Letters of Intent: to the dean of admission?

[Tracy47]

Should these letters be sent to the dean of admission or just the admission committee? Thanks

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[CerealBox]

I would like to know too. Maybe it differs by school? We should just call/email the admissions office to find out??

 

[Comrade]

Should these letters be sent to the dean of admission or just the admission committee? Thanks

a friend of mine told me he wrote a letter of intent directly to the dean, but in his case the dean was one of his interviewers as well. he got his acceptance email the very next day. I wrote a letter of 'serious interest' to the u. mich adcom (by overnight mail - $13.65!!!) and got an acceptance email the next evening. It's probably safe to write to either, with the admissions committee probably the more formal of the two. They might read the letter aloud during a committee meeting, who knows.

 

[etudiante04]

bump

 

[Mike4284m]

How do you word these letters? I planned on writing one tonight but I'm not really sure how to begin.

 

[PittMedicine]

How do you word these letters? I planned on writing one tonight but I'm not really sure how to begin.

As D.H.T. put it, "Listen to your Heart"

 

[Saluki]

How do you word these letters? I planned on writing one tonight but I'm not really sure how to begin.

Assuming you're not writing one to my top choice schools, I'm happy to give my completely unknowledgeable advice
Write about why you want to go to that particular school and then tell them that you'll withdraw your applications from all other schools if accepted.

 

[crazy_cavalier]

I'm considering writing a Letter of Intent, but I wonder what the appropriate time for such a letter would be. After all it's only November... however, my interview at this particular school was concluded a while ago (it's been a tad over a month).

What do you guys think, should I write it and send it or not?

 

[TheMightyAngus]

I'm considering writing a Letter of Intent, but I wonder what the appropriate time for such a letter would be. After all it's only November... however, my interview at this particular school was concluded a while ago (it's been a tad over a month).

What do you guys think, should I write it and send it or not?

I think the sooner you write a letter of intent post-interview, the better. Are you waitlisted? Still waiting for a decision? Either way, anyone who reviews your file will see the letter and take it into consideration. When it comes down to giving out acceptances, adcoms want them to go to those who are most likely to matriculate. Do it. It can only help you.

 

[KevinZ]

a friend of mine told me he wrote a letter of intent directly to the dean, but in his case the dean was one of his interviewers as well. he got his acceptance email the very next day. I wrote a letter of 'serious interest' to the u. mich adcom (by overnight mail - $13.65!!!) and got an acceptance email the next evening. It's probably safe to write to either, with the admissions committee probably the more formal of the two. They might read the letter aloud during a committee meeting, who knows.

That's interesting. After my interview day ended at the University of Michigan, I talked to the Director of admissions to ask if I should address the letter of intent to him.

He told me, "There's really no need for that."

I was accepted on Oct 15th, but I really wonder how much it means for them.

 

[Mike4284m]

How about saying I would "withdraw my current acceptances"? I'm still hoping to get an interview from another school that I want to consider, but I would drop the acceptances I have already for the school I want to send the letter to.

 

[Medbound786]

Can you send the LOI anytime post-interview even before you receive their initial decision or do you only send the Letter if you're officially waitlisted ??

 

[StevenRF]

Is there any point to sending LOI's to the top schools? If I sent one to UCSF or Harvard I wonder if they would even care?

 

[Hollaback Girl]

Uh I must have missed the memo, but what is a Letter of Intent?

 

[Saluki]

Uh I must have missed the memo, but what is a Letter of Intent?

It's something I never heard of before I came to SDN, but apparently you can send in a letter telling the school how cool you think they are and how you would withdraw applications from everywhere else if you got in there. How much of a difference it makes is widely debated, but I figure it can't really hurt...

 

[badlydrawnvik]

Should you only write one?

 

[Saluki]

Is there any point to sending LOI's to the top schools? If I sent one to UCSF or Harvard I wonder if they would even care?

