Sample Letter of Intent ...

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sekem

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Can someone be nice and share their Letter of Intent via private message ???

or can people comment on the format and the structure of such letters?

Greatly appreciated,

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Do a search for em, youll find several threads within the past few weeks that have good tips on how to structure it. In general, though, from what I've read - should be about a page, tell them that you will attend if accepted, and explain why you think youll be a good fit.
 
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I have a question as well:confused: ...i have only 30 days to accept my acceptance at one school with a $100 "place holder" :rolleyes: but i still have three interviews to go:) ...all of which are after the 30 day mark. Can I hold spots at multiple schools if accepted to multiple?
 
I was also wondering if anyone had a sample Letter of Interest that they might be willing to share with me via PM or whatnot. I'm hoping that it may get the ball rolling and maybe convince some schools to give me an interview if it's not too late. Also, anyone know who to make these out to (Dean of Admissions, etc.)? Thanks and Merry Xmas!
 
I have a (stupid) question regarding this as well. If you write something in like, "I would absolutely matriculate upon an offer of acceptance, if it were financially feasible for me to do so" is that more intent or interest sounding?

While I would love to write a letter of intent to my top choice, finances are very much an issue for me, and so I'm aiming more for a very strongly worded letter of interest. Would this hit the mark?
 
I have a question as well:confused: ...i have only 30 days to accept my acceptance at one school with a $100 "place holder" :rolleyes: but i still have three interviews to go:) ...all of which are after the 30 day mark. Can I hold spots at multiple schools if accepted to multiple?

Yes, you can hold multiple spots. The policy at most schools is that you must withdraw from the entering class by May 15th to get your deposit back. Most schools will also start harassing you around May, because they can see how many acceptances you're holding and they want you to decide so that they can offer your spot to someone else if you're not coming.
 
I was also wondering if anyone had a sample Letter of Interest that they might be willing to share with me via PM or whatnot. I'm hoping that it may get the ball rolling and maybe convince some schools to give me an interview if it's not too late. Also, anyone know who to make these out to (Dean of Admissions, etc.)? Thanks and Merry Xmas!

Yes, send them to the Dean of Admissions. Just mention reasons why you're interested in the school and include any updates about what you've been doing since your initial application was sent.
 
I have a (stupid) question regarding this as well. If you write something in like, "I would absolutely matriculate upon an offer of acceptance, if it were financially feasible for me to do so" is that more intent or interest sounding?

While I would love to write a letter of intent to my top choice, finances are very much an issue for me, and so I'm aiming more for a very strongly worded letter of interest. Would this hit the mark?

I wrote that line about "as long as it is financially feasible" in my letter of intent. I think that it's fine. Schools understand that finances are an issue for people. Does this school have good financial aid?
 
I wrote that line about "as long as it is financially feasible" in my letter of intent. I think that it's fine. Schools understand that finances are an issue for people. Does this school have good financial aid?

I'm kind of interested in this topic too. So, if you put the "financially feasible" bit in your letter of intent, I mean... that sounds kinda like an escape clause. What then makes the difference between the letter of interest and the letter of intent if you're both pledging to go somewhere if financial aid is available?


I must totally be missing something here. :thumbdown:
 
Agreed. It gives you an escape clause and suddenly your letter of intent doesn't hold it's maximum amount of weight. Of course, that's assuming that letters of intent have much weight to begin with (which is debatable).
 
I took a little different route than sending my letter of intent to the dean of admissions. I sent it, in combination with a thank you note, to my interviewers. They are the advocates for you after your interview to the admissions committee usually so I thought it was most appropriate to send the letter to them. This was just my idea at the time. But now looking at all these posts it seems I may have mucked it up by not sending the letter to the dean of admissions. Do you think it matters that much either way? :scared: :scared:
 
I have a (stupid) question regarding this as well. If you write something in like, "I would absolutely matriculate upon an offer of acceptance, if it were financially feasible for me to do so" is that more intent or interest sounding?

While I would love to write a letter of intent to my top choice, finances are very much an issue for me, and so I'm aiming more for a very strongly worded letter of interest. Would this hit the mark?

uh, it sounds like your killing the purpose of a letter of intent. in an ideal world, i think your idea holds weight. however in this reality, you are making yourself no more different than any other applicant on your waitlist. i think that downgrades your letter to simply a letter of interest.

i talked to my premed advisor about writing a letter of intent and her first question was what if you get a full-ride or a scholarship of some sort to another school, you pretty much would have wasted that awesome chance.

she went on to say that the reason a letter of intent is so powerful is that it has no restrictions. you are going to that school if admitted. period. if you grant an escape clause, then you're defeating the idea.
 
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I took a little different route than sending my letter of intent to the dean of admissions. I sent it, in combination with a thank you note, to my interviewers. They are the advocates for you after your interview to the admissions committee usually so I thought it was most appropriate to send the letter to them. This was just my idea at the time. But now looking at all these posts it seems I may have mucked it up by not sending the letter to the dean of admissions. Do you think it matters that much either way? :scared: :scared:

i think it doesnt matter. people's responses here are based nearly entirely on hearsay. i would call and make sure its included in your file. if its in your file, than you did as good of a ''sell'' on your part as possible.
 
