<p>1) Do people normally use high-quality paper when printing out the recommendation forms? (you know the thicker kind that doesnt bend as easily) or is regular printer paper fine?</p>
<p>2) Also, the envelopes, do people normally use those long yellow envelopes (so the recs aren't folded when teh committee reviews it) or do people normally use the regular skinny white envelopes.</p>
<p>3) and is it okay if the teacher sends in a rec before you actually sent in the basic information of your application?</p>
<p>edit: as a side question, for college apps they usually ask how many hours per week, weeks per year you are committed to an extracurricular activity. what do you put if the activity happens randomly with no set schedule? like just as an example, although i've been volunteering for all four years of my high school career, 75% of it is in my senior year (and summer before senior)</p>
<p>For your third question, yes it's okay for your teacher to send in the rec before you send in your application; the admissions committee will start a file for you and just wait for the rest of your application.</p>
<p>Don't know the answers to your other questions though.</p>
<p>The colleges don't give a fig what kind of paper the recommendations are written on. What they care about is the content of the recommendation -- specifically what it says or doesn't say about the student.</p>
<p>The college is judging the student's academic ability and character, not the teacher's sense of aesthetics.</p>
<p>i wanna know the answer to 2 too. folded recs don't matter right? one teacher specifically asked me for a bigger envelope so the rec isn't folded! well... getting a bigger envelope is no big deal but i've already given my other rec with a smaller envelope. does it matter?</p>