Letter of recommendation issue

Graduate School
1

<p>Hi all, </p>

<p>I'm in desperate need of some advice or at least some reassurance... I'm applying to English MA and PhD programs for fall 2012. I'm just about done with all of my apps, except for one issue: one of my professors has not submitted his letter of recommendation, and I'm beginning to fear that he may not submit it at all. Without getting into the very long backstory, he enthusiastically agreed months ago to write for me, but simply never got around to it. Whenever I brought up the issue (which I did, repeatedly) he apologized and said he was very busy, or had a personal issue, or whatever, but he always promised he would submit his letter, albeit a little late. It's nearly January 1st so I am acting under the assumption that he simply will not write for me. I've contacted two other professors from undergrad and humbly asked if they could whip something up for me, but I've yet to hear back from them. My question is: how should I go about explaining this situation to my schools? And will this reflect poorly on me? What if (my absolute worst case scenario) I only have two LORs? I've worked incredibly hard on my applications and I am now terrified at the prospect of being instantly rejected from all of my programs because of something out of my control.</p>

<p>Aside from this, I feel confident about the rest of my application--my SOP and writing sample are strong, 4.0 undergrad GPA, 93rd percentile in verbal, and I'm positive that my other two LORs speak highly of me. Does anyone have any experience whatsoever with a situation like this? What can I do at this point?</p>

<p>Thank you in advance.</p>

2

<p>Send this information to the program or admissions representative and ask their guidance. I just had the same situation with a client and a school contact is the best way to mitigate any impact. The school will tell you how to proceed and they have likely seen this situation before. It is unlikely to reflect on you if you address it proactively.</p>

3

<p>Unless explicitly stated, LOR’s are generally NOT due by the application due date. Obviously, it is nice to have your letters done in advance, but there is certainly some leeway. Your application probably wont be reviewed until they have all materials, but your instructor should have some time.</p>

4

<p>The safest thing to assume is that they do need to be received by the deadline, until the school specifically tells you otherwise. It would be terrible to be on the wrong side of the assumption. </p>

<p>Indeed there likely is some leeway, but don’t take it for granted.</p>