Late references

[Guest Jean]

Does anybody know what happens if our referees don't get our references in on time? I read somewhere that we are not penalized but I can't help but think that it does not bode well for our application. My three references were asked in June if they would consider doing a reference, and the forms were sent to them the first day that the online app was available. One has told me that she sent her reference in a few weeks ago but two of them told me last weekend that they are still working on it. I'm a little discouraged, but know they are very busy and doing me a favour so I am hesitant to hurry them up! Just wondering if anyone knows what will happen if they aren't received by Oct.15th. Thanks.

[Guest Ian Wong]

If there is a deadline, then you need to make it emphatically clear to your referees that they need to have submitted the letters to make that date.

 

Otherwise, the effort that they are putting into this work could potentially be wasted. I'm sure that your referees didn't get to the stage where they would serve as good referees for you if they couldn't make deadlines and fulfill their promises and obligations. I'm also quite certain that they wouldn't be happy in inadvertently jeopardizing your med school application, even though they have volunteered to do you a favour.

 

At this point, I think you have to be more pro-active in reminding your referees to send those letters! No letters could equal no med applications, if the med schools decide to be really stingy about due dates. Even if they aren't that strict, you still shouldn't rely on their good nature in accepting what would technically be a late and incomplete application.

 

You should also be investigating the fastest ways possible to have those letters submitted (eg. by couriers such as Fed-Ex), and perhaps making it as easy as possible for your referees to send those letters by that route.

 

Ian

UBC, Med 3

[Guest JSS02]

I don't think it's a big deal if it's just a little bit late. OMSAS specifically says that it won't disqualify you if the references aren't in by then. It could possibly delay processing of your application a bit, but they say that they don't finish processing all 10,000 applications until around early January, anyway. I would definitely tell your refs anyway that the letters are DUE on the 15th, but if they don't send them out until around that time, don't sweat it.