<p>Which is better, sending a print application or online?</p>
<p>online. Saves time, it's easier to type and there's a lesser chance of error. Plus, u dont have to go through the trouble of mailing it.</p>
<p>Yeah, online definitely.
You get into their database faster, and there's no chance that your app can be lost.</p>
<p>Yeah. That's another plus.</p>
<p>I sent mine by paper. I consider myself reasonably computer-proficient, and therefore put more trust in the postal service over a proprietary online system.</p>
<p>With USPS, I could use return receipts to ensure that each college received my application. If it were to ever get lost in the mail, I would still have proof that I sent it. If the college ever claimed that they didn't receive it, I could say otherwise, using the return receipt as proof.</p>
<p>Sending it as a paper application also gave me exact control of various parts of my application. I was able to print a well formatted essay on the common app form. I did the same with any supplements that needed to be mailed. I knew exactly what each college would receive. By sending everythingthe application, the fee, the supplements, etc. I knew that, if they received one thing, they received everything.</p>
<p>Anyway, in general, I have nothing against online systems (except that they can be slow and fail to work at peak times), but I personally preferred to send my applications by mail.</p>
<p>And BTW, to candaeh: Online systems aren't infallible. Far from it. Network services on either end can fail. Databases can be corrupt (the lost of several days of posts on this site a few weeks back serves as precedent). If anything, sending by paper creates the dual insurance that there will always be a physical copy to fall back on in case of hardware failure. Of course, it can be assumed that a copy will be kept on the Common App site (which, in itself, is actually quite a poor systemif you do use it, print preview frequently and save copies in multiple places, preferably not all in the same building). Will you have any provisions ifand this isn't impossiblethe Common App loses a portion or all of its data? Plan ahead and be cautious. Physical means may be older and sometimes less efficient in some cases, but they can be more reliable and established in others.</p>
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I knew that, if they received one thing, they received everything.
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Yes, you would think that, but I sent my Counselour Rec/Teacher RecA and RecB to Columbia in one big package. Result? RecA and transcript lost. </p>
<p>Online systems aren't perfect, but at least in my experience, I think you hear of universities losing mailed supplements more often than you hear of the CommonApp database crashing. </p>
<p>I liked how I got my PIN number from a number of universities weeks before some of my peers in the area, and I got into the Alumni Interview database a lot faster.</p>
<p>Anyone at Cornell will tell you that they prefer online.</p>
<p>I sent mine in by paper for all the reasons "syn" mentioned. I got my PIN etc. just as soon as online applicants did (in some cases even sooner) and nothing from my app was lost. In addition, I thought neatly handwriting it was a nice personal touch. It gave me a lot more control over how the application was formatted. I refuse to modernize in the realm of college applications!!</p>
<p>Ahh yes . . . handwriting . . .
Well I guess part of the reason I didn't submit by paper is because my handwriting is terrrrrrible :p</p>
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Yes, you would think that, but I sent my Counselour Rec/Teacher RecA and RecB to Columbia in one big package. Result? RecA and transcript lost.
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Colleges misplacing documents is a genuine concern. As long as you have proof that you sent the package in the first place, however, you can have them check their records again. If they can't find it, resend the necessary documents. They can't hold it against you. An advantage of postal mail is that you can have physical proof that you sent something, which can come in handy if they misplace your files or if they "never received your electronic submission." I'd imagine that it isn't fun trying to convince a college to resubmit an application after a deadline because "I submitted it at 11:58, I swear! It just didn't go through though..."
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Online systems aren't perfect, but at least in my experience, I think you hear of universities losing mailed supplements more often than you hear of the CommonApp database crashing.
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Like I said, I prefer the safety and security that working with the postal system affords. It's a personal choice one can use an electronic system and be largely confident that it will work. If it doesn't, however, it can result in a lot of time wasted, and vain appeals of "I really sent it!" I don't want to scare anyone away from using an online system; history has shown that it is, for the most part, reliable. If, however, one wants to take that extra step for comfort, then using the postal system is still a viable option.
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I liked how I got my PIN number from a number of universities weeks before some of my peers in the area, and I got into the Alumni Interview database a lot faster.
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I got my PIN before my friend (we both applied to Cornell) who submitted his application online. I got an interview about 2 days after he was offered one. I had already done my Dartmouth interview about 2 weeks prior to that. Looking at my return receipts, each college got my application 2 to 4 days after I sent each (Dec. 31st). It naturally takes time to enter everything into a database (although this process is expedited by OCR, assuming everything is typed), but most of my colleges began notification in mid-January, early February, and all had my information.</p>
<p>About handwriting: Writing out everything yourself would, of course, slow things down. I personally worked with the Common App website (maintaining regular backups, in various locations) and then printed it out when I was done. For supplements, I downloaded the PDFs, opened them in Photoshop, and wrote in the text fields as necessary. Combined with my printer's borderless printing feature, I was able to put together a nice, consistent package, with everything looking exactly how I wanted it.</p>
<p>Again, I'm not discouraging the use of online application systems. There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods. For me, the extra time necessary for a physical approach outweighs the benefits and efficiency of a digital approach. To each his own.</p>
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Colleges misplacing documents is a genuine concern. As long as you have proof that you sent the package in the first place, however, you can have them check their records again. If they can't find it, resend the necessary documents.
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</p>
<p>I sent my school report & transcript, recs, international supplement all in one envelope. They lost the transcript, and I had to send it three times. Send it again? Easy enough to say, a lot of hassle to do.</p>