calling/writing the adcoms

[Chrisobean]

---

Members do not see this ad.

i keep hearing about LOIs and stuff and have some questions, if they can be answered by a previous thread please point me in the right direction!

is it common practice to call the offices and ask what is going on with your app? (obviously not in those words)

what is a reasonable amount of time to wait before calling?

what exactly should you say so you dont sound pushy, or should you just ask if they have all your documents?

and what if they have already notified you that your app is complete, should you call anyway?

what the hell is a LOI?

why and when do you write it, and what for?

sometimes i feel like i am so out of the loop.. this is my second time applying and i always thought calling the adcoms was unheard of.
i am a sponge waiting to absorb all the valuable information you can give!! 🙂
THANKS A BUNCH!!

good luck guys,
Bean

 

[finnpipette]

There seems to be a lot of debate on LOI, which stands for letter of interest.

What is it?
This is basically a letter saying why you like the school and why it'd be a perfect fit for you...basically saying that you're really interested, since med schools want to accept people that they think will enroll in their school.

When to send it?
More controversy. I personally think that it's good to send one soon after your interview, before the committee meets to talk about your application. Some say you should send it if you're wait-listed, which will help you to get off of the waitlist. I think it depends on the school...when I interviewed at Cornell, the interviewer told me to send one in immediately after the interview, and one around January when the committee meets again. Note that cornell is non-rolling. For rolling schools, i'd send it ASAP.

LOI - Letter of Intent
This is to seal the deal. After you've basically finished your interview season and weighed the pros and cons, if you find that there is one school to which you would really like to attend, a favorite that is, you can send a letter to them saying that they are your first choice and that you will definitely attend if accepted. I have heard that this is a binding agreement. Whether the medical school thinks you are their first choice is another matter of controvery, albeit out of our hands.

Best of luck to you. let us hope for rather than join in a sob session with a better luck next year theme

on a positive note, often times after an interview, the ball is in your court. If you send strong letters of interest to a school, it'll really help you gain acceptance, especially if you are borderline on their list. so make it happen.

 

[DrWuStar]

as for calling, it is well worth it to call and check in with the schools from time to time. there are many stories of people whose files were misplaced, interview invitations got lost in the mail, e-mails never got to them, etc.

it is smart to call the schools and make sure your file is complete if you have not heard from them and you think they should have everything.

once you confirm that you are complete, i would wait 6-8 weeks before calling again. it's kind of unreasonable to expect them to make any sort of decision sooner than that.

my apps have been complete since september. i call the schools i have not heard from post-secondary about once a month. sometimes they are nice to me, sometimes they are rude to me. i try not to worry about it and figure i would rather risk a rude phone interaction with some admissions receptionist than find out in june that i never heard from them because they lost my application.

you don't have to make up any fancy wording. i usually just say i'm calling to check on the status of my application. i don't think that's pushy.

 

[Amy B]

There is nothing wrong with contacting the admissions offices if it has been awhile since your application was complete. I have emailed the dean of admissions at the schools that I was still interested in. I simply asked if my application was still be considered for admission. I got back responses from each school. They are used to being contacted, so go ahead. It can help ease your mind a bit. make sure you include your full name and AMCAS ID #.

 

[hongspruce]

Can anyone dole out advice as to how to word letters of interest? Say, you have only 2 or 3 schools that you are interested in... would you state, you are one of my top choices for medical school?

In your opinion, would stating ONE of the top choices sound bad? Wouldn't the school prefer to see that they are your top choice, especially if you are on the tightrope for acceptance?

Can anyone give a more tactful line?

 

[bigbaubdi]

Originally posted by hongspruce
Can anyone dole out advice as to how to word letters of interest? Say, you have only 2 or 3 schools that you are interested in... would you state, you are one of my top choices for medical school?

In your opinion, would stating ONE of the top choices sound bad? Wouldn't the school prefer to see that they are your top choice, especially if you are on the tightrope for acceptance?

Can anyone give a more tactful line?

Most everyone will say "I would like to get accepted to school X" however I have a suspicion that adcoms look for the words "and I will withdraw my application to other schools if I am accepted."

That said, a letter of interest to your top 2 or 3 choices won't hurt. Definitely do not say "you are one of my top choices for med school." Rather, list the reasons why you are so interested in school X.

I did this with Columbia and I received a very nice letter from Dean Frantz!

 

[Super Rob]

I know that certain admissions committees (G-Town & co) request that you do not contact them for updates on your status - they plain out TELL you it drives them bonkers!

That being said, I'm wondering how near we are to the end of the "interview offer period" (esp for high ranked schools) and I'm very tempted to email these committees to see if...

a) they've got everything they need to crunk or junk me

and

b) If I'm still in the running for an interview

I broke down and emailed one of em two weeks ago. Based on the lack-of-a-response, I'm guessing that was a bad idea... sorta like when you ask someone a really stupid question and they just sorta look at you for a second and then carry on with their business.

So here's my Q: Has anybody called or emailed an adcom person and GOTTEN an interview offer soon after? Or has anyone been TOLD SOMETHING POSITIVE over the phone or through email, like "You'll be getting a letter soon" or "The committee meets again on thursday."?

 

[JohnHolmes]

Originally posted by finnpipette
LOI - Letter of Intent
This is to seal the deal. After you've basically finished your interview season and weighed the pros and cons, if you find that there is one school to which you would really like to attend, a favorite that is, you can send a letter to them saying that they are your first choice and that you will definitely attend if accepted. I have heard that this is a binding agreement.

Letters of Intent are NOT legally binding contracts. Do not feel scared to send a LOI if you have an obvious first choice school. Obviously do not send multiple letters of intent to one school or especially to separate schools.

Best,
Coops

 

[JohnHolmes]

Originally posted by bigbaubdi
Most everyone will say "I would like to get accepted to school X" however I have a suspicion that adcoms look for the words "and I will withdraw my application to other schools if I am accepted."

That said, a letter of interest to your top 2 or 3 choices won't hurt. Definitely do not say "you are one of my top choices for med school." Rather, list the reasons why you are so interested in school X.

I did this with Columbia and I received a very nice letter from Dean Frantz!

I disagree with part of this.

AMCAS rules specifically forbid that schools ask or require a withdrawl of applications from waiting lists or otherwise as a requirement for acceptance. Saying this is not expected and need not be said, since it is well understood such action is unnecessary and inappropriate.

Do not list the reasons why you want to go to that school. This will seem like you are brown nosing. This information should have come through in your secondary application essay and if not, in your intervew. LOI should be as short and direct as possible. Schools know their strengths, so if this school has prompted you to write a letter claiming an intent to enroll if accepted, they can be fairly certain their strengths are why you are doing this.

Alternatively its the only school you received an interview at. If your stats are lower, the LOI probably will not carry as much weight. That is just my opinion, however.
Best,
Coops

 

[hongspruce]

What if you have two schools who are tied in the running for first choice? I can't honestly send a letter of intent in this case. What else can I do to make myself a stronger candidate post interview?

 

[DoctorWannaBe]

Does anyone know if it is ok to call Baylor, Jefferson, or UPenn? I've been complete at these schools since October and haven't heard anything postsecondary. I also just got a Drexel interview and want to see if I will be interviewed at Jefferson and UPenn so I can schedule them together. What do you say when you call? Something like this: "I have been complete since October and was wondering if my application has been reviewed yet?", or does that sound too rude?