How many updates is too many?

[lostsnowbird]

I've interviewed at just one school, I'm on hold there, and I have a lot of eggs in that basket. I've already sent them two letters since then detailing my activities, grades, etc. I just spent time externing w/ one of their profs in the ER dept and I really want to tell them, but I don't want to look annoying and desperate. Thoughts? Is there a such thing as "too much?" information?

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[FemalesCANTDriv]

ya there is prolly a thing as too much info but not if ure just tellin them another thing that is relevant... i think too much info would be telling them that you did your laundry this past weekend or something

 

[Darkshooter326]

I think you'll be fine. If you are sending these updates via snail mail, what likely happens is a secretary opens the envelope, skims the contents, then adds the paper to your file. It won't look bad, it will just be an update, taken in the context of the application as a whole.

 

[notdeadyet]

Is there a such thing as "too much?" information?

Yes. You're going to run out of updates. I think writing a nice final letter now with your update is fine. A fourth update just reeks a bit of desperation, unless you have something incredibly significant going on. And if it's soon, hold off on the fourth.

 

[foofish]

I've interviewed at just one school, I'm on hold there, and I have a lot of eggs in that basket. I've already sent them two letters since then detailing my activities, grades, etc. I just spent time externing w/ one of their profs in the ER dept and I really want to tell them, but I don't want to look annoying and desperate. Thoughts? Is there a such thing as "too much?" information?

Why not get a letter of recommendation from that professor instead? A letter from one of their own faculty members saying that you're a great candidate would have more impact than yet another update letter....

 

[star6927]

I totally understand your situation, being put on "hold" after the interview at the school you really really really want to go to is not fun. After talking to my advisor about how to handle the situation, I sent an update/letter of interest and an additional letter of recommendation. My advisor suggested waiting on anything else until it gets further along in their season and if you are put on a waitlist, you are going to definitely want something to send the school then. I don't think overwhelming them with updates is going to be impressive right now because they are still looking at a large number of applicants. However, I really do feel that urge to impress them with anything I can now.

 

[braluk]

By the time summer hits, I think bothering them with Letters of Intents couldn't hurt. That is, sending 2-3 over the course of the year, with 2 of them in the summer might make them remember you as an applicant come final decision time. I would also address it to the dean or asst. dean of admissions, not the office of admissions if you want a moer personalized approach

 

[lostsnowbird]

thank you so much for the thoughts...yeah I do want to ask him for a rec letter, but I don't know him incredibly well and I'm trying to figure how to do it w/o being awkward about it.

 

[kypdurron5]

I've interviewed at just one school, I'm on hold there, and I have a lot of eggs in that basket. I've already sent them two letters since then detailing my activities, grades, etc. I just spent time externing w/ one of their profs in the ER dept and I really want to tell them, but I don't want to look annoying and desperate. Thoughts? Is there a such thing as "too much?" information?

I think one update is usually too many. The whole point of the AMCAS, essays, and secondaries is to get everything out there in a format that allows them to easily evaluate your application. Sending letters just to say "oh, and one more thing...." or to repeat things you've already listed (or just didn't bother to list the first time) is not the optimal way to get yourself noticed.

 

[wannaGETinDR]

I think one update is usually too many. The whole point of the AMCAS, essays, and secondaries is to get everything out there in a format that allows them to easily evaluate your application. Sending letters just to say "oh, and one more thing...." or to repeat things you've already listed (or just didn't bother to list the first time) is not the optimal way to get yourself noticed.

Tell me then how am i to tell the schools my fall quarter grades when they just came out and the amcas was sent in months ago!

 

[LIRRfriend]

I think one update is usually too many. The whole point of the AMCAS, essays, and secondaries is to get everything out there in a format that allows them to easily evaluate your application. Sending letters just to say "oh, and one more thing...." or to repeat things you've already listed (or just didn't bother to list the first time) is not the optimal way to get yourself noticed.

I think that you may have a point in some cases. Sending updates out when you're just repeating things is not really that much of a help. However new things do come up that are not possible to mention in AMCAS and secondaries, especially if you submit applications early. In my case, for example, I received an award, found out about a new conference that I will be presenting at, and began work on a paper that my college lab group will be submitting for publication (and for which I will be a lead author, which I was not aware of previously). In addition, I started a new research job in June, which was around the same time I submitted my AMCAS (and right after graduating), making it impossible to talk about this in AMCAS. I therefore felt that an update was necessary. I do think that it's important to wait until there are a few things to talk about, or large developments with one thing, before submitting an update.

 

[kypdurron5]

Tell me then how am i to tell the schools my fall quarter grades when they just came out and the amcas was sent in months ago!

If you haven't provided them enough information about you to make a decision without a single semester of grades then your application is in serious trouble! Furthermore, let's examine the possibilities. 1) You do better than any other semester. Do you really think one semester of improvement is really going to make a difference? 2) You do worse than in other semesters. This could only hurt your application. 3) You do the same as in other semesters. Then you're just providing a school with "more of the same"; that's JUST what they wanted to know, let me tell you! It's not going to help you, and if anything else it will hurt you for wasting their time. Letters of intent are a different story, but just an "update" letter is virtually useless in all but a few cases (for instance; if you've delivered a baby in an elevator, shadowed a Nobel prize winner not previously mentioned, etc.).

 

[kypdurron5]

I think that you may have a point in some cases. Sending updates out when you're just repeating things is not really that much of a help. However new things do come up that are not possible to mention in AMCAS and secondaries, especially if you submit applications early. In my case, for example, I received an award, found out about a new conference that I will be presenting at, and began work on a paper that my college lab group will be submitting for publication (and for which I will be a lead author, which I was not aware of previously). In addition, I started a new research job in June, which was around the same time I submitted my AMCAS (and right after graduating), making it impossible to talk about this in AMCAS. I therefore felt that an update was necessary. I do think that it's important to wait until there are a few things to talk about, or large developments with one thing, before submitting an update.

Exactly, I completely agree. THIS is a case where someone should send an update letter. But again, in my opinion, sending them a letter just to say "Oh, and by the way...I had another 4.0 semester" is a waste of everyone's time.

 

[shantster]

I think one update is usually too many. The whole point of the AMCAS, essays, and secondaries is to get everything out there in a format that allows them to easily evaluate your application. Sending letters just to say "oh, and one more thing...." or to repeat things you've already listed (or just didn't bother to list the first time) is not the optimal way to get yourself noticed.

Some stuff does come up later on that was not expected before you submitted the AMCAS. I've been to schools on interviews that have told us to update with new information if a decision has not been reached on our file. Personally, I've had a number of things come up unexpectedly that I feel are worthy to demonstrate my qualifications for a particular school that I could not have known when the AMCAS was submitted in June and I plan on submitting update letters with all that information to the schools by the end of the month.

 

[wannaGETinDR]

If you haven't provided them enough information about you to make a decision without a single semester of grades then your application is in serious trouble! Furthermore, let's examine the possibilities. 1) You do better than any other semester. Do you really think one semester of improvement is really going to make a difference? 2) You do worse than in other semesters. This could only hurt your application. 3) You do the same as in other semesters. Then you're just providing a school with "more of the same"; that's JUST what they wanted to know, let me tell you! It's not going to help you, and if anything else it will hurt you for wasting their time. Letters of intent are a different story, but just an "update" letter is virtually useless in all but a few cases (for instance; if you've delivered a baby in an elevator, shadowed a Nobel prize winner not previously mentioned, etc.).

so your saying i should update them on this?