<p>Does Rice just accept recs online through CommonApps? Can I ask a teacher to write a hard copied one and mail it to them?</p>
<p>Yes -- you can definitely have them send in hard copies of the recs.</p>
<p>I gave my teachers pre-addressed and pre-stamped envelopes so they could just slip the letters in the mail off to Rice when they were done writing them. I believe that is the best way to do it, especially since some teachers don't want you to see what they write.</p>
<p>I think the hard copy letters will just get scanned into electronic format as soon as they are received by the admissions office. I think all of the schools using the common application are trying to reduce paper flow and would appreciate all documents beign submitted electronically when possible.</p>