<p>D is using overnight mail for her app's. Probably Fed Ex. D is having all her teacher's recs sent in envelopes, signed across the flap. What about school reports that have the GC evaluation? What is the norm?</p>
<p>I don't really understand the question. Is there a norm? My kids sent theirs Priority with delivery confirmation and a stamped, addressed postcard inside. For about $4.50, we never had any trouble. The teachers' recs were sent regular first class, again with stamped, addressed post cards inside. All postcards have come back.</p>
<p>Our high school sends GC stuff by regular mail with their own postcards in side.</p>
<p>Never had a problem....</p>
<p>EDIT - I misunderstood the question - see below...</p>
<p>curmudgeon, Our hs advises against this. They claim that colleges worry about tampering. They will do it if the parent insists, but they have the parents sign a release first.</p>
<p>Curmudge - perhaps you should clarify. Many of us have GCs who package the whole "school affair" (recs, GC report, profile, transcript)and send it directly from the school - some with reply postcards. </p>
<p>Others of you don't have that arrangement, I believe, and assemble the entire package yourselves, with the rec envelopes signed across the sealed flap to ensure that kid didn't tamper. I think that's what you're referring to? If so, why not put the GC stuff in a similar signed/sealed envelope since it will also have some "recommendation-type" stuff in it.</p>
<p>If your school does provide the option of sending the school package separately from your D's package, I would do that.</p>
<p>I'm a moron, NSM - the topic asked, "sealed?" and I didn't even notice.</p>
<p>Yes, both the teacher recs and GC stuff must, in our district, be sent directly to the school by the teacher or GC.</p>
<p>GC and teachers directly mailed out all school reports, transcripts and recommendations through the school mail system. No signing on the flaps done. Students required to provide addressed, stamped envelopes for mailing. </p>
<p>Are you saying that your D is collecting all of the recommendations and sending them along with her application material? That would certainly give you more peace of mind, knowing that the recommendations were turned in.</p>
<p>Our school sends nothing. Everything is sent by us. Teacher's recs are sent by us in the larger envelope. Some schools specifically state they require the rec's be sent with the envelope sealed, and their signature across the flap. </p>
<p>I am asking if the common app school report needs to be treated in the same fashion as it will be a bit of a hassle to get the over-worked GC to re-do that which she has already done. Not impossible. Just a bit of a hassle.</p>
<p>I'm with others who believe the reports and recommendations from the school are to be sent DIRECTLY from the school. In our case, even outside recs (ECs) were given to my son in a sealed enveloped, signed across the flap to be given to his school GC. She then opened and packaged with the rest of the paperwork from the HS. We never sent anything on our own.</p>
<p>Edit: Sorry Curmudg, your post appeared above mine but wasn't there when I started typing - I didn't know your school requires you to send everything. I then assume a sealed envelope with signed flap is appropriate. I wonder how common that is. I assumed ALL schools sent their own packages. I can now check off that I learned something new today.</p>
<p>
LOL. That is not one of our choices. Our school sends nothing. We send it all.</p>
<p>EDIT:Now, I see that you saw what I had seen. Momsdream.:)</p>
<p>Curmudge - it is as I suspected at your school. But I don't know what you mean about GC redoing her common app report. What has she done with it thus far?</p>
<p>I'm assuming from what you are saying that you already have all the copies of the GC's report, and haven't looked at them. I would call her, or ask DD to stop by, and ask the GC how to handle it, so that your daughter can honestly say she hasn't read them. If the GC trusts your integrity (and why wouldn't she, when you are going to all this trouble to send them sealed?), she might want you (Curmudgeon) to seal them up, and then just have daughter bring in the envelopes for the GC to sign across the back.</p>
<p>If you DON'T already have the GC copies, I would just bring all the packages in, have the GC stick the report as is into the package, seal it up and send it, not fooling with the signatures. After all, the colleges don't really know if the package was packed up and mailed by or the high school - it is your and your DD's sense of "Rightness" that needs to be satisfied - she needs to sign honestly that she didn't see the report.</p>
<p>My DD's high school packs and ships, and I'm fairly certain the recs and report aren't in separate signed envelopes, why would they be?</p>
<p>She (the GC) filled it out, got a certified copy of the transcript, a senior year schedule, made copies of each , attached them together by staple and handed all to D. D brought them home.</p>
<p>Now, if the School report needs to be placed in an envelope and sealed, with the GC's sig across the flap we would need to return the documents so that can be done. Small hassle, but one I would like to avoid.</p>
<p>Edit: The heck with it. LOL. This is silly. I'm going to call the college (anonymously) and ask what is required.</p>
<p>Curmudgeon - I think DD can just plop that stuff in the envelope. No big deal. </p>
<p>It is amazing how we can sweat the small details, even if we're not the type. I know I did; totally out of character. It was practically the equivalent of pressing the nuclear button when DS was ready to click "Submit" on the common app. Geez. Bring on the interminable waiting game. At least the die is cast. :)</p>
