AAMC says you must decide by may 15 whether or not you will matriculate at a school. So if someone decided to matriculate in school A, and submitted the decision to that school, and somehow school B's waitlist started moving (on May 16th) and that person is the first on the list, will that person be able to matriculate at school B? first of all, will school B even contact that person since he has already submitted the LOI.
question regarding how waitlist works
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Ignoring the LOI for a second, yes after May 15th you can accept a spot on a wait list but you must immediately relinquish your spot at School A (forfeiting your deposit).
School B's Dean will usually call School A to let them know that B is offering you a spot.
I'm not sure where your letter of intent was to in this scenario.
If it was to A, then you wouldn't be on the Waitlist to B since you would have withdrawn.
If it was to B then yes, they would still contact you and you would withdraw from A (not able to get your deposit back) as well as any other waitlists you are on.
School B's Dean will usually call School A to let them know that B is offering you a spot.
I'm not sure where your letter of intent was to in this scenario.
If it was to A, then you wouldn't be on the Waitlist to B since you would have withdrawn.
If it was to B then yes, they would still contact you and you would withdraw from A (not able to get your deposit back) as well as any other waitlists you are on.
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Even though you hold an acceptance and have paid the deposit, you may get off a waitlist at another school after May 15, as you are allowed to hold multiple waitlist spots. While you aren't supposed to hold a second acceptance for long, practically speaking it often happens that you need to maintain both for a period of time (2 weeks or so seems typical) while you wait for financial aid information. So long as you communicate with both schools and they know the issue and the reason for the delay, holding two spots a little longer is acceptable and within the "rules". The key is good communication.
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Are you asking whether you could get into school B off the waitlist, even if you submitted a letter of intent to School A (which then presumably accepted you)?
If so, the answer is yes you can. If you wrote an LOI, you don't have any legal obligation to go. And you aren't taken off consideration from B unless you withdraw from that waitlist.
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For the purposes of this example, let's assume you have two offers, from schools A and B , and two waitlists: your favorite, School C, and School D.
On May 15 you accept the offer from School A and drop School B. You are allowed to stay on the waitists C and D. May 16th you hear from School D and will be allowed a short time (typically 2 weeks) to consider the offer. In the end, you choose school D. On June 15, you hear from School C. Again, you can take awhile to consider the offer and then can drop School D and accept C.
Now I don't put much stock in "Letters of Intent". This is not NCAA. You may have submitted a deposit and said you will matriculate but schools realize that if you get off of a waitlist, you may make a change.
On May 15 you accept the offer from School A and drop School B. You are allowed to stay on the waitists C and D. May 16th you hear from School D and will be allowed a short time (typically 2 weeks) to consider the offer. In the end, you choose school D. On June 15, you hear from School C. Again, you can take awhile to consider the offer and then can drop School D and accept C.
Now I don't put much stock in "Letters of Intent". This is not NCAA. You may have submitted a deposit and said you will matriculate but schools realize that if you get off of a waitlist, you may make a change.
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LizzyM--
Are you saying that schools don't expect us to uphold our side of a letter of intent? I was always under the impression that if you submit a letter of intent, and you are accepted, you must withdraw all other acceptances, waitlists, holds, and applications? Is this not true? B/c if that is the case, it changes everything!
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I know of no rules regarding "Letters of Intent", See https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/recommendations/62820/policies_applicants.html
for the published recommendations for handling admissions.
You talk about "your side" but a LOI is entirely "your side". I thnk that the admissions office consider them like Valentines... you might say "Love U 4ever" but experience tells us that this sentiment, while sincere today, might change.
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I think the person above is referring to when someone who is waitlised writes a school saying "If you accept me, I will attend your school and withdrawl all my apps elsewhere." While there might not be rules that oblige you to follow through on your promise, it certainly looks bad to make such strong statements and then change your mind.
On the other hand, if you get an acceptance, and respond with a deposit saying that you plan to attend this school next year, then that is NOT a LOI (the way commonly used on SDN anyways) and you can change your mind at any point before matriculation without hard feelings (assuming you abide by the May 15 deadline).
Lizzy can correct me if this is wrong.
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It might look bad but the school has no recourse.... You might say, "if you accept me" but most schools do not make offers based on these Valentines; they make offers because they believe that the applicant will be a good addition to the class.
If you say "I will withdraw all applications if you grant my wish" then it would be honest to do so and that's the end of it. However, the school can't hold you to your sweet talk based on the AAMC traffic recommendations.
I am on the adcom that makes final decision and I've never seen a LOI -- I think that they mean nothing to adcoms and deans.
If you say "I will withdraw all applications if you grant my wish" then it would be honest to do so and that's the end of it. However, the school can't hold you to your sweet talk based on the AAMC traffic recommendations.
I am on the adcom that makes final decision and I've never seen a LOI -- I think that they mean nothing to adcoms and deans.
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C
cowme
How about letters of interest to residency programs. Anyone read those?
A letter of intent (ie. Telling a PRogram director you rank them #1) carries more weight for residency, as some programs actually have incentives to not "fall down their rank list" ( ie if 10 of their top 15 ranked candidates end up at the program), the PD may get a bonus. A simple letter of interest means nada
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This was in fact what I meant, sending a letter telling them that they are your number 1 choice I would consider a Letter Of Interest as it's telling them your level of "INTEREST" in the school.
A Letter Of Intent, however, is a letter saying that "I INTEND" to Matriculate and withdraw my other schools' applications should you accept me.
(An aside, I avoid using "LOI" as both are abbreviated the same way and causes a lot of confusion on here!)
I re-read the Traffic Rules (which are technically recommendations only anyway and not actually rules right?) and you are right., there is nothing in there saying anything about Letters Of Intent, but I would have to be hard pressed to go against my word (there would have to be a very compelling reason other than I had a change of heart).
I'm surprised that you have never seen one. I know that some schools will leave the dean with a lot of discretion in accepting people off of the waitlist, and many of them (anecdotally from my premed advisor/member of my school's adcom conversations with various deans and other members of adcoms across the country) say that that will make a difference come June as the waitlists are moving.
LizzyM, could it be that once June rolls around the Dean had more discretion and the AdCom doesn't meet on the wailisted students? I'm very stunned to hear that in all of your experience you have not ever seen one!
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Letters of Interest do make a difference after May 15 if you are on the waitlist. Those decisions, at least at my school, are made by the Dean of Admissions and those letters might have an influence on who is tapped, particularly as the cycle winds down and a last minute withdrawal results in an available seat.
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Thank you Lizzy!
Great insight as always!
Great insight as always!
