Request for Letter of Interest

[lakerfan38]

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So I received an email from a residency program that I applied to to write them a letter of interest. My question is, how common is this and what does it mean(everyone gets an email vs some)

 

[elektroshok]

So I received an email from a residency program that I applied to to write them a letter of interest. My question is, how common is this and what does it mean(everyone gets an email vs some)

i just got that email too. I honestly don't know if i want to write a letter of intent for that program.. I find it kind of ridiculous.

 

[qxrt]

The program wants to make sure they don't waste an interview spot on someone who isn't really considering them highly (especially now with ERAS, where all it takes to apply is a couple clicks of the mouse and a few extra dollars), so if you don't want to bother writing a letter of intent, then it saves both you and them time. On the flip side, if you decide not to write a letter of interest after they request one, then you are pretty much guaranteeing a rejection from them.

There is one program on the west coast that I know that asks for these letters annually; I wrote one and got an interview within a couple weeks after sending it. So it's really up to your level of interest and how successful you think you'll be with other programs higher on your priority list.

 

[chappy123]

hey all

thanks for the helpful post to the above author! ^

very new member but saw this thread and wanted to reassure that i got one as well. (just out of curiosity, was it for the W. or E. coast for you guys?) it does seem to be a relatively new thing they're doing after speaking with a few others...

any idea of how long a letter like this should be?

thanks again!

 

[TheFlashMD]

Could be worse, we could have to do Duke's secondary application to medical school all over again.

 

[elektroshok]

Could be worse, we could have to do Duke's secondary application to medical school all over again.

god the secondaries were the bane of my existence.

good point. ha

 

[elektroshok]

The program wants to make sure they don't waste an interview spot on someone who isn't really considering them highly (especially now with ERAS, where all it takes to apply is a couple clicks of the mouse and a few extra dollars), so if you don't want to bother writing a letter of intent, then it saves both you and them time. On the flip side, if you decide not to write a letter of interest after they request one, then you are pretty much guaranteeing a rejection from them.

There is one program on the west coast that I know that asks for these letters annually; I wrote one and got an interview within a couple weeks after sending it. So it's really up to your level of interest and how successful you think you'll be with other programs higher on your priority list.

I agree, but honestly I think that spending the money to fly out there and stay for a night shows interest in itself... but to each program their own...

 

[TheFlashMD]

I think you underestimate the degree of Type A they're dealing with. Most people are aiming for what 15 interviews? When Charting Outcomes pretty much shows very few people not matching with a rank list of 6-10. These programs want to fill and they don't have the time or resources to interview 50 people per spot. I would imagine it'd be frustrating to try to pick applicants that actually want to train at less desirable places. Like interviewing 8 people per spot and still not filling. I think it's people wanting to match people who want to do radiology over the derm/ortho rejects.