<p>Just to throw out another point of view, when my D started applying to more than the usual schools in our area (she's Musical Theater), the GC gave her a half dozen copies of her transcripts, all in sealed envelopes. All teacher recommendations were returned to us in sealed envelopes with names signed along the flap, along with a copy of the recommendation for our records. I don't think the GC had to fill out very many forms (D applied to seven schools, more than any other student in her class), and I am sure they were all returned to us.</p>
<p>And because at that time, I was only reading the Musical Theater discussion, all envelopes were sent first class. No return post cards, no overnight tracking. Just manila envelopes. (All applications were done online!)</p>
<p>For what it's worth, at one point we needed to get D admitted in five days to make the last audition date (long story omitted!). They needed two teacher recommendations. We used one teacher that was helping us get her admitted. The other recommendation was one written earlier in the year to Univ. of Michigan (it mentioned U of M by name), strongly recommending her. We faxed that to Millikin Univ., and she was admitted with a day and a half to spare! </p>
<p>Point of it all is I have a feeling that, especially the small colleges, are not as concerned with how something arrives or in what format as the fact that it (and the check) get there.</p>
<p>My thought of the day,</p>
<p>Peg</p>
<p>Curmudge
I don't think school reports and transcripts are considered confidential at all, only the GC's letter about your D is probably sealed. In small town Virginia, we mailed the Common Apps from home..maybe one was submitted online. GC packaged up school report and the GC letter and mailed from the hs. In urban northern VA schools, the more sophisticated schools do the entire packaging for families with a strict calendar of deadlines. From our more small town school, Teacher recs were mailed in by teachers and TRICKLED in...you can monitor this at each college admission website where D will set up an acct with password. She will have the ability to see that each component of her application arrives online, although we did the Delivery notification postage thing on each package so we had a guarantee things at least arrived. We were amazed that some strong teachers mailed in their reference letters the first week of January...or the last week of December. None of them admitted the reference letters weren't written the last week of school in December. When you think about it this is no crime as no committee is going to start reviewing Jan 4 anyway, but still we were naive enough to have assumed the letters from teachers were there in early December. My S had written each reference a sincere thank you letter and dropped by token gifts right before winter break...a CD for the one who shared his love for classical, a photo frame, a little package of coffee for another. We had no idea the letters were still not mailed to his seven colleges. It all worked out fine.<br>
However, I am deeply concerned that you Stapled. Oh My. didn't you see the post on PaperClips vs Staples on the old CC board? Oh, well, maybe it won't hurt you.....ha.</p>
<p>Good one, Faline. I just saw Curmudge over in Sinner's Alley, so it appears you sent him over the edge.</p>
<p>Yes and I laughed at your memory of the nuclear button push for Submit....we were also driving our son in the pitch dark in late December to the Main Post office which has someone who will still postmark the last hours of a day. They really got to know us well on deadline dates. Just taping up and addressing the packages was quite an ordeal. Then the fear would strike...was the Why College X essay really in the right envelope..or was it stapled into the Why College Y envelope by mistake...better cut it all open and double check! We were downright nutty at the end.</p>
<p>"Our school sends nothing. Everything is sent by us."</p>
<p>Cur, consider yourself lucky, very lucky. I written several times about not ALLOWING the school to send anything on the behalf of students without verification, and absolutely REFUSE to let the schools control the final mailing of the application. If the school wants a release, so be it, but the application is the student's and not theirs. </p>
<p>Also, if the school provides sealed envelopes containing the transcript, ask for an identical copy to verify its latest contents. Some schools add the PSAT, SAT, ACT scores etc. If you did NOT instruct to delete those -as everyone should- make sure they are correct. If the school made an error, YOU will be responsible to clear it up. Since the SAT. ACT, PSAT scores are NOT offcial, nor accepted, they have no business to add them to the high school transcript. </p>
<p>There is not much to do in regard to LOR and the GC assessment. However, you should make sure they have been sent out as promised. Many papers get lost in the shuffle and the last thing you need or want is to get into a battle with the senders.</p>
<p>Lastly, sending applications by FedEx is an overkill and is not a good idea. The USPS offer 2-3 day service for a fixed price (should be 3.85) and has a great online system. Since only the post date matters, this is a godsend for procrastinators. Hint: you can print the label at the last second and drop the next day in the box. :)</p>
<p>xiggi--you say only the post date matters? Please could others confirm this? So if D is applying ED and the school says "common app and supplement due by Nov. 15" that means postmarked Nov. 15? When should online stuff be submitted by at the latest? And what about the stuff the school sends out? Also postmarked with that date? Please help, we are overseas and teacher functioning as a GC is now away on an excursion with a class--dates could be critical in our case.</p>
<p>Some schools are "postmarked by", some are "received by"... best check with the school!!</p>