update letter

Hi all, I'm waiting to hear from a number of medical schools for this application cycle and I have been considering sending an update letter to schools I have yet to hear from (and who accept update letters); however, I haven’t really had much to update up to this point, and so I have abstained...

My confusion stems from things I've heard from friends and online. I am aware of what both types of LOI's contain, however I am unsure of when it is sent. From what I have read, it is sent after you have been deferred or wait-listed. However, I've also been told that they should be sent by early...

I had a couple of manuscripts I mentioned in my activities section as submitted that have recently been published. I was thinking of sending a letter with their pubmed listings. Do i need to include anything else? Any description of the papers/role/or any school specific stuff?

I’m currently waitlisted at 2 schools that have unranked waitlists to my understanding. I already sent a publication update/LOCI to both schools last month but just received notice of another new publication (albeit this one is minor as it is a case report). Should I send another update letter...

Hello! I was fortunate to have been named a semifinalist in the Stanford Knight-Hennessy Scholars program, a scholarship that applies to all graduate applicants at Stanford. 7% of all applicants make it to this stage. Would this be an appropriate update for other medical schools (i.e. other...

Hi, I just received exciting news that a manuscript I am co-author on has been accepted into Nature. Although there is a pre-print online (so a DOI and PMID can be provided), I don't have any other "proof" of acceptance status. How should I format the update on app portals? Would a simple letter...

Is it worth sending an update letter about an accepted manuscript listed in my activities that is now published and the start of my research job at a well-respected academic hospital? I know starting a job isn’t necessarily the biggest news, but I was wondering how big of a gap there is between...

Without totally doxxing myself, I work a healthcare job for an organization and am contracted with what we will call a client. My state's professional organization awarded my organization and the client an award, but it was really because of the work I do. Would it be useful to send an update...

Hi everyone :) I am applying currently, and I have a new pub (review article, co-first author). I was hoping to use this as a way to communicate my interest in some schools that 1) I have interviewed at or 2) I haven't received II's from. But I realized that I haven't done as much as I had...

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Hello! I'm completing secondaries, and when schools ask the "anything else" question, I have been including that my paper was published after I submitted my AMCAS application. Is it recommended to include this information in a secondary? Or is it better to save it for an update letter so I have...

Hello! I submitted my primary app and have started to receive my secondaries. About a week ago, my case report was published. It was not included anywhere on my primary and for a lot of schools, there is not a space on the secondary to indicate that I have a publication. When would it be...

Please do not quote this message. I substantially contributed to a manuscript that was just accepted by a fairly well-known journal. I have questions about updating schools: Should I wait until my semester grades are also released? I expect a 4.0. This is expected to occur January 1. Should I...

I have a couple of things that I want to include in my update letter but I'm unsure as to whether or not they are significant enough. None of these activities were previously mentioned in my application. 1. Creating a protocol along with my PI and submitting it to IRB for approval worth...

Hi All, hope your cycle is going great. I am a non-trad, very low-GPA ok-MCAT ok-SMP ok-EC applicant that was mostly completed in mid-August to early September. It's the first cycle for me, and I applied wide, but no II yet. I heard about the thanksgiving rule, and I am getting worried, so I...

I was recently published in a respectable journal as a middle author. Is this large enough to warrant an update letter? Also I have had interviews from two schools and have yet to hear back, should I send an update letter to them too? I know they have already had adcom meetings, I have not been...

Hi everyone, I'm a current applicant and I recently got a scribing job (my clinical hours were on the lower side when I applied). My question is - how long should I wait (in hours or months worked) until I can update schools about my new job? Can I update them immediately, or is that advised...

My undergrad takes up to 8 weeks from the time of primary verification to write their committee letter and send all LORs. And guess what, they took the full 8 weeks minus two days to send mine, so my apps were not complete until 9/7 (it’s messed up I know). Regardless, I just started a new job...

Hey guys! I recently sent an update letter to some of the schools I applied to and included my class schedule for this final semester (among more substantial updates). Unfortunately, due to a staffing issue my section of anatomy is no longer being offered and I have to drop the course. Is this...

Recently got my abstract accepted for an oral presentation at a national conference. Was wondering how this is viewed upon on and whether it would give me a boost for updates as I am waitlisted at a T10. I've had poster presentations and co-authored two basic science papers before, so I'm not...

