bgt28 Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 Hi! I just wanted to post an update on my situation, though there's no significant change since you last heard/read. My LOR situation is the same as it was 12 days ago. But I'm thinking of bright-siding it, so I wanted to ask, would programs with three submitted letters (and waiting on a fourth) still review my application even though it is technically incomplete? Second, would the schools that have only two submitted LORs look at my application if they know the third letter is on its way?/Are they likely to contact me asking for clarification/completion, or will they contact the prof directly? I'm in shambles, but we'll get through. xx
bgt28 Posted January 13, 2015 Author Posted January 13, 2015 Any and all words of comfort and wisdom are welcome/needed...much love and appreciation always! PS: I will happily explain my situation in depth if anyone desires to know (via forum or PM). XX
drownsoda Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 Oh my god, still no submission from him? So frustrating. Like, I'm frustrated for you. If it makes you feel better though, I have heard many times of schools accepting students with letters still pending. I'm guessing schools have different policies on this, but I'd think they would be more forgiving of late letters considering it's the one portion of your application that you have no control over. Have you emailed any of the prospective programs and asked about it? Just letting them know what's up and making sure that they're aware that you're aware/concerned may give some peace of mind. I can't imagine a professor being so dilatory about a LOR unless something was terribly wrong with him/her, especially if reminders and inquiries about the letter have been sent. Sending good energy your way!
Katla Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 I don't know your situation (if you explain it somewhere please do direct), but I'm 99% sure that admission coimmittees will review your application without all the LORs submitted. would programs with three submitted letters (and waiting on a fourth) still review my application even though it is technically incomplete? Are four needed? If you've added a fourth as a security I can't imagine they'll not consider it complete. Are they likely to contact me asking for clarification/completion, or will they contact the prof directly? I'm in shambles, but we'll get through. xx I'd imagine they'd contact you about this rather than contact the professor. And if there's a genuine reason except your LOR being busy you could even consider emailing them. I contacted one of the programmes i've applied to about something and in their reply they also pointed out that only two of my three LORs had been submitted and that I should maybe consider contacting that professor. I've also noticed that quite a few (possibly all) applications allow you to resend and edit LOR information in your application after submission, so you might also be able to change your LOR if that's a better option for you. Sorry, I can't give you anything more definite than that. Bottom line though: I wouldn't worry about a missing LOR just yet
Dr. Old Bill Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 (edited) A bit of a dissenting view, but... I would be doing two things right now: first of all, I'd be contacting another professor familiar with my work, and essentially begging him/her to write a quick LOR if at all possible, after explaining the situation. I would also be contacting the DGS at each school I applied to to explain the situation and find out first-hand how problematic it will be. If your application is just one of a couple of hundred, and it's incomplete, it may very well get the short shrift. Think about how many complete applications they'll be looking at...and assuming there are plenty of viable candidates among those applicants, they'll likely be looking more for reasons to dismiss certain candidates. Making a personal connection with the DGS and/or admin staff at each school (assuming you are ultra polite) might help to even the playing field a little bit -- a good impression on the DGS over something like this might prompt him/her to say "Oh, I heard from bgt28, and he explained why a LOR is missing." This is probably better than being a semi-anonymous "incomplete." The usual caveat applies: I don't know any of this. It's just my hunch, and is what I would do in your situation. P.S.: I hope this doesn't come across as too negative -- I'm just trying to think of it from an adcomm perspective. If there are a bunch of fairly equal candidates, it's easier to whittle down the field through technicalities than through one-to-one comparisons. Good luck either way! Edited January 13, 2015 by Wyatt's Torch
quena Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 Hi! I just wanted to post an update on my situation, though there's no significant change since you last heard/read. My LOR situation is the same as it was 12 days ago. But I'm thinking of bright-siding it, so I wanted to ask, would programs with three submitted letters (and waiting on a fourth) still review my application even though it is technically incomplete? Second, would the schools that have only two submitted LORs look at my application if they know the third letter is on its way?/Are they likely to contact me asking for clarification/completion, or will they contact the prof directly? I'm in shambles, but we'll get through. xx I'm kind of in the same situation, somehow one of my letters is still missing. I emailed my POI, who told me that she was about to contact me because 'we usually check back with candidates whose files are otherwise complete'. And she also told me that the letter can still be uploaded after deadline.
quena Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 So I contacted my recommender and he promised me to do it today. I'm anxiously waiting... I don't know exactly what your situation is. Anyway I would suggest you to contact the programs first just to make sure that they will still consider your file. Then of course get in contact with your recommender.
