<p>I'm applying as a transfer for Fall 2012. All of the colleges require me to submit the instructor recommendations via mail instead of online. So, the way I understand it is that I need to print out the evaluation form, have the professors fill it out once and make copies, and then put those copies in envelopes and seal them. I don't understand what this "official seal" is. Do all college professors know what this is? I can't find anywhere online that even mentions these officials seals... Is there a special way I need to ask the professors to "seal" the envelope?</p>
<p>The seal implies that the recommendations are sent officially from the university, not given to you and then you sending them in to the college. The professor can give them to you in a sealed envelop, which you cannot open, and you can put that sealed envelop into a larger envelop that is forwarded to the college. This prevents questions about the authority and accuracy of the recommendation letter. The same applies to hardcopy grade transcripts. Your current university can provide you with sealed transcripts that you simply forward to whatever university you need to send it.</p>
<p>I still don’t understand this seal thing at all. Transcripts are sent directly from the registrar, and they have a special stamping thing that seals the letters. Is this the same seal that my professors will need to use? Do they all have these stamping things? This is what I don’t understand. How do the professors seal the letters? Last thing I want to do is set up an appointment to discuss these LOR’s only to find out they don’t have any idea what a seal is. It may seem unlikely but one of the prof’s I’m asking is an adjunct and not very familiar with the university.</p>
<p>“entomom” answered this in the Transfer thread forum:</p>
<p>Forms can either be sent to colleges separately or you can have them returned to you (in a sealed envelope signed over the seal) and you can put them in a larger envelope to send in. It really just depends on your situation and what is easiest for you and your profs, advisor, and HS GC.</p>
<p>Your HS and college transcripts should accompany your Secondary School Report and College report, respectively. See the directions on the form.</p>
<p>For the mid-year report, you fill it out and then take it around to your profs, again, the directions are at the top of the form.</p>
<p>To further clarify, when I say a ‘sealed envelope’ and ‘signed over the seal’, “seal” does not refer to an “official seal” as in a piece of wax or something. It means seal as in: lick the flap of the envelope and seal it.</p>
<p>I am applying for transfer admission to 12 different schools. I have no intention of burdening my two professors with the mundane task of making recommendation letter copies and sending those copies to 12 different addresses. Too much work for them.</p>
<p>Nor do I want to wait for schools to send back one letter to myself or to other schools, it would take far too long. Let’s say I first hand the letter to Emory. I have to wait until Emory reads the letter and sends it back to me. Then I have to send the same letter to Rice. And the process repeats another 10 times, likely taking over 4 months.</p>
<p>What options are available to me? I think speaking to the Dean would be appropriate here; after I get the letters from my two professors and make 12 copies of each, he can put the university’s official seal on all of them and have his assistants send to my colleges.</p>
<p>The above is currently my true story as of today. Other colleges may have different policies, so… yeah. When in doubt, always ask an official for the proper procedures.</p>
<p>What? Wouldn’t you just get a professor to write you a LOR, copy it X amount of times and put them in X amount of envelopes (that you would provide)? All he/she would have to do is just sign the X amount of envelopes. Literally takes like a minute.</p>
<p>From here all you do is just put the LOR in a bigger envelope with other required documents (another LOR, transcript and/or college report).</p>
<p>My son has had to do the same with some letters of rec. The Proff can write his name on the back of the envelope (using his regular signature) such that it is half on the “flap” of the envelope and half on the envelope. That way one can tell if the envelope has been tampered with. This is effective but fairly easy for them and it assures whoever is receiving that it’s not been opened.</p>
<p>A transfer student should never be allowed to touch a completed letter of recommendation, due to risk of tampering. Allowing me to make copies and putting them into envelopes would mean I could have read the letter, and even modified it to my own benefit. No, everything needs to be done by the college.</p>
<p>Moreover, the college transcript is mailed with the school official report, so having the Dean attach the letters of recommendation with them was a natural choice. After I talked with him, he figured the best course of action was to have my professors give him the letters, which he would make copies of and send to my schools. Because I had consulted him previously about transferring, he knew which schools I wanted to apply to. I provided him with the addresses, and his assistants did the rest.</p>
<p>Basically, my school has some serious trust issues. I have to let them do everything, which is fine by me.</p>
I’m just going to assume you were referring to me. </p>
<p>This is how it goes normally.</p>
<ol>
<li>You ask a professor to write you a LOR.</li>
<li>You give said professor envelopes with stamps if needed.</li>
<li>Professor copies said LOR and puts them in envelopes.</li>
<li>Professor signs envelopes on the seal showing that it was not tampered.</li>
<li>Professor gives you envelopes.</li>
</ol>
<p>What’s so difficult about this again? You’re making thing too complicated. The entire process outlined above takes minutes. You would never see the LOR or even have a chance to tamper with it unless you tried to watch the professor do all of this.</p>
<p>Most professors have offices and printers so copies could be made on the spot. There’s little need for school officials to be involved.</p>
<p>Oy vey, this really isn’t that difficult and there are different ways to work the mailing depending on your situation (if the prof is in your school or far away, how many they need to send, etc.).</p>
<p>Things that are important:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>You have to fill out the top of the IE form and sign it before the prof/TA can fill out the rest.</p></li>
<li><p>Once filled out, the prof can make as many copies as needed and sign them.</p></li>
<li><p>The prof should put each IE (and separate LOR if applicable) into an envelope, lick it, push down the flap to make it stick, sign their signature so that it is half way on the flap and half on the envelope body so that a school can see if it has been opened.</p></li>
<li><p>You need to either provide addressed, stamped envelopes for the prof to send OR have the prof return the envelopes to you to send out.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>
</p>
<p>For anyone considering transferring, this is not the way LORs work, ever.</p>
the flap of the envelope and seal it.</p>