updating your application file

[guitarguy]

Well, I feel kind of stupid. I submitted my AMCAS back in July and have submitted 11 of my 12 secondaries. As I was writing the 11th secondary, I realized that I had forgotten to list one of my leadership activities on the AMCAS or mention it on any of the 10 already submitted secondaries. This activity wasn?t one of my most major activities, but I feel like it still pretty important and may add a new element to my application. So, do you think I should send an email to these 10 schools just saying that I wanted to update the activities I?ve been in, and then describe this last one. Or is it better to send this type of message by mail? Or do you think I should just forget about it, as it might seem pretty weird to them that I had forgotten to include this for all this time?

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[GuitarMan]

I'd send the update. In fact, I did something similar last year, and I sent an update. I don't think it will hurt you.

 

[Bounty]

I am in sort of a similar situation. I realized, looking over my AMCAS that I put the wrong end date on two of my activities including my most significant volunteer experience.
On the app, i accidentally wrote that i did it for 8 months instead of a YEAR and eight months argh. Same with the leadership thing. So what should i do? Should i send an email/letter to correct it? Would that draw attention to me making a lame mistake? (Like, if she can't even get the date right, how is she going to do in med school?)
But then again, I think it is important for them to know that I stuck with it for longer than eight months, right?

Thanks,
Bounty

 

[Cydney Foote]

I would send an email AND follow it up with a letter. The email will get there faster, in case your file is reviewed in the meantime, but the letter is more official. While every communication with applicants is supposed to go into their file, relying on the secretaries to print off your email and get it into your file isn't foolproof. Not to put the admissions secretaries down at all, but it gets really busy ... think about other professors coming by and picking pages off the printer, printer errors, and everything else that can get in your way. Letters are usually afforded more weight. And they look more professional.

 

[Bounty]

Ok I have a dumb question...
When you write letters to the admissions office, who do you address them to?

To whom it may concern? The director of admissions?

Thanks,
Bounty

 

[Cydney Foote]

Originally posted by Bounty
Ok I have a dumb question...
When you write letters to the admissions office, who do you address them to?

Address letters to: "Chair, Admissions Committee" (if you have the name, include it before this title).

The salutation can be either "Dear Admissions Committee" or "Dear Professor [name of the committee chair, if you have it]." "To Whom It May Concern" is also admissable, but it seems overly formal to me.