My uneducated opinion: If you're really a top rate applicant- incredible stats, great ecs, a personal reference from Clinton- then it might make a difference, because in addition to UCSF (let's assume that's your top choice) you could easily want to go to Johns Hopkins, Harvard or Mayo. However, they've got tons of extraordinary people applying; they still might not care, unless you've also got something else that's spectacular- Pacific Islander, won the Nobel Peace Prize, discovered a cure for cancer... But I don't see how it could hurt you...

 

[WayChanger]

It depends on the school, but in general, it does make a difference. The dean of admissions at Boston University said straight-out at my interview day that such a letter would be looked at quite seriously post-interview. For top 10 schools, I'm not so sure, but I know it matters at Columbia, for one - a lot of students I've talked to from there have stressed the importance of writing a letter of intent if you mean it.

Cheers

 

[badlydrawnvik]

Yes BU was exactly the school I was thinking of sending one too, I really liked it. But at the same time there is a top ten school I would never turn down, and I would like them to know that as well. So are 2 letters okay?

 

[67192]

Anyone know if the UWSOM looks favorably on Letters of Intent? I am in their (huge) competitive pool. I really, really, REALLY want to go to the UW, but am under the impression that a majority of the applicants here do as well. And I don't want to frustrate anyone on the admissions committee. I'm also not the "incredible top rate applicant."

Comrade: who did you address your letter to? "Dear Dr. X" or "Dear X School Admissions committee" or "Dear (so-and-so I interviewed with)"

Anyone know of any draw-backs to writing a letter of intent?

 

[Saluki]

So are 2 letters okay?

I'd actually like to know the answer to this as well...

 

[Comrade]

That's interesting. After my interview day ended at the University of Michigan, I talked to the Director of admissions to ask if I should address the letter of intent to him.

He told me, "There's really no need for that."

I was accepted on Oct 15th, but I really wonder how much it means for them.

Are you an in-state applicant? From what I've heard, they almost assume that in-state people are going to accept admissions offers because they know it's a rare opportunity to attend a really great institution AND benefit from in-state tuition. So for a michigan resident, a letter might just be redundant.

Then again, Mr. Ruiz may have told you there's no need for a letter because you are a really desirable candidate from their perspective.

 

[Comrade]

Yes BU was exactly the school I was thinking of sending one too, I really liked it. But at the same time there is a top ten school I would never turn down, and I would like them to know that as well. So are 2 letters okay?

i doubt there is an 'official' answer for this. but if I were a dean of med school X and I talk to my friend, dean of med school Y and found out someone wrote "Your school is the one I promise to go to if accepted, my #1 choice" to both schools... I'd probably make sure that neither me or the other dean accepted you to our schools. Instead you might write a letter that doesn't claim anything too rigidly binding, just that you love certain specific traits of a particular school, see yourself being a part of it and growing there, etc, etc.

 

[67192]

Are you an in-state applicant? From what I've heard, they almost assume that in-state people are going to accept admissions offers because they know it's a rare opportunity to attend a really great institution AND benefit from in-state tuition. So for a michigan resident, a letter might just be redundant.

Then again, Mr. Ruiz may have told you there's no need for a letter because you are a really desirable candidate from their perspective.

So, in applying to your state school (like UW for me), will a letter of intent hold no weight since adcom's may "assume" that I will accept their admission offer??

 

[bubbleyum]

Yes BU was exactly the school I was thinking of sending one too, I really liked it. But at the same time there is a top ten school I would never turn down, and I would like them to know that as well. So are 2 letters okay?

NO. TWO LETTERS ARE NOT OKAY.
if you get rejected anyways, then of course it will not matter, but if you write a letter to a school and then get accepted, they will expect you to attend their school! especially if this letter was a big consideration in granting you an acceptance. if you DON'T go, that means you told them a lie(about withdrawing all your other apps to attend their school that you supposedly wrote about) in order to get an acceptance.

write one letter to your absolute top choice. if you get rejected from there, then you can write a second letter of intent to your nuumber 2 choice.

letter of INTENT is different from letter of INTEREST.

 

[RonBurgundy]

So im on the deferred till december status at michigan and i would obviously love to get into this school. Letter of intent a good idea? has anyone spoken to the adcom about this at michigan?

