Hey! I have a question concerning teacher recs. If the teacher misses the postmark deadline (but all my other info is in), will colleges throw out my application? I have reminded my teachers about the deadlines, and 2 have already sent theirs but I am still waiting for my math teacher. I am applying ED so the deadline is this Monday. Though I did give her a chart and everything with all the deadlines listed, I am still apprehensive that she might not mail it in on time, because when I went in to talk to her today she hadn’t started and seemed surprised that it was due Monday (I gave her the forms about a month ago). Does anyone know if this will hurt my application? Or am I just being paranoid…
<p>Well, it would definitely be better if everything were postmarked by the deadline, but I don't think a college would just throw out your application, especially for something that isn't your fault. Think about it, they spend lots of money on marketing to ensure that kids apply to their school...it has a big influence on selectivity etc. I don't think a school will just throw out your application if a recommendation is a few days late.</p>
<p>The important thing is that YOU are not late in turning in what you are suppose to turn in to the school. They tend to give the teachers and guidance counselors a little leeway because they understand that they are doing this process for a number of students. BUT if you the student is late in submitting your package of things that are within your control it sends a negative message</p>
<p>I don't think they will throw it out. However, do ask your teacher again, and emphasize that you are panicked thinking that the college may not consider you unless she makes the deadline.</p>
<p>Also e-mail the college, tell them about your situation, and ask them about what may happen.</p>
<p>Willyshakes: Not to worry. One of my daughter's teachers forgot to mail her recommendations (a primary rec) last year. And the teacher didn't even realize that she had forgotten to mail them -- in fact she was sure she had mailed them on time. So my daughter had no idea that every one of her files was incomplete. The schools themselves all notified her, either via the online info created for each applicant or by mail, that one teacher rec was missing. They asked her to get the rec sent, which she promptly did, but none of them penalized her for the error. Since you know your recommendation will arrive late, I would suggest that you contact admissions at each of your schools to explain the situation. But in our case, even though we didn't know that the recommendation would not arrive on time, and so couldn't alert the colleges, it was no big problem.</p>