How to frame retail job in update letter/LOI?

[NotADoctor1]

Without going into too much detail, personal circumstances have forced me to move to a different state and the full-time clinical job that I have been working at for my gap year. No clinical roles near me wanted to hire me within such a short time frame, as I will be matriculating to an MD school this fall (understandably). I am now working at a well-known retail clothing chain. It is a primarily customer-facing role, so I interact with people all day and help them with their clothing needs. I am very disappointed to have left my clinical job, as I projected full-time hours for my entire gap year on my primary application. Fortunately, I am able to continue doing part-time remote work with the clinical role that I left, and I have started a new volunteering/teaching role for around 20 hours each week, so retail isn't the only activity I'm doing. How should I go about framing this retail job in an update letter/LOI to a school where I have been waitlisted?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Rachapkis]

How will updating medical schools on a retail job help you? Unless I am missing something, I would stay silent on this particular development. You are under no obligation to inform schools that you will not meet your projected hours. They understand all to well a projection may never materialize. If a school welcomes updates and you are keen to send one, I would update them on the volunteering/teaching role.

 

[NotADoctor1]

How will updating medical schools on a retail job help you? Unless I am missing something, I would stay silent on this particular development. You are under no obligation to inform schools that you will not meet your projected hours. They understand all to well a projection may never materialize. If a school welcomes updates and you are keen to send one, I would update them on the volunteering/teaching role.

If I do update schools about the volunteering position, I'm worried about not addressing leaving the full-time clinical role as the volunteering role is in a completely different city/state. Do you think it would be better just to skip the activity update entirely and just send an LOI?

 

[SilentHarbinger]

Without going into too much detail, personal circumstances have forced me to move to a different state and the full-time clinical job that I have been working at for my gap year. No clinical roles near me wanted to hire me within such a short time frame, as I will be matriculating to an MD school this fall (understandably). I am now working at a well-known retail clothing chain. It is a primarily customer-facing role, so I interact with people all day and help them with their clothing needs. I am very disappointed to have left my clinical job, as I projected full-time hours for my entire gap year on my primary application. Fortunately, I am able to continue doing part-time remote work with the clinical role that I left, and I have started a new volunteering/teaching role for around 20 hours each week, so retail isn't the only activity I'm doing. How should I go about framing this retail job in an update letter/LOI to a school where I have been waitlisted?

Wait, have you been accepted and are 100% matriculating this fall? If so, I'm not sure why you would be sending an update letter to the school. If you are still waiting on any acceptances or waitlist movements, then you can probably send an update/LOI without mentioning the retail position.

 

[NotADoctor1]

Wait, have you been accepted and are 100% matriculating this fall? If so, I'm not sure why you would be sending an update letter to the school. If you are still waiting on any acceptances or waitlist movements, then you can probably send an update/LOI without mentioning the retail position.

Sorry if it was unclear, I was accepted to one school, waitlisted at one, waiting to hear from a few others. The update/LOI would be to try to get off the waitlist or move the needle in favor of an acceptance

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Read, though you need to check the school you are waitlisted at.

From Waitlist to Offer: Inside an Admissions Committee - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

 

[SilentHarbinger]

Sorry if it was unclear, I was accepted to one school, waitlisted at one, waiting to hear from a few others. The update/LOI would be to try to get off the waitlist or move the needle in favor of an acceptance

Congrats on that A! Definitely check out the link provided above it will help you tons.

 

[Rachapkis]

My first rule of thumb in these things is "DO NO HARM". Given that the update could potentially raise questions and is not likely to move the needle, I would be inclined to send the LOI without an update.

 

[NotADoctor1]

My first rule of thumb in these things is "DO NO HARM". Given that the update could potentially raise questions and is not likely to move the needle, I would be inclined to send the LOI without an update.

Definitely makes sense. Was hoping to find a way to present these circumstances in a positive light but the last thing I would want to do is raise questions or uncertainty. Thanks for the perspective