Hey all. I'm an American applying to LSE for an MSc in Politics and Communication. I'm a little unsure about my chances. I have a 3.98 GPA (all A and A- grades), am a student in their honors college, will graduate Summa Cum Laude, and have been recognized in the top 1% of my class. I go to a very large state school that has a good reputation in my state, but is not a nationally prestigious one.
But I have a few major problems. First, my application is getting in late. My letters of recommendation, and application, will not be complete until mid to late January. At first I didn't worry because LSE's email to me after starting my application said that their most popular programs don't begin to close until mid-February. But reading a few posts on here makes it sound like timing will severely hurt my chances of admittance.
Second, I feel my letters of recommendation will be good, but probably won't blow the selectors out of the water. My professors know me for my success in a class setting and from my own independent research, but I have no significant relationship outside of class with any of them. I'm planning on submitting a professional reference (which will be spectacular) from one of my internships, which was related to my field of study, along with my two academic references, in case that helps.
Do you think the timing and letters are enough to sink the application, or will my GPA and academic success push the application forward?