Letters of Interest: Do they work and do you have to use professional stationary?

[DZT]

I think the post title says it all. I am waitlisted at 2 schools and was thinking of writing both letters of interest to boost my chances of getting in. Will this work? Do adcoms really care? Do you use professional stationary of the place you work or just write in classic letter form w/ no letterhead?

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[filmdoc26]

letters of rec make a lot of difference. They make your application stand out - even if it's just a little bit. This is because they emphasize your interest in the school. BEst of luck!

Oh yeah...I used professional resume paper when i sent in LOIs

 

[Sweet Tea]

I just used regular printer paper for my LOI. (LOIs, filmdoc? plural?) I really don't think they're going to be judging based on paper quality.

 

[carrigallen]

Assuming they are not poorly written, I think that an LOI can only help you. I think it is helpful to be humble, and enthusiastic to attend that particular school. (ie how do I love thee, let me count the ways.. )

Try garner up a few more recommendations too, just to update the schools as to what you are doing right now. and try to have the recommendation specifically mention X school and how enthusiastic you are to attend X school. Be sure though that you are really honest about wanting to go there, and honestly say your reasons why.

 

[nerak]

so another question based on that....does one send letters of interest/intent addressed to the admissions committee, the dean (or both??)
just curious

 

[banannie]

personally, i wonder if letters of interest really work.

i thought i wrote a pretty good letter of interest to a school after my interview. it's the only LOI I sent. many, many weeks later, they sent me an e-mail telling me that my app had received a "very favorable review" but they wanted to gauge my level of interest in the school before they made a decision. so basically, i think that sending a letter of interest (that was not a definitive letter of intent) led them to conclude that they were not my first choice (which was correct).

as others have mentioned, getting additional letters of rec. and other supporting material is probably more important than writing a letter yourself. in this age of word processors and instant access to information on the internet, letters of interest are incredibly easy to produce, and probably not worth much. you might as well write them, since everyone else is.

if your school's premed advisor has any kind of working relationship with any of the admissions offices, you can have your advisor call on your behalf to ONE of these schools.

 

[Wrigleyville]

I'm sending postcards of interest to one of the schools I'm waitlisted at -- I'll let you all know how it turns out.

Wrigley

 

[phinicky]

letters of intent do work. I sent a letter of intent to the med school which I currently attend (I stressed the point that I had been accepted elsewhere, but would rather go to their school). I was accepted via phone less than a week after sending the letter.

and, I think it makes no difference of who you address the letter to, and if you use regular paper or not

 

[uofchopeful]

You can even send emails or make phone calls. I frequently correspond w/the Assistant Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid of my intended school using these methods. I asked her if there is a preferred method of correspondence, and she said (and I paraphrase) that whatever method of correspondence that I choose will be well received and put on record.

 

[uclamendoza]

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