emailing dean of admissions while on waitlist

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camb370

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my cycle really didn't go as planned, unfortunately. I had a 3.86 cGPA/3.89 sGPA from a top 5 undergrad, 517 MCAT (125 CARS though), and only received 2 acceptances to relatively low-ranked schools. i also thought i had good ECs too, a good personal statement, etc. while i know this is kind of taboo, prestige is important to me since i want to go into academic medicine and higher-ranked institutions will have more opportunities for better research. i didn't get as many interviews from top 25 schools as i wanted, and from interviews i had, i got mostly waitlists (even after being told that i couldn't have interviewed better at most of them, and that interviewers would advocate for my app as much as possible), but nothing has panned out. right now, i'm on a waitlist at a top 10 school, but i was recently told the class has already been selected and that they don't expect any more students to come from the waitlist - still, if there were to be any openings, they said they'll review files.

since it seems like there's relatively little to lose, i was wondering if it would be okay to email the dean of admissions directly to express that the school is by far my top choice for several reasons. it'd be kept short and sweet. i just want to know if it's appropriate to send it to their email address or if this is considered presumptuous. thank you.
 
Use the form of communication recommended at your interview. Some deans may be receptive, others may not.

thank you for the reply. what if there was no form of communication described at the interview?
 
my cycle really didn't go as planned, unfortunately. I had a 3.86 cGPA/3.89 sGPA from a top 5 undergrad, 517 MCAT (125 CARS though), and only received 2 acceptances to relatively low-ranked schools. i also thought i had good ECs too, a good personal statement, etc. while i know this is kind of taboo, prestige is important to me since i want to go into academic medicine and higher-ranked institutions will have more opportunities for better research. i didn't get as many interviews from top 25 schools as i wanted, and from interviews i had, i got mostly waitlists (even after being told that i couldn't have interviewed better at most of them, and that interviewers would advocate for my app as much as possible), but nothing has panned out. right now, i'm on a waitlist at a top 10 school, but i was recently told the class has already been selected and that they don't expect any more students to come from the waitlist - still, if there were to be any openings, they said they'll review files.

since it seems like there's relatively little to lose, i was wondering if it would be okay to email the dean of admissions directly to express that the school is by far my top choice for several reasons. it'd be kept short and sweet. i just want to know if it's appropriate to send it to their email address or if this is considered presumptuous. thank you.
How would you interpret a nonbinding promise from a desperate applicant?

Read this:
HomeSkool's Guide to Letters of Intent

Second letter of intent? Help!
 
You do NOT need to go to a top medical school to get into academic medicine.

Did you know the Chairman of the Dept of Otolaryngology at UCSF went to Drexel University(was called Hahnemann when he went there)?

Drexel is not exactly a top med school...and Dept Chair at UCSF is not exactly a lightweight academic position. A medical degree is a medical degree...what you do with it is more important than where you got it.
 
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