I am new to this application process, as well as very confused.
Based on your prior experiences, do you feel that it is better to apply online or mail in a type application?
I am using the common application for most of my schools. I understand that I fill out the main part of it and my guidance counselor fills out the other part. But how do you send them in together? Does your guidance counselor give you a copy of her part? Please, anyone who has gone through this please help!
<p>While schools generally do not express a preference, it is best to apply online, as this is easier for the admission personnel and, in many cases, results in reduced application fees for you. Unless you simply do not have internet access or cannot submit your application online, it is always best to do so. You should print out a copy of the forms for your counselor, and s/he will submit them separately.</p>
<p>While it may be easier to apply online, my college counselor requires that I type every form w/ a typewriter...while colleges have signed an agreement not to express favoritism, I think there is some subconcious preference for someone who has filled out forms rather than just entered some info on a computer.</p>
<p>On the contrary. They actually prefer online submission, though something that trivial would never even come close to factoring into an admission decision.</p>
<p>But I am still confused about something... I send in my part, but who enters/sends in the scores I recieved, my grades and recomendations?</p>
<p>First, read the admissions/application website very carefully.
Then when the colleges send you their application materials, read them very carefully.</p>
<p>Basically here's how it works:
You submit your part of the application online. Most colleges prefer it. The printed application is only for those without access to a computer. Trust me, there are NO brownie points given for a manually-done application over an online application. Be sure to print a hardcopy for yourself before you send it.</p>
<p>Your guidance counselor sends in their part separately--either online if available, or by postal mail. He/she will also send your HS transcript by mail. You're supposed to give your GC a list of colleges in advance so they know what to expect.</p>
<p>For recommendations your teacher or counselors usually send them by postal mail. Give them the rec form, or instructions from the college on how they want it done, and a stamped, addressed envelope. They send it, you never see it.</p>
<p>College board sends your scores directly to the college(s) when you tell them to, and you just put in the code for your college.</p>
<p>If you've taken any community college or summer courses, you have to order your transcript and tell them what college(s) and their addresses to send them to. They must send them directly--you never see them.</p>
<p>All this arrives at the college eventually and hopefully gets matched up in your file.</p>
<p>i know colleges like online application, but i heard in online apps there are some limitaiton in space that paper apps don't have. for example, my cousin did all of her apps in paper because she told me in online there is only few spaces given for extracurricular activities and other limitatins. is that true?</p>
<p>This was something I also thought when viewing several of my daughter's apps online last year. The space appears to be ridiculously small and you obviously want to be able to write a lot, however in most cases the size of the box fools you. </p>
<p>I found that when I put the cursor in the box and actually started typing something, I could type a long way over to the right and could even scroll down inside the box. So what appeared to be a box about 10 characters wide, actually fit maybe several lines of 25 characters each in it.</p>
<p>You have to play with each online app to see how it varies, but you really can get most everything in the boxes they give you. Sometimes you do have to abbreviate, get rid of extra words or articles, or use "&" instead of "and" to reduce space.</p>
<p>When you print the form later however, often only the text that actually "shows" in the space will get printed, but don't panic--it really is all there. What my D did was type up her ECs in a Word file exactly how she wanted it to fit in the space. Then she just cut and pasted each EC into its own box on the form. Then she saved the Word file as her printout for safekeeping.</p>
<p>If you do run out of space, many colleges have an extra blank on-line page for more info if you need it. Failing that, you can always mail in a resume. :)</p>
<p>I did the paper version for all my apps; fortunately 5 out of 7 of the schools I applied to took the Common App, so I filled out a copy of the PDF on my computer and printed it out to send. The other two schools had relatively short applications so I filled them out by hand. My GC didn't prohibit us from applying online but reminded us that it's a lot easier to blaze through a form on the computer, but it's also a lot easier to make errors if you don't proofread it really carefully. I decided to take the safe route.</p>
<p>Ask your GC how he/she does it. Most schools tell you to mail off your part, and then the GC mails off her part and the teachers mail off their part all separately. I know my school was unusual in that I had deadlines spaced throughout the fall to turn in each of my apps to my GC. She then proofread them to make sure I didn't make any mistakes and mailed off her part and the teacher recs all in one big envelope.</p>
<p>Sending all of these parts separately sounds scary. What if the teacher doesn't remember to send the rec? What if it gets lost in the mail? There is no way to send it in all at once?</p>
<p>Get your teacher to give you the rec in a sealed and signed envelope, then you can mail it yourself if you want to. If it gets lost in the mail (which mine did), just get the teacher to send another one.</p>
<p>Louis, I shared your concerns about little details (i.e. things getting lost, not being matched up, confusion confusion confusion) but believe me, things work out in the end. If you're still unsure after sending things, call the school to check up on your documents a couple weeks after sending stuff. They are responsible for letting you know if something is missing. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>ok thanks so much, glad to hear that!!</p>
<p>I actually heard of someone putting stamped, self-addressed postcards in each of the envelopes she sent, with a note on the postcards asking that they please be dropped in the mail when the envelope was opened. Each postcard said something like "X University, Letter of Recommendation from Y" or whatever.</p>
<p>I thought that was a pretty slick way of ensuring peace of mind.</p>
<p>Yeah, that's a good idea with the postcards; my GC did that.</p>
<p>I would also recommend photocopying everything you send through the mail. It's a good idea in case something does get lost on the way, and you have it for reference when doing other apps, etc.</p>