How Does a Letter of Intent Work?

search the forum for more wise words on this matter.
in a nutshell,

dear dean XX,

i'd like to reaffirm that YY is my first choice school. YY is my first choice school for reasons AA and BB. if accepted, i will attend.

sincerely,
ZZ

ps. a LOI is binding for all our intents and purposes (meaning if you retract on your word you will be in bad bad shape).

i would make the letter formal. no sidewalk humor about giving your kidneys or other valuable internal organs unless you know the dean personally. they're extremely important in a waitlist situation. (referring, of course, to LOIs and not internal organs)

let me put it this way.

week 1:

YY school has great students. students students students students, students students students students students! students students students.

week 2:

YY school has great facilities. facilities facilities facilities, facilities facilities facilities facilities facilities; facilities facilities facilities facilities.

week 3:

YY school has a great curriculum. curriculum curriculum curriculum curriculum--curriculum curriculum, curriculum curriculum.

and so on and so forth. obviously you should try to touch on everything the first go, but if you get struck by inspiration and find something else you love about the school, don't hesitate to tell them what it is.

note: if you retract on a LO intent (not to be confused with LO interest), you can lose all your acceptances and should forget about acquiring a future residency position at the school (to which you lied).

Originally posted by mvervaine

note: if you retract on a LO intent (not to be confused with LO interest), you can lose all your acceptances and should forget about acquiring a future residency position at the school (to which you lied).

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Though I think that it is ethically wrong to write a letter of intent and then retract, I doubt you would lose all of your acceptances held elsewhere. You would just look like an ASS. And you might jeopardize your chances at getting a residency in the future, if they happen to remember you.

I get the impressions that LOIs are ethically binding, but not really legally binding.

speaking of ethics,

many people say that you're suppose to withdraw all of your applications once u go to orientation week. however, at one of my interviews, my student host told me that one of the students he met during orientation week decided to drop out of that school to attend ucla after ucla offerred him/her a spot.

Originally posted by mvervaine
note: if you retract on a LO intent (not to be confused with LO interest), you can lose all your acceptances and should forget about acquiring a future residency position at the school (to which you lied).

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That's not true at all. Most schools could care less about what happens at other schools and admissions departments don't talk to each other.

Last year, Hero was waitlisted at USC and I helped him write a letter of intent to USC. It should definately be a lot longer than 2 sentances. We wrote about 5 paragraphs about everything that was great about USC and why he wanted to be there above all other schools. He was the first person taken off the waitlist and on his acceptance letter was a personal note from the dean of admissions about how his letter of intent actually helped him get in. So definately make it personal and research why you want to go to the school. Make them believe it.

PS other schools such as Columbia and Michigan look very highly on LOI's.

Hm, I'd imagine if it were ranked 1,2,3,4.... etc., a letter of intent probably wouldn't have as great an effect. If the waitlist pool is ranked into groups, say first-tier, second-tier, etc...a letter of intent could bump you groups or perhaps get you into the top of your group.

(speculation)

So when should you write a LOI? Should it be around May 15, or as soon as you actually know which school is your first choice? This is my situation, so far I'm waiting for UCLA/Drew post interview results anytime now. If I get rejected should I send a LOI immediately to my then first choice Tulane, where I'm waitlisted at, or should I wait until May, cuz this is when most waitlist movement occurs? Any advice would be great.

Originally posted by odelay
. . . but does it actually move you up a RANKED waiting list? any ideas?

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why not? schools want to admit people that they think will come to their school. If you clearly indicate that you will, I imagine you would gain brownie points...

Originally posted by Deuce 007 MD
So when should you write a LOI? Should it be around May 15, or as soon as you actually know which school is your first choice? This is my situation, so far I'm waiting for UCLA/Drew post interview results anytime now. If I get rejected should I send a LOI immediately to my then first choice Tulane, where I'm waitlisted at, or should I wait until May, cuz this is when most waitlist movement occurs? Any advice would be great.

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I don't think it matters. If you *know* you have a top choice I would send *them* (ie Drew/UCLA) a letter of intent, not wait to be rejected and send one to my 2nd choice...If I did end up rejected from my first choice then I would immediately send one to my 2nd choice (if it was now the clear leader).

I think the only point at which you shouldn't be sending letters of intent is if you really aren't sure if you would go to that school if you were accepted...at least thats how I choose to do it.

i sent a letter of intent to my #1 choice already. they are non-rolling admissions, and i've been accepted at my #2 choice. i sent them an update to my file (a new publication abstract and then told them i'm still employed at company x and volunteering at clinic Y). in the 2nd paragraph, i thanked them again for my interview. spouted just what it was that made their school my top choice, etc. and in the 3rd paragraph, i told them that if i were offered a spot in the 2003 entering class, it was my intention to withdraw from all other schools and matriculate at their school.

why did i sent it now? 1) the school is non-rolling, so all decisions are sent out at once and it is a pretty foo-foo school, so who knows about waitlist movement. (this may not be a valid reason, but it factored into my decision to send the letter) 2) when it comes down to making the decision between me and another applicant, who to accept/waitlist or who to waitlist/reject, i want them to see that letter of intent in my file even before they potentially waitlist or reject me over the other person who is equally qualified. because i am guaranteeing i will come to their school if they let me in. 3) i had an update to my file. 4) it is my end-all-be-all top choice, no doubt about it.

Hey guys I have a question.

I'm currently writing letters of intent/interest to UCSF and UC Davis.

Should it be 1 page or less? Or can it go on to a second page? Thanks.

As long as you're not rambling...you must have solid things to say.

I hope a LOI will help my chances...will post here what happens in the waitlist pool.

Hello,
I was just wondering you would you address a letter of interest/intent to? Would it be the dean of admissions or the director of admissions? and what if you are updating your file, do you still write it to the dean??
Also, how have you guys been sending such letters? snail mail, fax or email?? Alright, Thanks!!

I've said this many times before, and here we go again.

Hero, on this board last year, was waitlisted at USC. I helped him write a letter, and in the letter it listed, in detail, why he liked USC, why USC should like him, and how he would absolutely love to be there next year. He was the first one admitted off the waitlist, and when he got the letter, it had a personal note from the director of admissions mentioning how she really liked the letter.

So basically, you need to prove to the admin committee that a school is really your first choice if you want the letter to have any effect. I personally believe a 2 sentance letter would be useless.