Hey everyone! So last week I went to the Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society (SERMACS) and I presented my research (its educational biochem research). There were 1400 abstracts submitted (idk if this is something worth mentioning). My whole trip was sponsored by...

Hi all, Just had a few quick questions about updating schools. I was fortunate enough to have a co-author publication be accepted and published at a mid-high impact journal today. I also have already attended two MD IIs, and have two more in the coming weeks. For those schools, should I wait...

Hey everyone! I applied to a medical school via early decision, so I will be accepted, rejected, or waitlisted on or before October 1st, 2019. I recently started volunteering as a scribe/translator at a local free medical clinic that caters to the Hispanic and Latino populations. This is...

I've sent secondaries to all of my schools earlier this month, and 3 of my research papers (2 primaries, 1 secondary authorship) have been accepted for publication. Is this reason to reach out right now to schools accepting updates? Any help would be much appreciated!

Have you interviewed at a medical school and still waiting to hear back? Or are you waiting to hear from a school, period? It's a good time to send them an update letter! Read our two very popular Cracking Med School Admissions blogs on update letters. 1) 4 Tips for Medical School Update...

I am under active consideration at a school after interviewing so I was hoping to send an update letter. All I have to update them with is second author abstract presented at an international conference and also published in their journal. Should I add a department grand rounds presentation I am...

I recently took GenChem/Organic Chemistry (14XB) through UCLA Extension program. It was a in-classroom course, and I was able to achieve an A. I had a C- during my freshman year in undergrad for general chemistry. My university did not allow me to retake for the C-. My question is: is my...

Hi all. I’m going to be sending in an update letter to a school that I’m waitlisted at soon. I’m wondering if it would be appropriate to include my weight loss/weight training/diet in the letter? Since June, I’ve lost 20 lbs through weight training, diet, and consistent walking. It’s been a...

Hi everyone and good luck to everyone else in this year's application cycle! I have applied to many schools this cycle and have completed the application relatively early (ranging from mid-July to mid-August). I have not heard many of these schools back. No holds, no rejections, no anything. The...

After I submitted my AMCAS, I finished a class this summer and got an A. This A brings my sGPA from like 2.98 to 3.05, which is right around my cGPA. So far I've only been pre-II rejected by three state schools, which all said something to the effect of "your application wasn't competitive...

I recently got a research assistant position at an ivy league school. I'll be doing some pretty cool work. Is it worth submitting an update to my top schools to let them know about this? Or won't make much of a difference?

Hi everyone! I am applying this cycle to podiatry schools. I have already sent in my application along with my LORs. I am taking the MCAT later this month. I was wondering if anyone knew what the procedure was to update podiatry schools? I already submitted the primary application, but I wanted...

How should I go about updating schools about this fall semester grades? Do I need to send an unofficial transcript? This is for MD schools that are silent (complete in late July)

Hi all, I recently interviewed at a school after applying just over a month before my interview. I am wondering if I should send the post interview update now or wait a few weeks and do it after the chaos of the holidays. My reasoning for doing it later is that the secondary had space to update...

I recently had a pub accepted for publication, and have started a new volunteering gig. At this point in the cycle, I've interviewed at all the schools I am going to, and I'm waiting for decisions. Should I wait for a decision to send this update letter so that I have something to say if I'm...

One of the schools that I was waitlisted at is adamant about sending updates and expressing interest. I interviewed there mid-September and was waitlisted mid-October. I am just curious about what the format of these updates should look like, along with what an appropriate length is. Plus, how...

I have been a scribe for a few months now and I have a better understanding of primary care. Should I update this to the schools that accept updates if I write a paragraph about how this job has impacted me and my pursuit of medicine?

Hi all, first time poster here so I apologize in advance if I'm posting this in the wrong place. I have a question regarding updates to medical schools that I can't really find a definitive answer for online so I'm posting here to get advice from people more knowledgeable than myself. I...

I recently interviewed at a school, and I was given a specific email for interviewed applicants to send thank you notes (to admissions, not interviewers) and updates. Is it appropriate to thank admissions for giving me the opportunity to interview with my interviewers, and then in a later...

I took 3 classes over the summer and just got my grades back for them a couple days ago and did well (A, A and A-). I don't have anything else to update schools with though. Should I send an update to every school I applied to that I got those grades on those classes or wait until I have more to...