j.matt Posted August 16, 2012 Report Share Posted August 16, 2012 I know this subject has been brought up before in some another topic but I was wanting to see if I could get a few more opinions. What kind of handwriting, paper, and anything else has everybody used for their letters? I'm asking because I was planning on using plain, white, unlined paper for a cleaner look. Also, my handwriting for the last 10+ years has been all caps block lettering and was thinking if I should try cursive (haven't done that at all in almost 10 years) or print or just stick with my all caps? And lastly, how do you keep your lines straight? I know this sounds very small but it's the small details that make the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakfishr19 Posted August 16, 2012 Report Share Posted August 16, 2012 i did mine on printer paper and wrote in cursive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wally Posted August 16, 2012 Report Share Posted August 16, 2012 Put a ruled and lined sheet underneath the letter sheet.A real pen makes cleaner lines in your characters than a ball point.If you want to do cursive and you're out of practice (I haven't in 20 years), there are other styles (fonts?) besides the stereotypical "Palmer method" characters. It can be enjoyable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helipilot PTK Posted August 16, 2012 Report Share Posted August 16, 2012 Mine was on printer paper in regular print, not all caps, just after periods etc. I used a ruler to measure out line distances half a centimeter each line, I would put a small tick mark on each side of the paper. Then I would draw a light line across the paper (all in pencil), after my paper was complete (in black pen) I erased all the pencil tick marks and lines I drew and it looked very neat and professional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC8488 Posted August 17, 2012 Report Share Posted August 17, 2012 I used a home made light board with the typed version underneath to keep consistent character spacing and line straightness. I used a fountain pen lime Walley suggested. My cursive is terrible so I used print. I tired other ways but I could never fit it all on one page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
av8rnik Posted August 22, 2012 Report Share Posted August 22, 2012 I took the printed version of my essay and put that under a clean piece of plain white printer paper and then basically copied the printed text line for line. It took a while to make sure it stayed clean and neat but i think it worked okay but my packet just got submitted so the ultimate test has not happened yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomascb6229 Posted August 23, 2012 Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 I used a home made light board with the typed version underneath to keep consistent character spacing and line straightness. I did something similar with a light board. I would suggest NOT tracing a computer generated font. It's obvious. I don't see that qualifying as "hand written". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akscott60 Posted August 23, 2012 Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 Why are so many of you tracing it? Just write it out. Penmanship should be legible, and dont misspell anything. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC8488 Posted August 23, 2012 Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 What is wrong with using a tool to present ourselves in a more professional manner? I personally like to see when people put in more effort into an assignment, instead of just completing it. Take the board interview for instance, we dress- up, prepare our talking points and what not. Same thing here. If we wanted the board to see who we really are we would show up in our everyday casual clothing and adlib and throw the formalities out the window. It’s about putting your best foot forward at all times, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akscott60 Posted August 23, 2012 Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 Hey, it's just my .02. Plus it kind of negated a handwriting analysis if they wanted to do one. Haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomascb6229 Posted August 23, 2012 Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 Specifically, I wrote the essay out on a computer, underlined the words with the underline button, and made the actual text font white so I had a blank underlined skeleton of the essay. I then threw that underlined skeleton on a light board, counted how many words I needed to fit on each line, and wrote out the text with my own hand. This way, I knew I had used every single millimeter of space, my lines were exactly straight, my words maintained the same spacing/size, they could do a handwriting analysis if they wanted, and my borders and general appearance was as exact as what a typewriter could produce. Over the top? Perhaps. But I have an essay I can say is perfect. Except for one "i" that has a slightly elongated dot on top. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomascb6229 Posted August 23, 2012 Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 Of course, all this is not forgetting that the words you put INTO the essay are the most important aspect of this whole task. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindsey Posted August 23, 2012 Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 Of course, all this is not forgetting that the words you put INTO the essay are the most important aspect of this whole task. Aw sh*t. *throws lightboard at the wall* 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
av8rnik Posted August 23, 2012 Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 so i didnt just trace the printed letters. I just used the printed version underneath to help help the lines straight and within the same margins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeroscout Posted August 23, 2012 Report Share Posted August 23, 2012 A lot of real young people have no idea of the charm and warmth of a handwritten note. That's what you want to capture, warmth, and charm. Also, have you ever heard of a draft, besides beer related ? Those are not only entirely legal, when it comes to writing, some, back in the day would say, they were essential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomascb6229 Posted August 24, 2012 Report Share Posted August 24, 2012 That's what you want to capture, warmth, and charm. Should our essays really be filled with warm fuzzy feelings and charm? I have a feeling the seasoned, war veteran, no bullcrap members of the board would see right through that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akscott60 Posted August 24, 2012 Report Share Posted August 24, 2012 What is obvious is that people are incapable of decent penmanship today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeroscout Posted August 24, 2012 Report Share Posted August 24, 2012 Should our essays really be filled with warm fuzzy feelings and charm? I have a feeling the seasoned, war veteran, no bullcrap members of the board would see right through that.The charm comes from a personally written note, with the subject being your own experiences, the warmth comes from the sincerity. You might be surprised how warmth and charm will melt even a grizzled battle veteran. Who knows, someday if you become famous, your handwritten note might become quite valuable. How warm and charming would that be ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomascb6229 Posted August 25, 2012 Report Share Posted August 25, 2012 I'm certainly not trying to get famous by going after WOFT. There are easier ways to do that...with a lot less paperwork and elbow grease, for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob. Posted August 25, 2012 Report Share Posted August 25, 2012 Yea you people are putting way too much effort into this essay. Just write the damn thing. Worked for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomascb6229 Posted August 25, 2012 Report Share Posted August 25, 2012 You can never put too much effort into achieving your goals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob. Posted August 25, 2012 Report Share Posted August 25, 2012 I just think it's a negative cost/benefit, that's all. If you deserve to get picked up, the extra time on making the essay look perfect isn't going to matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.matt Posted August 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2012 But if it doesn't LOOK like you actually put time/effort in it, what does that say about you. If it looks sloppy it shows that you're willing to just slap something together without taking your time or putting much effort into it. And if you're willing to just slap something together that actually has an impact on your future career/life, how are you going to handle future projects? I also think the content of the letter matters just as much. You're trying to make an impression on the board and make them remember you. In my opinion, this letter can hold a ton of weight in your package. That is if you do it right... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob. Posted August 25, 2012 Report Share Posted August 25, 2012 Of course it needs to be written well and look good, but tracing it out and whatever else people are doing seems unnecessary. What's wrong with actually writing it out? The instructions say it needs to be handwritten; handwriting tends not to be perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC8488 Posted August 25, 2012 Report Share Posted August 25, 2012 What else are we supposed to do while we are playing the waiting game? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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