Recommendation File
Service FAQ
The FAQ list is
grouped by subjects. Please click on the subject below to
view the related FAQ:
Getting Started
Forms
Add Letters
Check Letter
Status
Purchase
Distributions
Send Letters
VirtualEvals
(Medical Applicants Only)
FAQ: Getting Started
Return
To Top
What is the Recommendation File Service?
The file service allows you to collect, hold and
send your recommendation letters over time for application to
professional or graduate school.
Who is eligible?
This service is available to graduate or professional school
applicants. You must be a current UCSD-degree-seeking student or
UC alumni, excluding UC Extension. Students taking courses at
UCSD, but pursuing degrees at other schools should establish
files at their home institution.
Do I have to use the Recommendation File Service?
The Recommendation File Service is optional. Consider the number
of programs to which you are applying, when you are gathering
letters, school-specific forms, other letter services, cost and
convenience to you and your writer(s) when deciding.
Should I use
the service to apply for my particular type of graduate or
professional school?
Consult our handout
Detailed Information for Specific Professional/Graduate School
Programs (pdf) for an overview of how different types
of programs treat letters of recommendation.
Can I use the Recommendation File Service to apply for jobs
or scholarships?
No. The file service cannot be used to forward letters for
employment, internships, or in support of applications for
fellowships or scholarships (unless they fund professional or
graduate study).
Can you forward
my transcripts or resume?
No. We will not forward photographs, copies of credentials,
transcripts, institutions’ preprinted recommendation forms,
resumes, curriculum vitae, or other materials.
What is the cost and how do I pay?
There is an initial setup fee per file and a fee each time
letters are distributed from your file. Payment is made online
by credit card (VISA and MasterCard). For a full description of
fees, see the File Service
Policies (pdf).
ALL FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE. PURCHASE WISELY.
How do I get started?
Current UCSD-degree-seeking students or UCSD alumni: use your
UCSD PID # and payment information to
get started.
I’m
an alumnus from another UC. How do I get started?
Follow the instructions on the
Other UC Eligibility page.
How
do I get back into my file?
Using the username and password you created
during the setup process, access the service anytime from the
Recommendation
File Service Login button.
How long will the Career Services Center keep my letters on
file?
Files are retained until three years after their last
distribution, or, if your file has never been distributed, five
years after the date the file was first established.
Do I have to
join the Alumni Association to access my file after I graduate?
No. Once you have set up a file it is yours for the
duration, whether you’ve graduated or not.
Will I have access to the letters in my file?
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974,
as amended, gives you the right to review the letters in your
file. But you can waive that right. Indicate your choice on the
Waiver and Routing Form
(pdf) you must submit with each
letter. For more information on waivers, see the
Forms FAQ.
Would I ever need to set up more than one file?
You need a separate recommendation file for each distinct type
of program or position application. You will need
program-specific letters for each file.
Can I transfer
letters from one file to another?
We will not transfer letters from one file to another or
share the same letter between multiple files. A separate letter
must be received for each file.
How do I start another file for a different program?
If you already have a file, log into your current file, and
click “Create New File” at the top of the page.
I keep getting an error message or a blank screen, what do I
do?
DO NOT hit refresh or the back button to try to complete
the transaction again. Check your “View Distribution Request
History” to see if the transaction you tried went through before
attempting to complete it again. Please
contact
the File Service as soon as possible if
this does not resolve your error.
Why do I have
to use Internet Explorer as my web browser?
The RFS was designed to be used with IE. Using other
browsers may result in error messages, blank screens or multiple
transactions.
My school
wants a letter from an advisors committee. Does UCSD have one?
UCSD does not have a pre-health or pre-med advisory committee.
Schools will not expect a committee letter from UCSD applicants.
Send individual letters of recommendation in lieu of this
committee letter.
FAQ: Forms
Return
To Top
Do I have to submit a Waiver & Routing Form with each letter?
Yes. A completed form MUST be received with each letter.
Fill out a
Waiver and Routing Form
(pdf) indicating whether you
want to waive or retain your right of access to that particular
letter and give it to your writer. This form will also serve to
inform your writers if you will have access to the letter he or
she writes.
Can I give you
my Waiver & Routing Form separately from the letter?
No.
The letter and the form must arrive together. Print and fill
out a form and give it to your writer to be sent in along with
the writer’s letter.
Do I have to
waive my right to my letter?
No, but it is within your letter writer’s rights to decline
to write a letter if you will have access to that letter.
Should I waive
or retain my right to see my letters?
Schools typically prefer confidential letters. To decide,
consider: your letter writer’s preference, your confidence in
the letter writer, and the receiving institution’s preference.
Will you tell
the school/program if I retained my right to see the letter(s)?
We do not disclose the confidentiality status of the letters
we send, but the institutions you apply to may ask whether you
waived your right to see your letters.
What if my school has institution-specific recommendation
forms?
We cannot send school-specific forms with your letters. Letters
are usually accepted in lieu of the forms. Contact
the receiving schools to ask. If the program insists on
receiving the forms, have your writer send the form directly to
the program.
What do I do with application service forms (e.g.,
PharmCAS, LSDAS, AMCAS, or AADSAS)?
