Opinions on letter of intent appreciated!

[Fuzzyhead]

As of now, I have interviewed at UCLA and am on interview hold at UCSF. UCSF is my #1 choice, but because I have not heard anything yet, I was thinking about writing a letter of intent to UCLA (#2 choice).

Does anyone have any opinions on this move? Should I continue to wait for UCSF and see what happens? Will I be locked into UCLA with the letter of intent?

Finally, I know a letter of interest would be a safer route. But does it carry as much weight as the letter of intent and receive as much consideration?

Thanks everyone for your help.

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[Mateodaspy]

As of now, I have interviewed at UCLA and am on interview hold at UCSF. UCSF is my #1 choice, but because I have not heard anything yet, I was thinking about writing a letter of intent to UCLA (#2 choice).

Does anyone have any opinions on this move? Should I continue to wait for UCSF and see what happens? Will I be locked into UCLA with the letter of intent?

Finally, I know a letter of interest would be a safer route. But does it carry as much weight as the letter of intent and receive as much consideration?

Thanks everyone for your help.

Letters of intent don't mean anything - it doesn't obligate you to go to their school in any way at all -- just don't send them after May 15th unless you're basically positive that that's where you want to go.

Wait on UCSF, it's quite a bit better than UCLA's mediocre med program.

 

[Mateodaspy]

As of now, I have interviewed at UCLA and am on interview hold at UCSF. UCSF is my #1 choice, but because I have not heard anything yet, I was thinking about writing a letter of intent to UCLA (#2 choice).

Does anyone have any opinions on this move? Should I continue to wait for UCSF and see what happens? Will I be locked into UCLA with the letter of intent?

Finally, I know a letter of interest would be a safer route. But does it carry as much weight as the letter of intent and receive as much consideration?

Thanks everyone for your help.

unless of course if you aren't on the ucsf high priority waitlist... in which case, hedge your bets and shoot for ucla 'cause you're not getting into ucsf.

 

[Equinunk7]

Letters of Intent do not bind you into going there and plus they can be worded in a way to show you really want to go there but are not saying you DEFINITELY will attend. Wreite an honest letter that lets the Adcom know why you like it and what makes you a good fit at UCLA, it can't hurt at all.

 

[GiantGiantsFan]

Letters of Intent do not bind you into going there and plus they can be worded in a way to show you really want to go there but are not saying you DEFINITELY will attend. Wreite an honest letter that lets the Adcom know why you like it and what makes you a good fit at UCLA, it can't hurt at all.

I dont know if this is true. I have heard that writing letters of intent to schools and then not going there can upset the admissions committee, enough to withdraw an acceptance. and who knows, if ucla happens to have close relations with ucsf, the deans may be on friendly terms, and thus the ucsf admissions staff could find out about it.

not to mention that it is unethical to blatantly promise you would go to a school when you would go somewhere else if admitted!

 

[opinionkitten]

as far as letters of intent go, the consensus seems to be that they ARE binding. not legally i am sure, i think its a matter of proper form to not write one unless you are really going to go there if you get in. i wrote one recently and dug up as much info as i could find and everyone says letters of intent where you say "i will go here" mean just that and shouldnt be broken. this being said i cant imagine what would happen if you broke one to go to sf over la, im sure they wouldnt conspire to kick you out of either school...

im a little bit opposite of the op, i wrote a letter of interest to sf after my pre interview waitlist (what the hell is the high priority waitlist!? is the poster referring to post interview waitlists perhaps?) and a letter of intent to la a few weeks ago. id take la over sf if i got both now, i feel like its the right thing to do. that being said ill still take an interview at sf if one comes before an la acceptance.

as for the pre interview waitlist at sf, the board seems to think the outlook for this is pretty bleak, and it didnt look like anybody got an interview after this last year, so i would consider sf a lost cause.

my advice: if you dont want to get bound to an la letter of intent write a nice strong letter if interest to both, try and make it informative and a "ill be a good fit at uc__ because" letter that doesnt suck and send it to both deans.

otherwise count sf as a loss, get a letter of intent to la to hedge your bet