bgt28 Posted January 13, 2015 Author Posted January 13, 2015 Thank you all so much! xoxoxo @drownsoda: omg still...I know, right? This is a shit-show lololol @Wyatt's Torch: I totally will do. Basically, I'll send a version of the following email (attached for your consideration) to all eight schools: Dear Office of Graduate Admissions, I hope this message finds you well, and that your holiday has been pleasant! My name is X, and I have applied to Harvard's African and African-American Studies PhD program. I was emailing to ask about a letter of recommendation that is missing on my applicant profile page, and was wondering if it has been received? I am so very sorry for the inconvenience; I have been in touch with my referee, and have asked that the letter reach you as soon as is possible, if it has indeed not been sent. I appreciate your time and patience, and hope my application will still be given your kind consideration. With Best Wishes, X
queennight Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 Ugh, I empathize with you so much on this. When I was applying to my MA program, one of my letter writers nearly bowed out with a day to go - luckily the letter ended up getting submitted, but my stress levels were through the roof. Even for these PhD applications, one of my LORs got submitted with pretty much a minute to spare. Giving you good vibes - I would reiterate what Wyatt says though. Worst case scenario, definitely turn to another prof if this original one is completely ignoring this situation.
bgt28 Posted January 13, 2015 Author Posted January 13, 2015 Alright, so all schools have been made aware of the situation, and half of them have responded favorably/with next steps, and I'm waiting on an initial response from the rest...I've had numerous conversations about this over the past few days/weeks (I'm so sorry/thank you so much drownsoda), and while I am incensed that I broke down and emailed departments about the situation, I am glad that I will sleep a little better moving forward in the waiting game. Columbia specifically notes, as does NYU, that I can either continue to email my referee (as I have already done), or should consider another professor (as Wyatt's Torch mentioned above): I am EXTREMELY hesitant to do this, since this particular referee is my absolute best writer: I took 5 classes with him, two of which were independent readings between him and I; he is also my thesis adviser. Thank you to all who responded for your generosity of spirit, and your comforting words/advice...I actually feel some sort of relief. It was never my doing to begin with (as I'm sure fellow LOR-disaster-boaters know full well), but at least they know I've been in touch with him several times already. xx Dr. Old Bill 1
bgt28 Posted January 13, 2015 Author Posted January 13, 2015 Ugh, I empathize with you so much on this. When I was applying to my MA program, one of my letter writers nearly bowed out with a day to go - luckily the letter ended up getting submitted, but my stress levels were through the roof. Even for these PhD applications, one of my LORs got submitted with pretty much a minute to spare. Giving you good vibes - I would reiterate what Wyatt says though. Worst case scenario, definitely turn to another prof if this original one is completely ignoring this situation. absolutely! I've (however reluctantly lol) emailed all of the programs, and now I'll give it a week tops before stressing over a replacement prof. I love him dearly and want him to write the letters for me, and genuinely hope he's well, because I haven't heard from him since I emailed him on Dec. 31st, and that's not like him.
queennight Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 absolutely! I've (however reluctantly lol) emailed all of the programs, and now I'll give it a week tops before stressing over a replacement prof. I love him dearly and want him to write the letters for me, and genuinely hope he's well, because I haven't heard from him since I emailed him on Dec. 31st, and that's not like him. Seems like such a horribly strange situation. I'm assuming office hours are out of the question? Either way, good luck, and hoping that it all works out!
bgt28 Posted January 13, 2015 Author Posted January 13, 2015 Seems like such a horribly strange situation. I'm assuming office hours are out of the question? Either way, good luck, and hoping that it all works out! Thank you so much. I can rest knowing I've done all I can...also, a lot of the schools' responses seem to be very understanding/in no hurry regarding LORs, and at least I have four schools with three already submitted LORs and four schools with only two (thanks to drownsoda's reassuring post, I feel [or hope] that it will be sufficient for them to develop an interest in me as a candidate from two letters; hopefully if things don't work out they'll tell me they need a third letter immediately and if he still hasn't responded, well, then we know what I'll have to do). xx
bgt28 Posted January 13, 2015 Author Posted January 13, 2015 MAJOR UPDATE: All schools have now received his letter. YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY hreaðemus, fancypants09 and Dr. Old Bill 3
quena Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 WOW what a relief! BTW my last letter was officially in just a few minutes ago. Today is a lucky day for us *LOR-crisis-fellows*. fancypants09 1
bgt28 Posted January 13, 2015 Author Posted January 13, 2015 WOW what a relief! BTW my last letter was officially in just a few minutes ago. Today is a lucky day for us *LOR-crisis-fellows*. YEEESSSSSS lol I almost shit myself when I saw his name in my inbox and had to go smoke a cigarette to convince myself it wasn't an anxiety mirage
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