Is it too early/late to submit a letter of intent?

[cathhhhhh]

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Hi everyone, I’ve only gotten two interviews this cycle, and still no response from around 14-16 schools. I’m getting really nervous, and even though the two schools that I interviewed at are not necessarily my dream schools, I would be so happy to go to one of them. Is this a good time to send a letter of intent, or should I wait longer? Thanks for your input in advance.

 

[cathhhhhh]

What are you defining as a "letter of intent"? Who would you be sending it to, and what would it say?

Basically stating that if I get admitted to the school, I will attend. It would go to the admissions committee of one of the schools, and it would also include updates/reasons why I would be a good fit for the school and why I would choose to go there.

 

[ontiquicuo]

For this to have any chance of having an effect, you need to already have an acceptance to a school that would make the recipient envious. Without an acceptance to another school, your letter just says your desperate to go anywhere. Unfortunately, there are 1000s of others with that same qualification. Your letter will not make you stand out.

 

[deleted1085718]

I think it's okay to tell your top choice that they are your top choice if it's sincere. it will probably cripple your chance at scholarships though

 

[KnightDoc]

This would be for the schools you have not been admitted to yet? It would likely not make a difference unless they specifically request such a letter from applicants.

Yes -- there would be no reason to send them if he had already been admitted! 😎

To me it looks like he is saying that he had two IIs at schools that are not his dream schools, but are schools he'd be happy to attend. Given the late hour and the fact that he hasn't heard from a bunch of schools, he's asking whether now would be a good time to send a LOI to one (or both???) of the schools where he interviewed.

FWIW as a future applicant, I agree with the advice already given (e.g., at this point in the cycle with zero As, such a letter would look more desperate than anything else, and is unlikely to produce the desired result).

OP - based on my observations from previous cycles, such letters are most effective later in the cycle, after you have at least one A and are trying to provoke a preferred school to pull you off the WL. Until then, you not only have zero leverage to use in sending such a letter, but you haven't even established that they have any interest in you post interview. On the other hand, it might be totally unnecessary, because they might have already decided to send you an A!

As tough as it is, the only thing to do at this point is to sit tight and wait. Look at it like this -- if they have already decided to reject you, sending a LOI is not going to change that. If you are getting an A, it's unnecessary. And, if you are going on the WL, you'll have plenty of time to send the LOI between the time you are notified and when they start pulling from the WL. Sound reasonable??? GOOD LUCK!!!!

 

[r2med]

Some would define a letter of intent as a letter in which you notify a school you have been accepted to that you plan to matriculate there, and define what OP is describing as a letter of interest, which is why I clarified.

Why would you need to give a letter of intent to a school which has already accepted you? To hold your spot? Or are you talking about going from multiple acceptances to three to one?

 

[KnightDoc]

Some would define a letter of intent as a letter in which you notify a school you have been accepted to that you plan to matriculate there, and define what OP is describing as a letter of interest, which is why I clarified.

If you spent more time in the weeds (or is it mud? 😎) with us, you'd realize that's not how it's being used lately on SDN! Letter of Interest is the generic letter they send to all schools that haven't rejected them, and Letter of Intent is the one they send to preferably one, but sometimes several, school in which they profess undying devotion and a commitment to accept an A with a view towards provoking an A when they are either on the WL or in limbo.

The letter you describe has been formalized as the Plan to Enroll (PTE) designation, which is non-binding and is offered on the AMCAS CYMS tool, for schools you have been accepted to, beginning sometime next month. I'm not sure if those letters were ever sent in the past (before my time), but they have been superseded nowadays by that CYMS (Choose Your Medical School) tool.

 

[cathhhhhh]

Thank you everyone for your help, I think I will sit tight for now. I’m just wondering if sending one would hurt me in any way ...

 

[Goro]

Basically stating that if I get admitted to the school, I will attend. It would go to the admissions committee of one of the schools, and it would also include updates/reasons why I would be a good fit for the school and why I would choose to go there.

And how would you interpret a nonbinding contract from a desperate candidate????

 

[ThatsAmore]

For this to have any chance of having an effect, you need to already have an acceptance to a school that would make the recipient envious. Without an acceptance to another school, your letter just says your desperate to go anywhere. Unfortunately, there are 1000s of others with that same qualification. Your letter will not make you stand out.

When sending a letter of intent, should you explicitly tell the waitlist school that you have been accepted elsewhere and would choose this school over your current acceptance? Or is this something the school can infer from AMCAS? I’m not sure if it’s in bad taste to seem ungrateful for a current acceptance given that many students are stuck on waitlists so I would appreciate your insight!

 

[candbgirl]

When sending a letter of intent, should you explicitly tell the waitlist school that you have been accepted elsewhere and would choose this school over your current acceptance? Or is this something the school can infer from AMCAS? I’m not sure if it’s in bad taste to seem ungrateful for a current acceptance given that many students are stuck on waitlists so I would appreciate your insight!

I think your post was answered in your initial thread.