If you are sending letters to law, or health professional
schools through a centralized application service, you must
bring, mail, or fax the application service matching forms to
our office before you make a request. Please call
us at (858) 534-4939 for further instruction.
Applying to medical school through AMCAS 2009? Click
here
for instructions on how to send your letters to the AMCAS
Letters Pilot.
FAQ: Add Letters
Return To Top
When should I start collecting letters?
You are encouraged to approach letter writers at least two
months before your application deadlines. For more advice on
obtaining letters, please read our
handout (pdf).
Who can put a letter in my file?
Anyone can submit a letter. Have your writers send the letter
and
Waiver and Routing Form (pdf) to our office.
What if my
writer doesn’t know what to put in my letter?
Print out a copy of our
Writing Letters of Recommendation: Tips and Guidelines (pdf)
handout.
Can
my writer email or fax my letter to the RFS?
No. We only accept letters that come through the
mail or are hand-delivered to our office.
How many
letters can I have in my file?
You may have up to 10 letters in each file.
Should the
letter be on a certain type of paper?
Recommendation letters must be typed on official letterhead
stationery with the writer’s contact information.
Are scanned
signatures okay?
No. All signatures must be original. Scanned and copied
signatures are not acceptable.
Can you add to
or change my letters?
No. We cannot alter the letters in any way. We will not add
ID numbers or fix typos.
My medical school requires that my AAMC ID be on each of my
letters? Can you add this?
No. Request that your writers include it in their letters if
needed. AAMC IDs are used for matching purposes and your letter
will be sent via US Mail with a cover sheet with your full name
and the last four digits of your SSN. We have never had any
problems with schools not accepting letters without AAMC ID
numbers. NOTE: Your AAMC ID is included with letters sent via
VirtualEvals (VE).
FAQ: Check Letter Status
Return
To Top
Where is my letter?
We generally post letters within a few hours of receipt.
Continue to check your online account daily. If we have not
received your letter, it is your responsibility to follow up
with your letter writer. Your letter may have to go through two
mail systems to get to our office (U.S. mail. and campus mail),
both of which could take several days each.
The Waiver Status for my letter says “You did not choose any
option,” what do I do?
This means
that we got you letter either without a Waiver & Routing Form,
or with a form that did not clearly indicate if you wanted to
retain or waive your right to see your letter. Mail, fax, or
bring in a completed
Waiver and Routing Form (pdf)
to our office to indicate your waiver choice.
The name of my writer is misspelled. Can you change this?
Because we
receive so many letters each day, occasional typos are
inevitable. This information is only seen by you and the RFS
staff, but can be changed.
Contact
the File Service to request the change.
How do I get a letter revised/updated?
Simply have your writer submit the updated letter along with a
new
Waiver and Routing Form
(pdf) with the word “REVISED”
written at the top.
Can you send a
letter back to the writer to update it?
Yes. Call or email our office with the writer’s full name and
current mailing address and we will mail a copy to them.
How can I
remove a letter from my file?
You may have a letter removed by submitting written, dated, and
signed instructions to our office specifying the letter(s) you
wish to remove and the file type (medicine, law, etc.). Letters
included in a VE Account and uploaded to VirtualEvals can not be
removed.
FAQ: Purchase Distributions
Return
To Top
What is a distribution?
There are two types of recommendation file distributions. A
U.S. mail distribution is a packet mailed to one address
containing up to ten letters. A VE distribution is your
pre-selected VE Account letters sent to one or more medical
schools that you select at one time.
Does it cost
one distribution per letter or per school?
One distribution is one envelope sent to one school; you can
include as many letters as you like in each distribution.
How many
distributions do I need to purchase?
If you use US Mail distributions, you’ll need to purchase one
distribution for each school you want to send your letters to.
If you are sending medical school recommendation letters using
VirtualEvals (VE) you can select multiple schools at one time
with a single distribution. Purchase wisely. There are NO
REFUNDS.
I accidentally
bought too many distributions. Can I get a refund?
No.
There are NO REFUNDS. Purchase carefully.
FAQ: Send Letters
Return
To Top
How long will
it take for the letters to be sent?
Distribution requests will be processed in the order they are
received, within five full working days after the date the
request is made.
Is rush service available?
No. You may pay extra for Express or Priority mail
distributions, but this controls how fast the U.S. Postal
Service handles your distribution, not how fast it leaves
our office.
Can I pick up my letters to include with my application
package?
No. We will only send letters directly to graduate or
professional schools, fellowship application committees, or to
application services. If asked to include your letters with your
application, let the program know that the file service must
send your letters separately.
Will distributions be sent during the December holiday
period?
The Career Services Center closes during this period but the
File Service does process distributions on a modified schedule.
The deadline to have distributions processed by December 31st is
in early December. Deadline dates are posted several weeks in
advance.
The school did not receive my letters, what do I do?
This may occur for any number of reasons: incorrect address,
problems with the mail system, filing errors at admissions
offices. Always follow up with schools on distributions you have
requested. If your letters have not been received a few weeks
after the distribution date (posted on your online file service
account), consider requesting another distribution. |
