Is it necessary to keep in touch with schools throughout the admissions season?

[tonguetalker]

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For example, I know that thank you letters do not really have a bearing on a school's final decision but does showing interest in particular school by emailing and asking questions or sending updates and things like that matter? I tend to just go to my interviews and then go home and wait for their decisions. I know that some schools, like Columbia, like to know that an applicant is really interested. What are good ways to show this interest?

Thanks

 

[Blackhawkdown24]

Letters of interest

 

[jesse120]

I never "showed" interest via LOIs or anything, but I hear they're good. And you're probably right about Columbia (and other top tier schools) loving LOIs -- I think I remember hearing a while ago about how some people have sent LOIs weekly/daily near the end of the admissions season and get pulled off the waitlist. And it works. Another way to show interest in the school is to schedule your own revisit. A faculty interviewer actually recommended this option to me. You can send an email to admissions asking to revisit and spend the day with the MS1s to see what a typical day is like for them. I don't know which schools are receptive to this proposal, but if you really are interested in the school and have the time/money to revisit on your own, it might be worth it. I didn't, though.

 

[theherowedeserv]

do you email letters of interests? or do you mail them?

What's the format?

 

[gyngyn]

Updates are only helpful if you are on a waitlist and it is after May 15th.

 

[red7]

Updates are only helpful if you are on a waitlist and it is after May 15th.

I don't like to propagate unsubstantiated rumors, but here it goes: I've heard that when the waitlist starts moving in May, some schools might look at how often each applicant has updated the school through the entire year (not just after the waitlist started moving) - and that they keep this in mind when deciding whom to admit.

Are you sure that no school is going to care about updates through the year like this seems to suggest?