 

[badlydrawnvik]

Yeah the letter I wrote to one school (but have not sent yet) only says that I liked it a lot and could see myself going there. I assume it's then okay to write a letter to another school saying that I would drop every other application if accepted?

 

[Medbound786]

If I send in a Letter of INTEREST while I am waiting for a final decision Post-Interview, would it be as influencial as a Letter of INTENT ??

Also, can you write to a school that it is "my top choice school" in a letter of Interest OR does this phrase make it a Letter of Intent?

All Opinions Welcome on the above two dilemmas !!!

 

[KevinZ]

If I send in a Letter of INTEREST while I am waiting for a final decision Post-Interview, would it be as influencial as a Letter of INTENT ??

Also, can you write to a school that it is "my top choice school" in a letter of Interest OR does this phrase make it a Letter of Intent?

All Opinions Welcome on the above two dilemmas !!!

Letters of intent and letters of interest are VERY different letters. That being said, they shouldn't be confused if you write them well.


The rest of this post is all my opinion, so take it for what it's worth...

-A letter of intent can have a lot of merit if you've already interviewed and been put on a wait list/deferral. The school already considers you an attractive candidate and the letter might just push you over or move you up on the list.

-I doubt a letter of intent makes much of a difference if you've yet to interview. If the school hasn't even considered you "interview material," I don't really see the impact of a letter of intent.

-A letter of interest, IMO, is fairly worthless. You applied to the school, so of course you're interested. All of their applicants are interested...that's why they paid a $30 AMCAS, a near $100 secondary fee, and wrote the secondary essays. Why would a school care about a letter you took 10 minutes to write if it has no binding value? IMO, the fact that you took the time to write a letter of interest instead of a letter of intent is slightly disparaging. All schools would like to think they're your #1 option, not a mere "interest, but I'm holding out for better so you didn't get the intent letter."

-Finally, DON'T WRITE TWO LETTERS OF INTENT. Talk about the ethical dilemma that's going to create. If I'm the school that you wrote a letter that gets shafted, I'd probably go tell the school you chose that you essentially lied on your application. Medical schools are very cautious with enrollment numbers, so I don't think it'll be a matter that's simply overlooked come May.

 

[crazy_cavalier]

Letters of intent and letters of interest are VERY different letters. That being said, they shouldn't be confused if you write them well.


The rest of this post is all my opinion, so take it for what it's worth...

-A letter of intent can have a lot of merit if you've already interviewed and been put on a wait list/deferral. The school already considers you an attractive candidate and the letter might just push you over or move you up on the list.

-I doubt a letter of intent makes much of a difference if you've yet to interview. If the school hasn't even considered you "interview material," I don't really see the impact of a letter of intent.

-A letter of interest, IMO, is fairly worthless. You applied to the school, so of course you're interested. All of their applicants are interested...that's why they paid a $30 AMCAS, a near $100 secondary fee, and wrote the secondary essays. Why would a school care about a letter you took 10 minutes to write if it has no binding value? IMO, the fact that you took the time to write a letter of interest instead of a letter of intent is slightly disparaging. All schools would like to think they're your #1 option, not a mere "interest, but I'm holding out for better so you didn't get the intent letter."

-Finally, DON'T WRITE TWO LETTERS OF INTENT. Talk about the ethical dilemma that's going to create. If I'm the school that you wrote a letter to that gets shafted, I'd probably go tell the school you chose that you essentially lied on your application. Medical schools are very cautious with enrollment numbers, so I don't think it'll be a matter that's simply overlooked come May.

excellent post. I absolutely agree with all these points

 

[speranza]

I'm curious about how long to wait after the interview before sending a Letter of Intent? Is the sooner the better?

Also, does anyone know if sending LOI to Vanderbilt makes any difference?

 

[speranza]

bumping this up from a few weeks ago to see if anyone else has any advice (esp in regards to my last post)

 

[etown]

So I am feeling rather guilty about telling the 2nd school I interviewed at (during an interview) that they were my top choice. Honestly, they are up there at the top, and at the time they were the top, but I'm not 100% sold on it (want to be able to compare acceptances and finaid packages). I am withdrawing from a couple of interviews since being accepted at this school, but feel really guilty for my statement and feel like I should be automatically withdrawing all apps based on my comment. Anyone else make a similar "top choice" statement but still considering other schools? I guess I'm trying to soothe my conscience.

