How are you mailing secondaries??

[DGhiker]

You may all call this thread lame ala the "Lick Envelopes?" thread, but I'm taking my chances.

For those secondaries that I've had to mail, I've been sending them Certified Mail so I can confirm they were delivered. Now, I thought this was a good idea, until I just logged on to the USPS website and it says they attempted to deliver my SUNY Downstate secondary yesterday and left a notice (because the *******es didn't deliver it until 5:47 pm - who's going to be there on a Friday afternoon at quarter of 6?).

Anyway, now I'm wondering if my SUNY Downstate secondary is going to make it there at all because I doubt the post office is going to try and deliver it again and was wondering if other people are sending Certified, or if you're just leaving it up to the post office.

And please, no Fed Ex jokes, I'm really not that anal.

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[dr.z]

So far I have sent all my stuff using "first class" mail. I know that most of them got there since they have cashed my check, and I can tell who cashed it. Although there are some that haven't cashed them, I think they are there. I think U.S. Postal service is pretty reliable (at least I haven't had problems) for most part.

 

[calstudent]

hey i posted about this a while back.
best bet is either first class (which is what i have been doing for schools with status check websites or that i send a check to), and then otherwise priority w/ delivery confirmation (costs about $4 more than normal, so i am not a big fan of this). certified is unnecessary, and can result in the problems you described above.

 

[DGhiker]

Thanks to both of you.

calstudent - sorry for posting this again, i tried to look for old threads quickly, but my search must have been too broad. i thought certified was the only way to get delivery confirmation, but i'll have to check out what you said above for the next time. guess i'll have to call Downstate if i don't see that they got it early next week.

 

[jlee9531]

i always sent it priority, since i never had a bad experience with those getting lost.

 

[anitat]

i've just been slapping a stamp or two on and dropping it in the postbox. as far as i know, they still make it to the schools too ...

 

[rcd]

you can probably call up SUNY who can then call up usps and give them a delivery time, which USPS will hit within reasonable error.

 

[jlee9531]

i've just been slapping a stamp or two on and dropping it in the postbox. as far as i know, they still make it to the schools too ...

of course, but i didnt mind paying the extra to put it in the bigger envelopes so usps knows not to misplace those.

 

[DrThom]

I have a fleet of carrier pigeons.

If all my pigeons are out, I slap some stamps on and stick em in the mailbox. I did manage to stuff all 24 pages that Tulane asks for into one busniess sized envelope and I put 3 stamps on so...I hope it gets there.

 

[krispykreme001]

when do schools actually cash your check? do they only cash it after all your credentials are in (AMCAS, LORs, Secondary app) and they begin to review your file? or do they just cash it as soon as they receive it?

i sent some secondaries about 2 weeks ago but none have cashed my checks yet. I was thinking that this was because my LORs havent been sent to them yet and thus havent reviewed my complete application yet.

Any input?

 

[superdevil]

schools typically won't wait for any other event (i.e., the delivery of LORs) before they cash your check. they'll do it whenever they get around to it.

for me, i've sent the first few by several different methods. good ol' first class has worked, as has priority shipping (with and without delivery confirmation). if you go priority (which the remainder of mine will be), you may as well get diliv. conf.--its only .40 more, i think, and its a little more peace of mind.

oh, and to any who will bitch and complain: yes it will cost a lot to send everything priority with deliv conf, but this is an expensive process. life sucks. i'm sure as hell not going to spend $560 on my AMCAS and then try to save $30-40 on shipping. in for a penny, in for a pound!

 

[Cerbernator]

I use the big manilla envelopes and go down the post office and say "ship this please". I dont know how they do it but it costs 60 cents an envelope.

 

[jlee9531]

they cash it whenever they want. the crappiest thing is when you see the date they cashed it, and they send you your rejection letter the next day. i never did mind paying all that money to apply to schools, but i wasn't happy when they rejected me the day after they got my $$.

 

[krispykreme001]

which schools have cashed your checks?

i sent all of my secondaries so far via first class and most of the schools dont have online options where you can check the status.

 

[Code Brown]

I use the big manilla envelopes and go down the post office and say "ship this please". I dont know how they do it but it costs 60 cents an envelope.

That's what I've been doing as well. No need to bother with the express delivery. I mean, your application will probably make it there before your letters of rec. will anyway, so it'll just sit there. Do you think your prof will send everything priority? Not a chance.

 

[gold&black2005]

My school used that "electronic transmission" for the LOR packet this year (it's its first trial year) and so my letters were already in. With that in mind, i used express mail...I dropped a few days' worth of pay, but I figure hey, it'll be worth it later -- if I get interviews early, that is

 

[terpgirl]

Delivery confirmation--areyou requiring a signature? I had undergrad applications that said if you did that, they wouldn't get it as there wouldbe no one to sign for it. Spend the extra dollar to put tracking on it (I think it's a green or hot pink sticker with abarcode), and they give you anumber which you can check online and see it's many stops I knew my envelope arrived at that school a day before they did

-Liz

 

[DGhiker]

Yeah, well you better watch that green sticker with the bar code because that's the dreaded Certified Mail I'm talking about and it requires a signature. And that's where I'm running into trouble. So stay away from the green.

And thanks for all of your input everyone, even if it was a bit sarcastic at times (ahem...DrThom)

Sadly, I sent out my Upstate secondary last Tuesday, the 20th, from Albany, NY and it has yet to even make it to the post office in Syracuse. Why bother paying extra? All you $0.60ers probably have the right idea...

 

[ZappBrannigan]

I sent my first one by certified mail. Didn't really think about it at the moment. I was freaking out until I checked my balance and Tulane managed to cash my check which was with my secondary so I'm assuming they got that as well.

 

[DGhiker]

Well luckily my Certified Mail nightmare is now over. Both SUNY Upstate and Downstate have rec'd my secondaries and my files are complete and both schools (yea!). However, I won't get myself into that situation again.

And it probably doesn't even pay to get delivery confirmation either because if the post office at the other end, often within the school itself, doesn't scan the stupid envelope like they're supposed to, then it will look like it never got there. Which is exactly what happened to me with Upstate. As far as the USPS is concerned, it's still in transit somewhere b/t Albany and Syracuse. What a waste of money.

 

[calstudent]

Well luckily my Certified Mail nightmare is now over. Both SUNY Upstate and Downstate have rec'd my secondaries and my files are complete and both schools (yea!). However, I won't get myself into that situation again.

And it probably doesn't even pay to get delivery confirmation either because if the post office at the other end, often within the school itself, doesn't scan the stupid envelope like they're supposed to, then it will look like it never got there. Which is exactly what happened to me with Upstate. As far as the USPS is concerned, it's still in transit somewhere b/t Albany and Syracuse. What a waste of money.

good thing it got there. thanks for bring up the delivery confirmation thing.
maybe we are stressing more than we should, but like half of the places i applied didn't get my stuff yet!

 

[mr. sparkle]

i personally deliver them via hang-glider.

 

[DieselPetrolGrl]

i fax things in ..including checks...its not my fault they cant cash it

 

[Cerbernator]

i send DieselPetrolGrl to do my bidding

 

[gobblety_gook]

I think I'm going to fold my secondaries into paper airplanes and just chuck em.

 

[KatieOConnor]

I attached my secondaries to the pigeons in Central Park.

Actually, I just used old-fashioned stamps and envelopes. I didn't even really think about this whole issue. Is everyone else sending via registered mail?

 

[VFrank]

I just use stamps and envelopes too. I mean, med schools sent me all their stuff via first class mail. If they trust it to get to me, I think it'll get to them too. And it's not like these applications are going to a shack in Montana. I'm sure the Postal Service is handling tons of applications all going to the same places -- I'm confident they know what to do with them.

 

[Mutterkuchen]

I applied 2 years ago and sent everything first class mail. Everything, I mean everything, got there. All of my applications were complete and I had no problems.

Since you are so early in the process, I think this is the best and cheapest way. If you were pushing deadlines, I might feel differently.

 

[Jason110]

So I happily sent my app to Hopkins via Priority Mail using Delivery Confirmation. My other apps haven't had a problem. So this one should go smoothly, right? Guess again... Read this tracking info I got back from the postal service:

"We attempted to deliver your item at 4:55 am on August 04, 2004 in BALTIMORE, MD 21213 and a notice was left. It can be redelivered or picked up at the Post Office. If the item is unclaimed, it will be returned to the sender. Information, if available, is updated every evening. Please check again later."

Who the hell is going to pick up a package at 5 f**cking a.m.!!!

I think I'll just go back to the regular first-class mail.

 

[RayhanS1282]

Personally, I actually have faith in the U.S. post office....the way I see it I always get my bills and stuff so they must be doing something right. And this early in the game...I basically stick a stamp on it and shove it down a mail slot. I call the schools after a week or two and make sure they got it.

 

[superdevil]

damn, Jason110, that sure does suck. it weird, too--the woman from the post office, whom i interrogated at the beginning of secondary season, said the only way priority mail (even with deliv. conf.) could get "bounced back" to you like that is if the sender had insured it for $50 or more (did you insure it?).

also, for everyone out there who is scared sh.tless by these horror stories: most medical schools (especially those affliated with ugrad universities) have their own mail staff on campus, including a courier who goes to the local post office to pick up the schools' mail every day. don't worry yourselves into thinking that some rookie mail carrier who delivers publisher's clearinghouse letters to slum housing ends his day by stuffing priority letters into a shoebox-sized mailbox at the local med school.

sometimes weird sh.t goes down (like Jason110's story), but usually things are just fine. chill.

 

[DGhiker]

So I happily sent my app to Hopkins via Priority Mail using Delivery Confirmation. My other apps haven't had a problem. So this one should go smoothly, right? Guess again... Read this tracking info I got back from the postal service:

"We attempted to deliver your item at 4:55 am on August 04, 2004 in BALTIMORE, MD 21213 and a notice was left. It can be redelivered or picked up at the Post Office. If the item is unclaimed, it will be returned to the sender. Information, if available, is updated every evening. Please check again later."

Who the hell is going to pick up a package at 5 f**cking a.m.!!!

I think I'll just go back to the regular first-class mail.

Don't worry too much - they probably got it anyway. Just call the school tomorrow, don't bother checking the USPS website again because it may never get updated. My bet is Hopkins has it in hand.