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when it's not cute to be an absent-minded professor
so i have this professor who agreed to write me rec letters, right? he taught here last fall but has been back at his previous university tying up loose ends ever since. no problem; we have a good and reliable postal service.
december 3 i overnight a package to Professor A, containing four forms; an envelope for each; a note explaining that i'd wanted to send them sooner but got hung up with family emergencies, etc., and apologizing for but drawing his attention to the different fine print on each form; and a postage-paid overnight envelope so he could send the stuff back to me when he'd written the letter, signed over the flap, etc., etc.
december 4 the package arrived and was signed for (probably by the mail room rather than the prof himself, but whatever).
december 5-19 the return pacakge does not arrive.
december 29 i retrieve the mail that's been held for me while i was away for christmas? it does not include the return package. i call to track the return package? it still hasn't been sent.
the first deadline is january 2. this is significantly less than cool.
december 3 i overnight a package to Professor A, containing four forms; an envelope for each; a note explaining that i'd wanted to send them sooner but got hung up with family emergencies, etc., and apologizing for but drawing his attention to the different fine print on each form; and a postage-paid overnight envelope so he could send the stuff back to me when he'd written the letter, signed over the flap, etc., etc.
december 4 the package arrived and was signed for (probably by the mail room rather than the prof himself, but whatever).
december 5-19 the return pacakge does not arrive.
december 29 i retrieve the mail that's been held for me while i was away for christmas? it does not include the return package. i call to track the return package? it still hasn't been sent.
the first deadline is january 2. this is significantly less than cool.
Relax
(Anonymous) 2003-12-29 05:00 pm (UTC)(link)I'm a college professor and teach in a Ph.D. program and am on the admissions committee. Call each department (NOT the graduate admissions office, the department). Ask to speak with the graduate director or his/her secretary. Explain that you are sending in your application to meet the deadline and that the missing rec will follow ASAP.
It's pretty normal for recs to be late, and there is no way that anyone will actually be making admissions and financial aid decisions in early Jan. That early deadline is most likely so the graduate school office there has a solid month to get the applications to the department. For a Phd, the departments make their own admission decisions and also decide on graduate fellowships since they're merit-based.
Wally
Re: Relax
in case you're back by this way, i did speak to the department administrator with the january 2 deadline, and she said basically what you predicted: i should submit the application anyway, with a note explaining that one more rec is to follow, and get it to them asap, no (or few) worries. so i feel a little better about that :-), but still not too good about being left hanging. :-(
the other deadlines are, like, the end of march. even less of a biggie there.