<p>Okay I've been hearing a lot of information on the Graduate applications and soft LoR deadlines but hopefully my question is derivative enough to merit a separate topic. Deadlines for my Grad applications to UCSD, UCLA, UCI, UCB, and UCSC are in about two days and only one of the three professors/Post-Doc/Research Coordinators who were going to write me letters has finished and posted the letter to the various websites. Seeing as the application deadlines are either 12/1 or 12/5, do I submit the applications on time and let the letters flow in when they're done or do the letters have to be 'in' before the application can be submitted? I would assume the former but I don't want to submit and then hear "oh yeah, the system locks them out, tough luck."</p>
<p>So I guess this question is more to ease my paranoia.</p>
<p>Also, on a slightly related paranoia-easing note... I'm worried for my GRE because I need to be in the upper 50th percentile on everything and my quantitative was 49th (my verbal and essay were 87th and 99th respectively though) so do you think a school will be forgiving of slightly weakened scores in math when the other scores are so stellar?</p>
<p>I know for a fact UCB’s system let’s recommenders submit letters after you have submitted your application, and the other schools appear to use similar systems. </p>
<p>As for getting away with a lower quant score, that really depends on what major you are applying for.</p>
<p>Psychology, and I’m going in with a B.S. if that matters, I’m planning to specialize in Clinical/Neuropsychology and maybe dabble a bit in Abnormal, it’s always interested me.</p>
<p>Submit the application. Recommendation letters often come late, and even if the electronic system locks them out responsible faculty will call, explain, and send them by mail. I had this happen to me before.</p>
<p>As for your GRE scores…there’s no way to tell. Psychology is one of those fields in which both verbal and quantitative scores are important, especially in neuroscience/neuropsychology. Some programs may let it slide because it’s so close to the 50th percentile; for other programs, the 50th percentile may just be a minimum and most of their admitted applicants score higher than that.</p>
<p>(As a side note, abnormal psych isn’t a subfield of psychology that you can get a PhD in. The subfield most aligned with that is clinical psychology - they study psychopathology, but you can study psychopathology and abnormal psychology in a variety of subfields.)</p>