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[margot_tenenbaum]

I'm in the process of apply for graduate school and my first applications are due January 1st.
I have been in regular contact with two of my former profs and they have already submitted their letters, but after agreeing to write for me (about six weeks ago), my third letter writer has been unresponsive to my emails.
I initially chalked this up to end-of-semester and holiday busyness, but now being two days from the due date, panic is setting in.
I tried calling the department office to see if maybe there was some sort of emergency that would have made it impossible for her to contact me, but of course, no one is there.
Her home phone number is listed in the phone book, and I would normally never call a professor at home, but I think I may have to. Is this wildly inappropriate?

If I need to find a last-minute replacement, the only instructor that I would feel comfortable asking is ABD, so a reference from her is less than ideal.

[ptarmigan]

I'm also in the process of applying, and I have some applications due Jan 1 where the letters have not been completed yet.  I suggest relaxing a bit - my understanding is that most programs do not mind if letters of recommendation are a few days late.  I plan to contact my professors early next week if they still haven't submitted letters.  I think waiting until the letters are technically late and the holidays are over will strike a good balance between being annoying and just letting them forget.

Some people respond to emails and other people don't tend to.  I don't think it's necessarily a bad sign to have not gotten replies.

[ucprof]

I think you are OK waiting until after the first of the year.  Most programs don't start reading apps until a bit later than that and they will definitely accept letters late.  Also they are going to read your file with only the two letters and if everything else is strong it might not matter that you do not have the third letter.  Missing GRE scores and missing/incomplete grades might be red flags, but a missing letter may just be thought of as a professor flaking out. 

Also I, like many of my colleagues, am taking a break from work over the holidays. CHE is not work for me and I do have some outstanding letters to submit online for students applying to PhD programs.  The requests came in the last week or two so I don't see that I need to rush on this - I will get them in before the first of the year or soon thereafter.

However, regarding competitive graduate fellowships (e.g. national fellowships) you need to get the letters in on time.  I had one national fellowship write to me over thanksgiving asking for a letter.  They did not mention the deadline in their request.  When I got back from holiday I tried to upload the letter and it was due a day or two before that.  The organization refused to take the letter and the student did not inform me of any due date.  So watch things like this.  My impression is that due dates for letters to graduate programs can be a bit more flexible but the national fellowship deadlines are pretty strict.

Finally, if the letter is the missing link between getting in and not getting in to grad school, the program might just contact your letter writer directly.  I do that with candidates applying for jobs.  You'd be surprised how quickly a prof responds to an email from a colleague saying "your student applied to our dept and we still don't have your letter - we are making a short list this week".  Usually that produces a letter within hours, often with apologies.

[commcycle]

I'll second the suggestion to wait. The program deadline is not the final "hard" deadline that your recommendations need to be in by. One of my references my first time applying to a doctoral program was very disorganized, and I didn't hear back until February that it was even missing. I assumed he had submitted a hard copy. (I didn't get in that year, but I am certain that was not the reason)

[margot_tenenbaum]

Thanks for the reassurance.
I'll just sit tight until next week and hope it comes through.