<p>I need input on two aspects of the common application. First, son's school is not "equipped" (counselor's word) to submit the school forms electronically. (I should say that the overwhelming majority of kids from son's school who go to college go to the local state U--which does not require an application anything like the common application). So son obviously must submit paper forms for the teacher and counselor recs. My reading of the common application FACs is that son can still submit his portion of the application online. Is this correct? Anyone actually done things this way?</p>
<p>Relatedly, since son will be giving paper forms to the teacher and counselor, should he handwrite or type the part that he has to fill out? His handwriting is generally awful but with effort he could make it presentable, since he really only has to write his name and address. I remember reading soemwhere that admissions officers like the application to look like it was the student's work, so I'm worried that if I type in his information it will look like it is not his work (and in fact it would not be his work, at least the typing part). Advice?</p>
<p>You can actually type on the pdf teacher and school report forms and then print them out and give to teachers and the counselor. My daughter's school has the same policy as your son's. She's doing her part online. I don't think it's a problem.</p>
<p>My son is in the same situation. His teachers and GCs are not in the mode of submitting recs online. There's good news though. Your son can fill out his portion of the common app, and then print out the GC/Teacher evaluation forms and they should be pre-filled with all of your son's information. This is what my son did. </p>
<p>For each college there should be a link to "school forms" with the following (excuse the bad formatting, this is a table):</p>
<p>Secondary School Report Secondary School Counselor Secondary School Report<br>
Midyear Report Secondary School Counselor Midyear Report<br>
Final Report Secondary School Counselor Final Report<br>
International Supplement Secondary School Counselor International Supplement<br>
Home School Supplement Home School Supervisor Home School Supplement<br>
Teacher Evaluation 1 Secondary School Teacher Teacher Evaluation 1<br>
Teacher Evaluation 2 Secondary School Teacher Teacher Evaluation 2</p>
<p>Your son should be able to print out each of the forms and give them to the appropriate person.</p>
<p>My son's school insists on filling out their own midyear and secondary school report forms and will not fill out the Common App ones. He printed out the school's forms from the school website, filled in the top portion himself and signed it, and turned that in along with the Common App version. He's asked them to attach them together because the Common App version has his Common App student ID printed on it. Fingers crossed that all this works.</p>
<p>DS submitted the common app last year in the method you described - Son's part electronically, school's part on paper. </p>
<p>As for the filling out of the student part of the paper forms, he did type this part - but how could anyone tell who is operating the computer. </p>
<p>My attitude on college apps is that it is important that the essays, short answers, etc. need to be done by the student - but the mundane name, address, etc. it is not important that it be done by the student.</p>
<p>My D's private HS requested that all Common App materials be printed out and given to the GC. The GC would add school-originated forms, review the complete package, and send it out. This "old school" approach actually worked, thanks to the competent GC. BUT, I agree with above posters who say do the student's part electronically. Just be sure to check with each college to make sure ALL parts of the application have been received!</p>
<p>Our school is the same as what vballmom mentioned, but D saw this on the Common App web site last night (in the Download Forms section) and got worried, she was going to ask her GC about it today....</p>
<p>"Note: Please do not mix-and-match your application, supplement, and payment between online and paper submission. Either submit the application, supplement and payment (or fee waiver) online, or submit them all by mail."</p>
<p>Rachacha, the student portion (application, supplement, and payment) of the common app can be submitted entirely online. It's the teacher & GC portion that can either be done online or offline, and some (most?) students don't have a choice in how the teachers/GCs do their part. If teachers/GCs won't submit online, then paper is the only way they'll get to the colleges. </p>
<p>From what I understand, the safest way to have these offline school forms go to the colleges is to have the .pdfs printed via the Common App site so that the student's Common App ID is printed on the bottom.</p>
<p>Thank you for the information. I thought I would add for those others of us who are new at this that to get to the printable pdf forms I had to begin the process of requesting the recommendations online, and then I got a message that said something like this school has opted to submit paper forms. And then I got a link to the pdf. So you do have to go a few steps beyond the school page. Or at least I did--someone wlse might know a more efficient way. But I like having his name and ID number at the bottom, and of course all of the personal information already filled in.</p>
<p>One other way to obtain the pdf's is to NOT log in. At the top center of the CA website is a link for "Download Forms'. That link goes away once you log in. Of course, you have to retype the info, and there is no CA ID # on teh bottom.....</p>