letter to schools

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Hey guys, so it seems as if though some schools are done giving out their pre-Dec interviews...Do you think it would be a good idea to send a letter to my #1 school from which I did not hear back from for an interview???Should I just write a short letter telling them that I am still very interested in their dental school, its my #1 choice, etc.... any opinions, do people do this, or do dental schools look down upon this?????

 

[The Anhedonia]

let me get this straight: you want to send a letter to a dental school to ask them to interview you even though you were not invited?

if so, i would personally recommend against such a letter.

 

[DizzleISA]

Hey guys, so it seems as if though some schools are done giving out their pre-Dec interviews...Do you think it would be a good idea to send a letter to my #1 school from which I did not hear back from for an interview???Should I just write a short letter telling them that I am still very interested in their dental school, its my #1 choice, etc.... any opinions, do people do this, or do dental schools look down upon this?????

As long as you do not explicitly say that you "want an interview", and keep it along the lines of that you are still interested, it's your top choice, etc., it is perfectly fine. Applicants do this all the time (and no I did not make this up: one of my profs is on two med school adcoms and has told me on several occasions that you're more likely to be invited if they hear/see/get anything from you).

Good luck 👍

 

[Svart Aske]

let me get this straight: you want to send a letter to a dental school to ask them to interview you even though you were not invited?

if so, i would personally recommend against such a letter.

That's not what he/she is saying at all. I don't see anything wrong with expressing your interest directly to a school. The point is they will be more likely to have you in mind when they're handing out the next round of interview invitations. It might not help a great deal but it won't hurt either.

 

[The Anhedonia]

ah, i see what the op was saying now.

still, i would personally feel awkward sending out such a letter, like i was trying to smooze my way in (not that this would be your intent, but it could come off that way). it's not like every single other applicant to a given dental school isn't just as interested in the school as you may be - the fact that you applied and spent all that money on apps already shows your interest imo. 🙄 . admissions staff receive a huge volume of phone calls from applicants every day with questions about their app status, but maybe this would come off differently i guess, in a more professional light.

perhaps someone could write a short statement of what they would consider sending a dental school to further indicate their interest? any thoughts?

 

[KitKat09]

Last year NYU specifically sent out email in Jan for people to respond with letter of interest if you were still interested in interviewing.
it can not hurt you to express your interest in the school. It probably will not help you if you are in the situation where it is your state school with 400 instate applicants ranked exactly the way they want and you just not on their radar.... it will help if you are interested in a school with large applicant pool which has plenty of people with good stats but no knowledge if they are really interested in that school or just applied to 10 schools as everybody does...
letter should be brief, nobody is going to read 4 pages poem
it should express your interest, briefly state why you are so interested and briefly state what you will bring "to the table"
it is very common among pre med to write letter of interest and letter of intent but they have slightly different way of receiving acceptances...

 

[wantVCUdental]

ah, i see what the op was saying now.

still, i would personally feel awkward sending out such a letter, like i was trying to smooze my way in (not that this would be your intent, but it could come off that way). it's not like every single other applicant to a given dental school isn't just as interested in the school as you may be - the fact that you applied and spent all that money on apps already shows your interest imo. 🙄 . admissions staff receive a huge volume of phone calls from applicants every day with questions about their app status, but maybe this would come off differently i guess, in a more professional light.

perhaps someone could write a short statement of what they would consider sending a dental school to further indicate their interest? any thoughts?

I agree, Dentistry is a highly professional line of work, by sending a letter in, you show your unprofessional side... i highly advise against it

 

[FutureDent020]

I agree, Dentistry is a highly professional line of work, by sending a letter in, you show your unprofessional side... i highly advise against it

Writing a letter is just another form of selling yourself, which is exactly what you are doing through your application and interview. If you write the letter professionally emphasizing your interest in the school and how any future consideration would be appreciated, I do not see anything wrong with that.

 

[wantVCUdental]

Writing a letter is just another form of selling yourself, which is exactly what you are doing through your application and interview. If you write the letter professionally emphasizing your interest in the school and how any future consideration would be appreciated, I do not see anything wrong with that.

I can see your point of view, and it's totally legitimate. It is about how you sell yourself and the answer to OP's question is totally subjective 😀

 

[DrDDSman]

Do it if you want-If you're hesitant about it, then don't. Some applicants do it, but I don't know how helpful it really is. It all depends on the school (many schools don't read or go through extraneous material)

 

[FutureDent020]

ah, i see what the op was saying now.

still, i would personally feel awkward sending out such a letter, like i was trying to smooze my way in (not that this would be your intent, but it could come off that way). it's not like every single other applicant to a given dental school isn't just as interested in the school as you may be - the fact that you applied and spent all that money on apps already shows your interest imo. 🙄 . admissions staff receive a huge volume of phone calls from applicants every day with questions about their app status, but maybe this would come off differently i guess, in a more professional light.

perhaps someone could write a short statement of what they would consider sending a dental school to further indicate their interest? any thoughts?

Smoozing is part of life if you want to get ahead!! It's all about social networking and who you know or get to know. Whether it's business, politics, or healthcare. If you are given the opportunity to communicate directly with the admissions office, do it (if you need to). Through the whole application process you are selling yourself to each school. If you have fallen off the radar, find a way to get back on. Like you say, the applicant pool is huge, so make yourself stand out. A letter explaining why you are great for the school and what you love about the school may just do that. Typed, signed and professional. Think about it, when we were all going to college, did you not get packets and letters from universities recruting you or telling you what was so great about their school... It's just role reversal now.

Selling yourself is perfectly fine, just don't sound desperate. That would be unprofessional. And no, a letter emphasizing your interest is not desperate

 

[skiphotsauce]

Logically, I don't think there is any harm in sending a letter. It can't hurt at all and can only help. If you are trying to decide between two applicants who are essentially the same, and one has written a letter expressing interest in their "#1" school, it seems that this person might get an edge.

My dad is a doctor and when he is interviewing doctors for his practice, he tells me that the ones that really go out of their way to show how much they want to work there is a positive sign.

However, this is just my opinion. Dental school admission committees might be different, but once again, I don't see how it can hurt at all.