Same old absentee third letter

[horrificmodernist]

Hey guys!

So I asked three professors about a month and a half ago for LORs and they all said yes, so I sent along the info for them. I have a pretty solid relationship with all of them, so I wasn't too worried. However, the deadline is two days away and my final professor hasn't uploaded her letter/responded to my reminder email! At the beginning of the week I sent her an email trying to gently remind her that applications were due at the end of the week and that "I've submitted all of my applications and am really excited to take this next step"! 

I'm applying for the MA English program at a few universities, but Georgetown and Kent State both say that applications will not be considered if anything is late. Am I totally screwed?

[rising_star]

The only way to know if you're going to be screwed is to contact the departments themselves and ask. But, it's not uncommon for LORs to be submitted at the last minute.

[horrificmodernist]

Yup, that's exactly what I ended up doing and they said a few days late would be fine. Good news is my professor emailed me today and just said she was having some technical difficulties and after talking her through it, we managed to get all of my recs in! Huge weight off of my shoulders, but I'm still glad that I called the departments to double check!

[seaglass0025]

My God, this is happening to me now and it's making me nervous. One of my references has not responded to my e-mails (after confirming she will write them) and a deadline's passed. 

[horrificmodernist]

That's really frustrating, I'm really sorry. I think the best plan of attack would be to go to their office. If you're not close enough to visit campus, I'd recommend calling the department/their office and see if you can get a hold of them that way. Like a lot of people in the LOR forum have mentioned, sometimes professors know that programs are a bit more lenient with LORs and see it more as a soft deadline. If you haven't already, I'd also call the departments of the programs you're applying to. I contacted the departments and they both said that they appreciated me calling and that a late LOR is okay (not preferable, of course, but it doesn't automatically disqualify your app) and that they would make a note on my app that the third LOR was on its way. This can vary from program to program, but it seems to be the case with all of the programs that I'm applying to. 

Good luck and stay positive!

[emmm]

I am really lucky this time around. All my LOR writers got their letters sent out within days of getting my info packet. I was able to visit and chat with each person before emailing the info packet, so I think that may have helped. Last time I did applications, 2 people were slow (weekly reminders as the deadlines drew nearer and all). I don't miss that at all!

[wb3060]

I think programs understand that the LORs are out of control. But I'd do everything possible to get the third writer to submit on time. Can you go to their office? I wouldn't wait for an email response. Good luck!