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Faxing LORs

Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 3:42 pm
by whymeohgodno
Has anyone had significant problems with it? Like bar code wasn't faxed clearly and they had to refax?

Re: Faxing LORs

Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 3:54 pm
by 3|ink
Yes. I personally think faxing is a terrible. It's useful for office related stuff, but fax machines do a piss-poor job of imaging. I could easily see the bar code getting fucked over by a fax machine.

Do what I did: mail or fedex the LOR form to your recommender with a pre-addressed and pre-paid envelope to the LSAC. Don't leave room for error.

Re: Faxing LORs

Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 3:59 pm
by whymeohgodno
3|ink wrote:Yes. I personally think faxing is a terrible. It's useful for office related stuff, but fax machines do a piss-poor job of imaging. I could easily see the bar code getting fucked over by a fax machine.

Do what I did: mail or fedex the LOR form to your recommender with a pre-addressed and pre-paid envelope to the LSAC. Don't leave room for error.
Is the chance of such things happening pretty high? From all the anecdotes it seems like faxing turned out quite well for most people. I'm afraid if I mail it, it will take weeks to process.

Re: Faxing LORs

Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 4:16 pm
by r6_philly
whymeohgodno wrote:
3|ink wrote:Yes. I personally think faxing is a terrible. It's useful for office related stuff, but fax machines do a piss-poor job of imaging. I could easily see the bar code getting fucked over by a fax machine.

Do what I did: mail or fedex the LOR form to your recommender with a pre-addressed and pre-paid envelope to the LSAC. Don't leave room for error.
Is the chance of such things happening pretty high? From all the anecdotes it seems like faxing turned out quite well for most people. I'm afraid if I mail it, it will take weeks to process.
Priority mail. 3-4 days from dropping it in the mail.

Re: Faxing LORs

Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 4:30 pm
by whymeohgodno
Also, do LOR from TA's hurt? Does it not matter? One of my professor is taking FOREVER to write it and he isn't even giving a clear timeline (just said he would write it on the 6th, not sure if this means he will finish it on that day).

I'm thinking of maybe asking a TA from a previous class if he could write a LOR quickly.

Re: Faxing LORs

Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 4:33 pm
by r6_philly
whymeohgodno wrote:Also, do LOR from TA's hurt? Does it not matter? One of my professor is taking FOREVER to write it and he isn't even giving a clear timeline (just said he would write it on the 6th, not sure if this means he will finish it on that day).

I'm thinking of maybe asking a TA from a previous class if he could write a LOR quickly.
I don't think it will hurt but it probably won't help much neither. If the professor won't take the time to write. One of my writers had maybe 100 requests, but he wrote mine near the front. Find a different professor who is more willing to help.

Re: Faxing LORs

Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 4:34 pm
by whymeohgodno
r6_philly wrote:
whymeohgodno wrote:Also, do LOR from TA's hurt? Does it not matter? One of my professor is taking FOREVER to write it and he isn't even giving a clear timeline (just said he would write it on the 6th, not sure if this means he will finish it on that day).

I'm thinking of maybe asking a TA from a previous class if he could write a LOR quickly.
I don't think it will hurt but it probably won't help much neither. If the professor won't take the time to write. One of my writers had maybe 100 requests, but he wrote mine near the front. Find a different professor who is more willing to help.
Asking this late would probably end up with me waiting even later into the cycle...ugh...

Re: Faxing LORs

Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 4:41 pm
by r6_philly
Do you at least have 1 good LOR?

You could ask the TA to do an evaluation for you though. You know the new service.

Re: Faxing LORs

Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 4:43 pm
by SisyphusHappy
r6_philly wrote:
whymeohgodno wrote:
3|ink wrote:Yes. I personally think faxing is a terrible. It's useful for office related stuff, but fax machines do a piss-poor job of imaging. I could easily see the bar code getting fucked over by a fax machine.

Do what I did: mail or fedex the LOR form to your recommender with a pre-addressed and pre-paid envelope to the LSAC. Don't leave room for error.
Is the chance of such things happening pretty high? From all the anecdotes it seems like faxing turned out quite well for most people. I'm afraid if I mail it, it will take weeks to process.
Priority mail. 3-4 days from dropping it in the mail.
Fax it. 3-4 hours from hitting send.

Re: Faxing LORs

Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 4:45 pm
by whymeohgodno
r6_philly wrote:Do you at least have 1 good LOR?

You could ask the TA to do an evaluation for you though. You know the new service.
Yeah 1 of my letters would be at least average. :D

Re: Faxing LORs

Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 5:48 pm
by r6_philly
SisyphusHappy wrote:
Fax it. 3-4 hours from hitting send.
Please don't get me started on faxed LOR again.

Search "r6_philly" and "fax" if you want to see. I don't feel like quoting.

Re: Faxing LORs

Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 5:56 pm
by whymeohgodno
r6_philly wrote:
SisyphusHappy wrote:
Fax it. 3-4 hours from hitting send.
Please don't get me started on faxed LOR again.

Search "r6_philly" and "fax" if you want to see. I don't feel like quoting.
Informing thread.

I've also heard that if you fax it and they receive it with a blurred barcode, they inform you or the LOR writer of it through email?

Re: Faxing LORs

Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 6:01 pm
by r6_philly
whymeohgodno wrote:
r6_philly wrote:
SisyphusHappy wrote:
Fax it. 3-4 hours from hitting send.
Please don't get me started on faxed LOR again.

Search "r6_philly" and "fax" if you want to see. I don't feel like quoting.
Informing thread.

I've also heard that if you fax it and they receive it with a blurred barcode, they inform you or the LOR writer of it through email?
If they could read the email address ...

Re: Faxing LORs

Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 6:05 pm
by krad
I called LSAC twice this week about a missing LOR. Interestingly, both times the person on the phone recommended that the sender fax a copy in addition to resending a copy by mail.

Faxing a barcode? I thought that was crap. I told my new, backup LOR writer to do it anyway haaa. She's also priority mailing a copy. This will be my test for LSAC.

Re: Faxing LORs

Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2010 10:35 am
by krad
krad wrote:I called LSAC twice this week about a missing LOR. Interestingly, both times the person on the phone recommended that the sender fax a copy in addition to resending a copy by mail.

Faxing a barcode? I thought that was crap. I told my new, backup LOR writer to do it anyway haaa. She's also priority mailing a copy. This will be my test for LSAC.
Back up faxed LOR on 12/3/10 and it has arrived and been processed 12/4/10. I'd say of you're mailing a clear copy, a fax couldn't hurt... But I've also heard of problems.