With the January 15th application deadline approaching, I had some questions about last-minute submissions. Even though we requested recommendations 4 months ago, one of my DS’ teachers seems to be waiting until the last minute to submit.
I know it takes schools time to acknowledge receipt of essays and recommendation in their own applicant portals. You might submit something through the Gateway, but not see it checked off in the school’s portal for 1 or 2 days.
Are these application deadlines based on the submission in the Gateway, or when the school “accepts” the item?
With six days remaining until the deadline, we’re feeling like it time to be a little more direct with the teacher to get things moving along.
I think it’s based on Gateway, but most school’s accept forms and recommendations past Jan 15th.
Most schools accept materials until the end of January/start of February. I am in the exact same situation and I messaged the schools I’m applying to (Exeter, Choate, Lawrenceville, Hotchkiss, Andover) and they all said that recommendations can be sent in until that time. Hope this helps!
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I am in the same situation too. Two required recommendations are still ‘in progress’. I’m being patient for one (newborn) but I asked both people for the recommendation months ago and I’m getting super nervous. This thread is super helpful! I didn’t know schools accept materials after deadlines.
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I would email them about it anyway just to let them know so that they know that you weren’t just being lazy and confirm the recommendation grace period 
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Deerfield sent an email yesterday saying that they will continue to accept application materials till Jan end and that Jan 15th is a soft deadline.
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Fortunately, my DS’s had his final recommendation submitted today in the Gateway portal. Phew!
What does approved mean for gateway recommendations? It shows that for my english teacher.
There’s no harm in reaching out to the recommenders to say that the deadline is the 15th and that the schools are saying they don’t have it. You can state that you know there can be lags with this system, but as this is really important to you, you’re confirming that it’s been submitted and is simply “caught in the system”.