<p>I have to do my recommendations on paper because it's not working online, my teacher recommender can't create an account even though I invited them. I printed out the offline forms. I know I give them to the teacher who is recommending me, but then what? My transcripts have already been sent by the counselor. I know that some schools need the recommendations sent with the transcript, so what should I do? Who mails the recommendation? Also, my counselor needed to fill out their recommendation on paper as well- is there some way to know if they have been received? There's still just a red exclamation point with "offline form" next to it when I log in.</p>
<p>You should provide a stamped addressed envelope to your recommenders for each school (addressed to the appropriate admissions office). Alternatively, they can put the recs in envelopes and sign across the sealed flap and you can mail them to your colleges in larger envelopes.</p>
<p>Your common app account will not show when these paper recs are received by your schools. Nearly all schools will provide you with a PIN so you can track the parts of your app online. A few will just call or send a letter if they need more information to complete your application. </p>
<p>Transcripts do not need to be sent with the GC’s School Report form, but many high schools do send them that way. They can be sent directly by your school separate from the rec forms.</p>
<p>Be sure all the items sent by your recommenders and your schools have enough information to clearly identify you and match to your common app. This includes your full name, high school, and if possible your common app ID, social security number, birthdate or other particular info.</p>
<p>Thank you. When do I get a pin? I haven’t submitted my application yet. So the recommendation letters can be mailed at any time? What should the return address be, my high school? So it doesn’t need to be sent from the high school to be trustworthy?</p>
<p>So long as the teacher has signed across the flap and that signature matches the one on the rec itself (or the high school stamp is across the flap) and enough information is included to match the rec to your application, there should be no trustworthiness issue. Colleges can, and sometimes do, contact teachers or GCs directly when they have concerns about authenticity of the rec or of particulars in an application, so their contact info needs to be on the rec somewhere.</p>