Using Google Docs for letters of intent (and more!)

Here are some tips for using Google Docs (note- the first two tips also apply to Microsoft Word- with some differences, but are easier to do in Google Docs):

1. Comments in Letters of Intent (Grad Challenge). Try opening your junior’s letter of intent in Google Docs, then using “Insert Comment,” rather than typing directly in the doc. This makes it clear to the student where revisions are needed and separates your comments from the work itself. Each comment can also become a conversation (just hit reply) and/or be “resolved” once the issue is addressed. Here’s an example of a letter I was working on today (blurred to protect the innocent!).
2. Using Paragraph formatting. Next time you make a heading in a doc, try using paragraph formatting (it’s just to the left of the fonts- the default is Normal Text), rather than just increasing the font size. This serves two purposes: 1) you can automatically generate a table of contents and 2) for those using screen readers, they can skip from section to section rather than having to listen to the first 12 pages to get to content on the 13th. The video at the bottom of this post (which, BTW, I uploaded to Google Docs and shared) explains this further.

3. More fonts! Google Docs just added over 450 fonts, so you can now spend 5 minutes writing a document and 90 minutes choosing the perfect font for it! To check out additional fonts, click “Add Fonts” at the bottom of the font list.

4. Easier printing. Google Docs has improved the printing interface. Just click on the print icon in Google Docs (do not choose “Print” in the brower), choose your printer, and print.