Multiple letters of intent

[ValleyGal]

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I have a bunch of schools that I really want to get off the waitlist at and would be perfectly happy attending any of them. A strategy that has been thrown out amoungst those I know would be to send them all letters stating that I would go to that school if they accepted me, which is true for all of them as I would withdraw from the others immediately after my acceptance. Any thoughts or has anyone tried this?

 

[Doctora Foxy]

This is a big no-no. You get get flagged come residency time of you do this. You should only send a letter of intent to one school, and send letters of interest to the others. You can say something like "among my top choices" or "I would withdraw from the acceptance I already have", but you can't promise to go to more than one school if accepted. That's just immoral and could haunt you later on.

Please be careful with this! My dean warned me about even sending one letter of intent, because if you change your mind, it looks really bad. Schools do talk to each otehr, adcoms are often friends. Beware <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />

 

[Papa Smurf]

This is clearly unethical. Imagine the moral dilemma you'll be faced with when two schools both offer you spots simulataneously. And even if it isn't simultaneous, they have a letter of intent from you. INTENT. Saying "I will matriculate if accepted," doesn't mean that it's contingent upon them offering you a spot b4 any other schools does. It means that you'll matriculate regardless of when you're accepted! Send one and only one letter of intent.

 

[brickmanli]

Sending multiple letters of intent is NOT unethical, but that doesn't mean you should do it. This is not a binding contract, since the school could choose not to accept you, but you have go if they accept you. They can take their time or not accept you at all, while you're pulling your hair out. It's clearly unfair, but so's being stopped for driving while black.

There are ways to make your letter more convincing than a letter of intent while escaping the trap of intention.

 

[ValleyGal]

Interesting, because I definitely know people that have done this. I'm taking my chances with just writing one letter of intent, in case anyone was wondering, but just was curious about what you guys thought.

 

[trout]

Dra foxy normally I think you give great advice however, this is out right wrong...residency directors and the admissions offices have nothing and I mean nothing to do with each other...each residency department has its own director, and sometimes they don't even get along. If they don't find out (and obviously accept you) how would they even know later???? The admissions dean generally does not have any other power than admissions....

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Doctora Foxy:
•This is a big no-no. You get get flagged come residency time of you do this. You should only send a letter of intent to one school, and send letters of interest to the others. You can say something like "among my top choices" or "I would withdraw from the acceptance I already have", but you can't promise to go to more than one school if accepted. That's just immoral and could haunt you later on.

Please be careful with this! My dean warned me about even sending one letter of intent, because if you change your mind, it looks really bad. Schools do talk to each otehr, adcoms are often friends. Beware <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> •••••

 

[Doctora Foxy]

Well, trout, I'm sorry you don't agree, I was just giving my opinion and relaying what my dean said. I guess it makes sense that residency directors probably would never find out, but I still don't think anyone should send out more than one letter of intent. Just my opinion.

On a related topic, why do we even bother volunteering? We could just put it on out amcas application and make it up---especially next application cycle since I hear you don't have to put contact info! <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" /> 🙄

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BU: I promise I will attend if accepted
UF: I promise I will attend if accepted
GW: I promise I will attend if accepted

maybe human cloning is a good idea!

 

[Bradleyp]

I think it is flat out lying to the medical school. Even though it seems as if it is not a big deal, if someone is being totally unethical about something like this, wait until they get in a jam with a dying patient and they can't lie their way out of it. Write a letter of interest to the schools, write only one letter of intent. I had an ethical question in one of my interviews very similar to this.
Simply put, if you say you will go, you have to go. If not you are lying.

 

[trout]

I do agree it is not appropriate to say you will come to two schools, however, I also think it is not appropriate for them to ask you "where do we rank on your list?" I have to admit the schools themselves make it into a big game with lots of hoops to jump through. Otherwise, why would we need to apply to 20+ schools? Why do they need to inteview 1000+ people for 100 slots and it still comes down to scores (or other factors), so they can keep their stats up? Honestly the difference between the school I loved and my second choice is extremely minimal and considering my second choice school is known to give substantially better FA it makes it a really tough choice. I didn't think it was wrong to send a letter to my second choice school (I am waitlisted even though I am in my first choice) saying I would get excellent training and be very happy at their school...because if I end up $40,000 less in debt (and that is just principle) I will be much happier and honestly they are both good schools so I really don't think the training will be that different....I have to admit the wording I used in the letter was very different, I thought extremely hard about what words to chose not using best, only, happiest, etc. If I hadn't had to spend $7000+ in the application process maybe I would be less concerned about financial aid and more concerned with which school I loved....(and if schools didn't wait 12 weeks to tell us what's up so we waste more time and money and other people's time and money interviewing at schools that we probably won't attend anyway!) Schools know that people are going to roll of the waitlist, honestly when you turn down a school they probably don't think of you again!