effect of telling school they're your top pick?

[EMDream]

Just curious, how much of a pull does it have if you tell a school that they are you top choice. Of course I am sure it must be taken with a grain of salt.
How do you let them know, secondaries? interview? letter of intent after interview?

Does it make a difference if its a lower tier school (I am thinking suny buffalo here)?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[thewzdoc]

I wouldn?t think this would ?do anything? for the adcoms. If they weren?t your top choice would you tell them that you really hoped to be admitted to XYZ or XPZ school but this school would do in pinch?

They will generally ask you "Why do you want to go to GHP?"

 

[LoneCoyote]

I think it depends what part of the cycle you are in for telling the school they are your #1. For example, I sent a letter of intent after the interview because it is at that point that you know the most about the school. However, when it was Dec. or Jan. and I was still waiting for secondaries or interviews from schools, I sent update letters and indicated that the school was my "top choice" or one of my "top choices." It seemed to work in that I got the secondaries/interviews. I think it could definitely help with your state school because it would let them know you are serious about going there and not going to turn them down for a bigger name. But I would not send it super-early because it might seem weird if you haven't done some interviews yet to get an impression of different schools.

 

[kingcer0x]

I really think its only going to help you at a school where you are granted an interview, or where your numbers are much higher than their averages. I dont think it will help you if you are not considered a competitive applicant by the school (meaning you won't get an interview).

Its worth a shot though.

 

[mikedc813]

I sent USF a LOI (letter of intent) post-interview. I have a feeling it did have an effect because: 1) my 3.5 gpa surely wasn't stellar; 2) I got a 22R the first time on the MCAT because I was sick and had to retake, the 2nd time getting a 29R; 3) I had one major extracurricular which was coordinating a mentoring program for middle school ESL students. My scores surely weren't excellent, but they were good enough to be considered apparently. I think that I had a great interview and afterwards letting them know I wanted to go there over everyone else probably gave me some sort of advantage, especially since I didn't even interview until the end of March.

From what I have heard, LOIs are a serious matter. Only send a LOI if you are serious about accepting that school.

 

[mikedc813]

Oh, and sending a LOI doesn't really do anything for you until after your interview at that school. They won't take it seriously if you do so beforehand because you haven't met them yet and they haven't met you.

 

[Bones2008]

Oh, and sending a LOI doesn't really do anything for you until after your interview at that school. They won't take it seriously if you do so beforehand because you haven't met them yet and they haven't met you.

I second this. Better to hold off until after an interview.

 

[EMDream]

Thanks for the responses.

 

[phosphorylation]

well, heres the thing, what would happen if your almost possitive that its impossible to get an interview with that school. ie. your stats are way below the school's average, your MCAT's in august, etc.

I'm pretty sure they will think twice before trying to send me a letter of anything, so I was thinking if it would be realistic to send an LOI. I'm not expecting anything form the LOI, but if you really think about it, it can't really hurt, can it?

 

[phosphorylation]

oh, by the way, I forgot to ask also, when writing an LOI, who do you write it out to? the addcoms, or the dean? and if its the adcoms, on the envelope, u just put "admissions comittee" and the address of the medical school your applying to? or if its the dean you just write the dean's name on top of the address of that medical school? just out of curiosity, thanks a lot people....

george

 

[ZekeMD]

Rochester was my top choice and during my interview when he asked, "Do you have anything else you'd like to add?" I said, "Rochester is my top choice and I'd come here in a heartbeat." Or something along those lines. He smiled and said it was good to hear. I got in about a month later.

 

[ZOT! ZOT!]

I told both my student interviewer and my faculty interviewer at UCI that UCI is my top choice and I would absolutely attend if offered admission and that I wrote letters explicitly stating so. I wrote a total of 3-4 letters, each time making it clear that I would go to UCI and withdraw from ANY institution I may be accepted at. My very first LOI to UCI was pre0interview and I got the interview a week later. You can draw your own conclusions.

I also dropped names as to where I was accepted in some of the letters and in my last email, I made sure to let them know that I was worried about making plans to move to my other CA school and hearing from UCI too late. I guess the last email/letter did it because I got in a week later.

Who knows what goes on behind the scenes, but I would say being persistent helped. Also, I had gotten into a few schools before UCI and maybe the fact that a bunch of other schools wanted me made me more desireable.

Good Luck!!!

 

[phosphorylation]

thanks for the replies guys, but I'm still wondering, who do I write the letter to, the dean, or the admissions committee? i have the address of the school, but I don't know who to write it to. Is it alright if I write it to the dean him/herself?

Thanks!

george

 

[OnMyWayThere]

Also, I had gotten into a few schools before UCI and maybe the fact that a bunch of other schools wanted me made me more desireable.

Good Luck!!!

SO that's why girls look at me when I go to a club with my girlfriend but not when I'm there with my guy friends.

 

[phosphorylation]

bump....

please help someone, I've already finished the letters I want to send, but I don't know who to make them out to. The dean or the admissions commitee, I know for a fact that there are a lot of us who wrote these things, I just want to know to who, PLEASE!

thanks!


george

 

[phosphorylation]

comon people, there has to be someone who can help me....its not that complicated...all i want to know is whether to write it to the admissions commitee or to the dean....whoever did these from before, please, please tell me who you wrote them out to..PLEASE!

 

[EMDream]

comon people, there has to be someone who can help me....its not that complicated...all i want to know is whether to write it to the admissions commitee or to the dean....whoever did these from before, please, please tell me who you wrote them out to..PLEASE!

You could do both. I don't see any major harm.