Question about update letters!

[kittykattat]

For those of you applicants and current med students that have updated schools you were hoping to get interviews or acceptances from, and wanted to include your first semester grades:

Should I send a regular update email and just list my classes and the final grades I was just assigned in them? or if that is too informal should I order a new official transcript and scan it in and attach it to the email? (or is there fear of it getting separated from the email and the rest of the stuff I have to update on if I do that?) Or lastly, should I just play it safe and print out my update letter, throw in a hard copy of my official transcript, and snail mail it to the school?

Thank you all for your advice in advance

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[kittykattat]

Anyone? anything?

 

[seeinghowitgoes]

If the school requires you update them with grades, I imagine their website will have the proper procedure. Otherwise, I would either just include it in a general update email or not include it at all. Specifically, while it may help a bit to let a school that you've interviewed at know how you've been doing (especially if you want to use your new grades as evidence that you've been significantly improving), it's still very much questionable whether they'll care (presumably they have a good sample of your coursework already, after all); at school that has not yet offered an interview, I doubt they'll be looking into updates much.

Overall, in the opinion of somebody who sent several updates in a past cycle and had it work out fine (so really just based on personal experience, not insider knowledge or anything), if you want to include grades in an update letter, I think doing so by email is absolutely fine - no need to go get transcripts.

 

[gyngyn]

Anyone? anything?

If the schools you haven't heard from welcome "updates," send them what they want to hear by the the most effective mode. This is email at most institutions.

 

[nemo123]

I think @Catalystik has said it's better to just put the courses you've taken this past semester and say what the semester GPA was.

 

[Catalystik]

Should I send a regular update email and just list my classes and the final grades I was just assigned in them? or if that is too informal should I order a new official transcript and scan it in and attach it to the email? (or is there fear of it getting separated from the email and the rest of the stuff I have to update on if I do that?) Or lastly, should I just play it safe and print out my update letter, throw in a hard copy of my official transcript, and snail mail it to the school?

On occasion, a med school will request a formal transcript be sent to them after fall grades are out (which means it needs to come directly from the Registrar). Otherwise, it's fine to summarize in your fall update letter (where permitted) the GPA you received and the names of med-school relevant coursework.

Note: if the fall GPA doesn't reflect well on you, it is not necessary to mention it in the letter. You could just mention part of the information, namely specific excellent grades for a few relevant classes.