How much nagging of LOR writers is too much?!?

[Momto6inIN]

DS is handling this on his own, obviously, but is asking us for advice.

His LOR writers both agreed to write after an in person request and DS was clear in his follow up email that he hoped to have his applications in by the end of August (it's a competitive program). After hearing nothing from them for about a month, DS checked in with a phone call and both said yes they were still willing to do it and would try to have it done by the end of the month. That was 2 weeks ago, it's now September, and neither of them show up as complete or submitted on the Common App. [emoji53]

 

What should his next steps be? He doesn't want to be a nag but he really does need to get his apps complete asap ...

 

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Edited for autocorrect

Edited September 1, 2017 by Momto5inIN

[teachermom2834]

I don't know the answer but when my ds did common app in 2015 his recommenders through they had submitted but we could see they hadn't. Apparently there was some new confirmation screen at the end that they did not complete. It was very awkward to tell his umbrella school counselor that even though she thought she submitted, she really did not. She was gracious and went back and even called common app to troubleshoot.

 

The other, however, was a cc professor who had been willing and eager to write a LOR for ds. She was not willing to go back and try to resubmit it. That was really frustrating. She never did and he had to find another recommender.

 

I am not sure what the common app looks like now but can you see if they have even accepted the invitation and started it? If they have started it maybe they think it is done?

 

I don't know. It is an awkward and difficult part of the process. Good luck.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Did they in fact get the invite email? I remember it was confusing our first time through the CA because the student could put a recommender in his account, but it didn't send the prompt until they were assigned to a college.

[Momto6inIN]

I don't know the answer but when my ds did common app in 2015 his recommenders through they had submitted but we could see they hadn't. Apparently there was some new confirmation screen at the end that they did not complete. It was very awkward to tell his umbrella school counselor that even though she thought she submitted, she really did not. She was gracious and went back and even called common app to troubleshoot.

 

The other, however, was a cc professor who had been willing and eager to write a LOR for ds. She was not willing to go back and try to resubmit it. That was really frustrating. She never did and he had to find another recommender.

 

I am not sure what the common app looks like now but can you see if they have even accepted the invitation and started it? If they have started it maybe they think it is done?

 

I don't know. It is an awkward and difficult part of the process. Good luck.

Ugh, that sounds awful, to have to ask someone else entirely! Hopefully we won't have to go that route.

 

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[Momto6inIN]

Did they in fact get the invite email? I remember it was confusing our first time through the CA because the student could put a recommender in his account, but it didn't send the prompt until they were assigned to a college.

I'm pretty sure they did ...

One of them is marked as "started" but the other isn't.

 

So you all think another phone call to check is in order? Maybe prefacing by saying he's heard some recommenders are thinking they are done and have submitted but haven't and he wants to double check they are not having trouble with the process?

 

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[regentrude]

He should send an email, checking that they received the invite email and asking whether they are experiencing trouble. So, a subtle hint rather than a push.

I consider phone pushy and unprofessional; I would not appreciate being called by a student.

[Momto6inIN]

He should send an email, checking that they received the invite email and asking whether they are experiencing trouble. So, a subtle hint rather than a push.

I consider phone pushy and unprofessional; I would not appreciate being called by a student.

This is good to know, thank you. A subtle hint would be better.

 

I wonder if your professor/student relationship is different than his relationship with these recommenders though ... they are the director/producer of his drama troupe (another homeschool mom) and his summertime employer. Hmm ...

 

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[Bootsie]

Is there a deadline for the program?  If so, I would encourage him to make that clear to the recommender. As someone who often writes letters of recommendation, I would respond much differently to "the deadline for the program is Sept 15" than "I want to have my application complete by Sept 15" or "I want to get my app complete ASAP".  

[regentrude]

I wonder if your professor/student relationship is different than his relationship with these recommenders though ... they are the director/producer of his drama troupe (another homeschool mom) and his summertime employer. Hmm ...

 

Oh yes, definitely. It was not clear from the OP that the recommenders were not teachers.

[Momto6inIN]

Is there a deadline for the program? If so, I would encourage him to make that clear to the recommender. As someone who often writes letters of recommendation, I would respond much differently to "the deadline for the program is Sept 15" than "I want to have my application complete by Sept 15" or "I want to get my app complete ASAP".

Well the deadline isn't technically until November. But we've heard from several sources that for Comp Sci at Purdue you definitely want to apply by mid-Sept. He's a competitive applicant, but he doesn't want to wait too long.

 

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