<p>it is my fault because I forgot to ask them about it and at the time I was really busy with mock trial and getting the other apps out.
do you think it will seriously hurt my chances of admission?</p>
<p>Just like "letters of recommendation", they often arrive late. They can still do so if they choose.</p>
<p>As to whether it will help or hurt, well, what will it say? ;)</p>
<p>I doubt it will hurt your application. I don't know if my parents did it either (I can't remember) and I got in so....</p>
<p>I think the letter can only help you and its absence will not hurt you. </p>
<p>If a parent still wants to do it, I would get it in even now, ASAP. There are deadlines and there are deadlines...and if it happens to hit your file before it's been read, great. If too late, what has been lost?</p>
<p>If your parents want to write the letter and you've applied RD, I'm sure that Smith will accept it even though it's late. As everyone else pointed out, however, it shouldn't hurt your chances if they bypass it. It's another piece of information, that's all. </p>
<p>I highly doubt that all, or even most, current Smithies had parent letters in their recommendations. Some parents simply don't have the time. Some don't have the skills. Some are at a loss to add anything new to what's already been said. Some forget. Do you think that Smith would penalize an applicant for her parents' choice? No way. That would be an anti-Smith way of doing things.</p>
<p>"If your parents want to write the letter and you've applied RD, I'm sure that Smith will accept it even though it's late"</p>
<p>Admissions (student on work study, I believe) never printed and added to the application file our emailed parent letter—twice—grrrr….I hand delivered our letter in February and admissions was happy to accept it. But I wasn’t told if the application had already been read by the obligatory two (three if the first two scores are more than 1 point apart) admissions officers, so I’ll never know whether admissions was simply being polite.</p>
<p>
[quote]
But I wasn’t told if the application had already been read by the obligatory two (three if the first two scores are more than 1 point apart) admissions officers
[/quote]
Does that imply that you know how admission at Smith works?</p>
<p>"Does that imply that you know how admission at Smith works"</p>
<p>No comment ;)</p>
<p>Fwiw—No one outside of admissions really knows what transpires with close decisions.</p>
<p>I agree that if your parents are eager to do it and have something particular to say, go ahead and submit late but otherwise it will not be decisive in admissions--it is the least objective information Smith could possibly get about you--if your mom is an alum of Smith or seven sisters,it might be worth it.</p>
<p>What RLT said. Smith admissions isn't particularly a mystery and indeed I find that it's easier to grok Smith's process than some others which are more deliberately opaque. It's easier if you can kinda get your head inside Smith's "holistic" mindset. (Though don't let the "holistic" deceive you...some students are going to get in heavily on stats.) But as RLT says, I don't think anyone but the participants could give insight to the "close" decisions. I know of one student who got into Smith off the waitlist and if you'd have asked me before she applied in the first place what I thought of her chances I would have said "on the edge."</p>
<p>Are all parents asked to write this letter?
Is this listed as part of the Smith admissions process?</p>
<p>I forget exactly where, but it was listed in the check-list for the application itself, something like "Letter from Parent(s)--optional" with a one-paragraph description in mass of descriptions regarding each check-list item.</p>
<p>Do most people submit these? This completely escaped us.</p>
<p>Hmmm. I got a letter in the mail telling me about the option after my daughter applied. She applied online (free app, you know!) and so perhaps parents are sent letters when their daughters apply electronically.</p>
<p>OK, because I just looked at <a href="http://www.smith.edu/admission/firstyear_req.php%5B/url%5D">http://www.smith.edu/admission/firstyear_req.php</a> and it doesn't mention a letter from a parent.</p>
<p>"perhaps parents are sent letters when their daughters apply electronically"</p>
<p>We also received a letter. The app was sent FedEx.</p>
<p>As I said earlier in the thread, I doubt most parents submit these letters. It is indeed optional.</p>
<p>I submitted one for two reasons. 1. It was becoming obvious that, among my d's match schools, Smith was at the top of her list. In that case, all optional parts of the application become mandatory. 2. My d. had some important positive characteristics and experiences that she was reluctant to discuss in her applications. I wanted Smith to have a fuller picture of the type of person she was.</p>
<p>Momfromme, did your d applied RD or ED II? We didn't get the letter for RD until February.</p>
<p>Oops. I just checked. My letter was last edited on January 16 of last year.</p>
<p>She applied RD, last weekend, on-line.</p>