<p>My counselor is overwhelmed with recommendations right now and might submit the recommendation late.. If I submit my application on time but the rec is a few days late would I still qualify for the merit scholarships?</p>
<p>I think the entire application needs to be complete, including recommendations for it to be considered.</p>
<p>My counselor at school told me its fine if the recommendations are a little late. I asked her because I was getting an outside letter of recommendation from someone else other than a teacher, and she was telling me its fine. But your best bet would be to just call them and see if its fine.</p>
<p>I sent an inquiry to the Admissions office last week, regarding nearly the identical issue. My teacher was wondering if her recommendation letter can be submitted a few days late after the December 1st deadline. Here is the response:</p>
<p>“Yes, we begin evaluating for scholarships shortly after the deadline. If the recommendation/evaluation was late but still there when we pull the file for review, then there is no issue. There is only one scholarship deadline of December 1. There is no separate deadline for various documents.”</p>
<p>Essentially, if you can get your teachers to submit your letters ASAP after December 1st, and they are in your files when they start reviewing them, it should be fine. Teachers/counselors have their own Common App profiles to submit your letters with, which is why this is possible.</p>
<p>^ It would be a real bummer if they pull your file the day before your recommendation arrives.</p>
<p>It is important to remember, despite their heavy caseloads and low pay, it is the JOB of high school counselors to provide counselor reports and recommendations for college applications ON TIME for the students they serve. (Teachers do not have the same responsibility - they provide recommendations as an extra service at their discretion.) It would be to your advantage to be the squeaky wheel and have your parent contact the counseling office to discuss the deadlines and the importance that your recommendations and counselor reports are submitted on-time*.</p>
<p>*I am assuming you provided at least 1 to 2 months notice that you needed these items. If you provided your requests (including clear deadline information) later than that, you just have to hope for the best - a counselor would be correct in servicing students who gave appropriate notice first.</p>