Guest Chieka101 Posted November 20, 2002 Report Share Posted November 20, 2002 just found out that one of my primary references hadn't sent my letters. He finally did today, but I submitted secondary apps a while ago, so I am a little upset. Also, several of the schools that I applied to had a deadline, which he has missed. He has offered to fax the letters to the schools with an explanation of his lateness. So, I'm now going to look for the schools' fax numbers. Should I also contact the schools, especially those with deadlines that he's missed? How should I go about it? Email? Phone? Do you think they'll make any special accommodations for me? To my credit, I gave my referees plenty of time and stressed the importance of early submission. I really don't know what to do now. I really appreciate any advice you can give me. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Shahenshah Posted November 20, 2002 Report Share Posted November 20, 2002 I am not sure what you mean by secondary application (applying to US?)..but in terms of your referees sending it late..believe me it should be fine..call the schools and let them know..I'm sure this has happened in the past and they do recognize that it is not the applicant's fault..so don't worry, call 'em up and explain the delay..I would be very very suprised (trust me it won't happen) if they told you, you'd be disqualified for something like that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aneliz Posted November 20, 2002 Report Share Posted November 20, 2002 I assume that we are talking US applications here (secondaries?).....I would call the schools and let them know what happened. I don't think it should disqualify you, but it may delay processing of your application. I guess that this might be a disadvantage in the land of rolling admissions but I really couldn't tell you. Do your best to get it sorted out and don't worry too much! A reference missing a deadline shouldn't be fatal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Wong Posted November 21, 2002 Report Share Posted November 21, 2002 Your job is to contact the schools and let them know that your referee will be sending the letter in both by fax, and also in hardcopy form through the mail/courier. Your referee's job is to do the above. Even then, a med school would be perfectly justified in rejecting your application on the grounds that your file was incomplete after the deadlines have passed. It would be up to each individual school to decide if they should give you any leniency on this point. Without a doubt, each school has a policy on this, and you should check with each one to see what that policy is (undoubtedly many, many applicants before you have had the exact same thing happen with them). For the future, you have to keep track of your referees and make sure that they send things in on time. It may seem a bit pushy, but ultimately, they like you (otherwise they wouldn't have agreed to write you the letter), so a gentle reminder works both in your favour, and theirs. Hope things work out for you! Ian UBC, Med 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Biochem10 Posted November 21, 2002 Report Share Posted November 21, 2002 I've been in a similar situation, with my references letters being late or not being there at all. Ian, I know it's our responsibility to do everything in our power to get them there on time, but I honestly think that sometimes these things can be beyond our control. I'm applying to the MD/PhD program at U of T and they e-mailed me to tell me that they didn't get one of my references. When I contacted the reference he said he had sent it. Anyway, I explained that it was never received and asked him to send it again. I have called and e-mailed and it still has not gotten there. So, I'm not sure what to do now, getting another reference at this point is futile, it makes me look like a bad judge of character. Well, I guess there are lessons learned from this type of thing, make sure your references are reliable. When I approached my reference he was happy to do it and said he would have it done in a week, but as I checked up on him, he didn't e-mail back and was apparently away in Europe for a month (which is understandable). At that point may be I should have asked someone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chieka101 Posted November 22, 2002 Report Share Posted November 22, 2002 It turns out that there's a second delayed reference. I have emailed her too. On a positive note, I got an interview request for an American school (UConn) today, so maybe things aren't so bad. Thanks for the advice and the suggestions. C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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