise.