Typewriters!?! What the !*$^

[Homer J. Simpson]

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What the phuck is up with schools asking us to type their damned 2ndaries on typewriters? Are these fools still using rotary phones, and rabbit ears on their TVs?!? 😡 😡

How are you guys dealing with this? I was thinking of just doing them on Word (with the questions typed in) and then submitting the separate sheets with the secondaries. And for the ones who put their secondaries on line; why didn't they just go the extra step and make it so we could type the info in and then print?

Venting.
😡 😡

 

[Mossjoh]

I'm just re-typing their questions and all info into word and sending that. I haven't had a typewriter in forever....kind of wish I did now though...all though it doesn't have spell check

 

[kutastha]

I'm using a typewriter. They ask for it, they shall receive it.

Andrew

 

[kspillman]

I've been looking for a typewriter at flea markets and pawn shops. No luck yet. I have thought of measuring the page and typing the answers in word and printing to make sure it lines up and then putting the app in my printer and printing out. That will take a long time though. (Rotary phones-cute!)

 

[racergirl]

What's a typewriter?

 

[ewells]

I have been to two Kinko's (both had typewriters, neither worked), the Tucson Public Library system, my university campus, the local community college library and the front office at my workplace. I am thinking about going to the ancient history museum.

 

[Denilson]

But a type writer with a 30 day return policy!...guess what i'm going? if you need it for a longer time, return the first one and get another one froma different store...

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

Originally posted by racergirl:
•What's a typewriter?•

It's a type of dinosaur that died out sometime in the 70's. As far as I can tell it's unique capabilities included being a primary cause of carpal tunnel syndrome and broken fingernails.

In addition, it was widely believed to be one of the reasons behind Bill Gates dropping out of college. As the story goes, he wanted to go to medical school but, being a perfectionist, and realizing that it was virtually impossible to line up the boxes on his secondary apps with the spacing on his typewriter, he decided to build a better mouse trap (so to speak).

And apparently as revenge for losing out on all those huge medical school endowment checks from the future "richest man in the frick'n universe", the schools refuse to use his contribution to the world. Namely, Word. (Well, except for AMCAS, who finally decided to use the computer, but forgot to read the instructions on the side of the box and ended up ruining the summer for about 30,000 prospective students.)

 

[kutastha]

How old are you people to not have access to a typewriter? I have two! Plus rabbit ears and a rotary phone.

Andrew

 

[jdub]

if anybody is having problems finding a typewriter, most universities have a few for public use in various departments, like career services.

also, places like public libraries and copy centers like kinkos, have typewriters sometimes.

some secondaries do say that the essays can be printed, but the other pertinent info . . .

definitely a pain in the arse 😀

 

[coop]

www.ebay.com

I anticipated the need for a typewriter so a month ago I went on ebay bid all of $12 on a very nice electronic typewriter (has a spell checker and a correction key), I won the auction (there were at least 5 other auctions simulaneously on decent looking typewriters) and paid $17 shipping, and in 3 days got myself a typewriter for all of $29. It works great and I highly recommend this option. (think of it as one half the price of a single secondary 😉 ).

 

[racergirl]

OMIGOSH! A typewriter is a dinosaur? Do they bite? Nobody mentioned I might get eaten by a dinosaur when I decided to apply to med school! Next you'll be telling me I wasted the $420 I paid to the nice AMCAS people...do you think they bite too?

 

[leorl]

gee...I'm 21 and I have a typewriter! Well, okay fine, it was my mother's. And everytime I use it, I have to at least do that special erasing paper thingy several times. Ok, I'll also admit whenever I need a typewriter thingy (which is not often) my mommy does it for me 🙂. Maybe I shouldn't be admitting it. Hey, in Ireland people's parents still help their kids edit and write their papers. No wonder they all seem to write so well.

 

[SMW]

My parents always helped me proofread and edit. I even e-mailed them papers from college (at first, anyway). And my mom's my secretary too for massive typewriter-requiring-piles-of-applications, both when I was applying to colleges and now. No way could I be dealing with AMCAS, studying for MCAT, utlizing alternate application procedures, writing essays for secondaries, and typing them too!

 

[rxfudd]

I did my first two secondaries on a typewriter. On the last two, I scanned them and turned them into PDF's and just added text to the PDF. Looks nice, if you have access to a PDF writer.

 

[C U in MD school]

which schools are damned 2ndaries on typewriters? I got about 10 of them, and non have asked this request... sh#* maybe i should read their enclosed letters... oppps

 

[SMW]

Such foresight, coop, and such technological know-how, rxfudd! Very impressive!

 

[Barin]

Originally posted by rxfudd:
•I did my first two secondaries on a typewriter. On the last two, I scanned them and turned them into PDF's and just added text to the PDF. Looks nice, if you have access to a PDF writer.•

Actually you don't need the the pdf editor to add text to the image. The problem is you never get an absolutely adequate quality (paper + scanner dpi + printer dpi). So this is not the best way.

 

[Drako]

SMW has it made!

 

[rxfudd]

Originally posted by Barin:
• Actually you don't need the the pdf editor to add text to the image. The problem is you never get an absolutely adequate quality (paper + scanner dpi + printer dpi). So this is not the best way.•

Actually, most scanners have pretty good OCR technology, and pictures can be scanned as high as 2600-3000 dpi - although I find that 600 dpi is more than adequate. And if your printer prints as 600 dpi, the quality is pretty indistinguishable from the original.

Not only that, a lot of secondaries come in PDF format on the school's website, so I just add the text directly to their file. The quality is much better than that which you get from a typewriter.

 

[Georgey]

The Dartmouth sec app asks for us to typewrite (spelling???) or use a wordprocessor. I just printed out a test page and lined it up with the actually secondary form. They matched so I sent the secondary throught the printer. It worked for me. Should work for you.

 

[kutastha]

wow, a lot of work goes into all of your secondaries. I guess a typewriter is so much easier to use than it is to find.

Andrew

 

[leorl]

fudd and barin, You nerds! 😀

 

[algae]

rxfudd - How can you type with a computer in a pdf document?

 

[rxfudd]

You need a PDF writer, such as Adobe Acrobat (note: NOT Adobe Acrobat Reader, the free acrobat that comes with most programs). I bought it because I was doing lots of web site development with the physics department at my university (they even paid for it). However, you can probably find it at your university computer lab. If you have access to the program, let me know and I'll give the details about how to edit (i.e. add text) to the file.

 

[simpleton]

From what I remember from the adobe acrobat download page the 'not free' version of the program is several hundred dollars! I'm sure most of us would rather just hunt around for a typewriter than to hassle with scanning, converting, etc. Also I think it looks better if you turn in the original form they send you rather than just make your own. by the way typewriters have a short learning curve as long as the eraser still works 😛