Being proactive vs. being annoying

[chessknt]

So as the 2009 cycle approaches I want to get a good idea of what I should be doing throughout this process since I am the first person I personally know to go through it.

After completing secondaries, will it be clear once a school has received all pertinent information (ie LoRs), or do they just let you know when they have received your completed essay forms?

How long after a completed secondary (assuming it was done in a timely matter) should one wait before doing some sort of follow up? Is it even appropriate to do a follow up?

When do LOIs (interest and intent) get sent out during this process?

When doing a follow up on a waitlist position or a hold, what exactly can one say in order to make it clear that you are interested in their school and thus a good candidate for an acceptance, but not sound annoying/desperate?

Have these types of follow up ever been shown to do any good?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can answer any of these.

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[silverlining1]

So as the 2009 cycle approaches I want to get a good idea of what I should be doing throughout this process since I am the first person I personally know to go through it.

After completing secondaries, will it be clear once a school has received all pertinent information (ie LoRs), or do they just let you know when they have received your completed essay forms?

In general, schools will have a status page that will indicate whether they have received your essays and LORs. This does vary, though.

How long after a completed secondary (assuming it was done in a timely matter) should one wait before doing some sort of follow up? Is it even appropriate to do a follow up?

I can't really think of what sort of follow up you would do. At this point, you're waiting for an interview invite, which could really take anywhere from a week to several months to receive. Hang in there. Some schools will allow you to send up dates (such as new grades, awards, and activities) - check with individual schools, though, as some don't allow updates.

When do LOIs (interest and intent) get sent out during this process?

People most frequently send LOIs after an interview/before receiving a decision OR after receiving a waitlist.

When doing a follow up on a waitlist position or a hold, what exactly can one say in order to make it clear that you are interested in their school and thus a good candidate for an acceptance, but not sound annoying/desperate?

Hmm... this question is pretty hard to answer - it would be easier to look at your LOI and critique it. In general, though, be specific about the reasons why you want to go to that particular school and what you can contribute to the class.

Have these types of follow up ever been shown to do any good?

Absolutely. Many schools say that, particularly when they go to the waitlist, they like to see people who have clearly demonstrated interest and would be very likely to attend the school if accepted. Alwaysaangel is an example on SDN of persistence via LOIs giving way to an acceptance.