 

[diosa428]

So I am feeling rather guilty about telling the 2nd school I interviewed at (during an interview) that they were my top choice. Honestly, they are up there at the top, and at the time they were the top, but I'm not 100% sold on it (want to be able to compare acceptances and finaid packages). I am withdrawing from a couple of interviews since being accepted at this school, but feel really guilty for my statement and feel like I should be automatically withdrawing all apps based on my comment. Anyone else make a similar "top choice" statement but still considering other schools? I guess I'm trying to soothe my conscience.

Don't worry about it - unless you said "I will go here if you accept me, and withdraw from all other schools" then it's not a big deal. In all seriousness, you may end up going there anyway (if you don't get into your #1 school) or they will just end up accepting someone else in your place. It will be fine.

 

[etown]

Don't worry about it - unless you said "I will go here if you accept me, and withdraw from all other schools" then it's not a big deal. In all seriousness, you may end up going there anyway (if you don't get into your #1 school) or they will just end up accepting someone else in your place. It will be fine.

Thank you for the reassurance

 

[45408]

Should I call the school to see if they got the letter? I just sent it via normal snail mail, and I'm wondering if they have it.

 

[DrHuang]

Should I call the school to see if they got the letter? I just sent it via normal snail mail, and I'm wondering if they have it.

yeah, go ahead and give them a ring...it wont hurt and ive heard that some schools will note the number of times you call (showing your interest)

 

[DrHuang]

I'm curious about how long to wait after the interview before sending a Letter of Intent? Is the sooner the better?

Also, does anyone know if sending LOI to Vanderbilt makes any difference?

if you're going to send a LOIntent post interview but before a decision has been rendered, its best to send it asap since you want the committee to see your LOI before they make their decision and not after.

 

[Lightwave]

Actually, I'm curious about this topic as well--SDN is the first time I've heardof it, but I interviewed someplace where the director of admissions mentioned that an LOI might indeed have some effect on your decision, even if it's only sent post-interview.

What's the best ettiquete for rolling schools with multiple decision dates? Part of me wants to go here and send the LOI but there's a decision date coming up in under two weeks (followed by two more after a month or so) and I'm more curious about whether or not I'll be getting any other interviews over the course of the next month or two. But like I said, does it matter if you send the letter after they've made a round or two of decisions?

 

[happydays]

Actually, I'm curious about this topic as well--SDN is the first time I've heardof it, but I interviewed someplace where the director of admissions mentioned that an LOI might indeed have some effect on your decision, even if it's only sent post-interview.

What's the best ettiquete for rolling schools with multiple decision dates? Part of me wants to go here and send the LOI but there's a decision date coming up in under two weeks (followed by two more after a month or so) and I'm more curious about whether or not I'll be getting any other interviews over the course of the next month or two. But like I said, does it matter if you send the letter after they've made a round or two of decisions?

Don't send it if you're not sure. Only send it if you're 100% sure that if accepted, you will attend, period.

 

[Lightwave]

Don't send it if you're not sure. Only send it if you're 100% sure that if accepted, you will attend, period.

But of course--the day I send the LOI to my school in question is the day I'm certain I'll matriculate if accepted, no matter what additional interview invites/acceptances come my way. I suppose my question was whether or not the letter loses its significance after they've already had a round or two of decisions after your interview (with more to come in the future.) Now that I write it out, I can't see how that'd be the case, but I just thought I'd ask.

 

[NunoBR]

Question:
Should I write a letter of Intent to my top choice even though they don't start sending out acceptances until March (non-rolling).
Should I wait until march and then be accepted/rejected/waitlisted to think about this letter.

thanks for helping me with these two options and opinions.

 

[JohnH]

i sent a letter of intent directly to the dean and it just ended up in my folder without the dean reading it. they said they'll read it during the next committee meeting. i really hope they do.