Can someone be nice and share their Letter of Intent via private message ???

or can people comment on the format and the structure of such letters?

Greatly appreciated,

mine was based on a simple structure:

thank them for considering you as an applicant.

reasons why you love them and why they should love you.

update.

thank them for considering you as an applicant and tell them your anxious to hear back.

done.

ended up about a page. remember, even if you do get a sample from someone, there's no certainty that thats what an adcomm expects. most people are writing them based on their own writing style and what they think a professionally written letter should look like. personally, i think it doesnt matter as much on how you write one... . more on IF you write one.
 
I took a little different route than sending my letter of intent to the dean of admissions. I sent it, in combination with a thank you note, to my interviewers. They are the advocates for you after your interview to the admissions committee usually so I thought it was most appropriate to send the letter to them. This was just my idea at the time. But now looking at all these posts it seems I may have mucked it up by not sending the letter to the dean of admissions. Do you think it matters that much either way? :scared: :scared:


I just called UNC this morning with a similar concern. I wondered whether I should send a letter of interest to the dean of admissions, to my interviewer/adcom advocate, to the secretary who could put it in my file, or to some combination of two or three of those people. She assured me that sending it to the dean was sufficient, that she would ultimately see it and put it in my file anyway, and that it would be marked as additional material so that my interviewer/advocate would look it over whenever the committee decides to take another look at my case.
 
Thread derail: Stolenspatulas, I see that we've been visiting a lot of the same schools (I kind of half wonder if we weren't at P&S the same day). I've been trying to make lists and detail what I like about Pitt/Penn/Hopkins/Columbia and I always end up balancing everything out for the most part (e.g., I love the school but hate the location/living arrangements). Granted, I probably won't have to decide between the four of them come March (DENIED! battleship sunk), but I'm wondering what your take on the schools is. You leaning one way or the other?
 
Thread derail: Stolenspatulas, I see that we've been visiting a lot of the same schools (I kind of half wonder if we weren't at P&S the same day). I've been trying to make lists and detail what I like about Pitt/Penn/Hopkins/Columbia and I always end up balancing everything out for the most part (e.g., I love the school but hate the location/living arrangements). Granted, I probably won't have to decide between the four of them come March (DENIED! battleship sunk), but I'm wondering what your take on the schools is. You leaning one way or the other?

My top 4 for schools that I have received invites to:

1. Penn - global health HUGE, students, faculty, philly, near atlantic city, sold on the preclinical curric, awesome match list
2. Hopkins - its hopkins, the name carries more weight than any other school (even the other H in my opinion), students didnt seem competitive as rumored, baltimore doesnt seem to suck that much, awesome AWESOME hospital -> prob best clinical experience available for med student, my brother is a 3rd year there so i could live with him (haha, my parents would love that)
3. Columbia - NY, just as reputable as other ivies, surgery powerhouse, lot of friends in NY, lots of stress on complete student (ie, P&S club)
4. Duke - I went to ugrad here and work here currently, dont want to be stuck in durham for another 4 years... though, its an insane program, sold on the preclinical (i know a lot of kids in medschool here), and awesome match list and 3rd year oppurtunities, if i didnt go here for ugrad and didnt have an itch to just move, it'd be higher on the list for sure.... i also feel that they could've sold the school better on interview day (i work in the hospital and was quite disappointed with their tour and total interview day... it doesnt speak for the awesomeness of the school)

Now, If I get some sort of scholarship from vanderbilt, pitt, or UChicago, then those will definitely jump up on the list (but maybe not first depending on the financial packages from the other schools... many of the top privates are awesome about needbased aid).

I am pretty pessimistic about Penn even though I railed the interviews.
I am pretty optimistic about Columbia and Duke.
Hopkins has alternate-listed me. We'll see what happens with that. If only I could have that interview day back. argh.

I am still waiting to hear from washu, harvard, cornell, yale --- i dont really care for cornell (too PBL, not better than columbia) and yale (yale system, eh); harvard doesnt love me b/c im not unique enough on paper, and damnit washu!! gimme some love, im stats heavy!
 
My top 4 for schools that I have received invites/acceptances to:

1. Penn - global health HUGE, students, faculty, philly, near atlantic city, sold on the preclinical curric, awesome match list
2. Hopkins - its hopkins, the name carries more weight than any other school (even the other H in my opinion), students didnt seem competitive as rumored, baltimore doesnt seem to suck that much, awesome AWESOME hospital -> prob best clinical experience available for med student
3. Columbia - NY, just as reputable as other ivies, surgery powerhouse, lot of friends in NY
4. Duke - I went to ugrad here and work here currently, dont want to be stuck in durham for another 4 years... though, its an insane program, sold on the preclinical (i know a lot of kids in medschool here), and awesome match list and 3rd year

Now, If I get some sort of scholarship from vanderbilt, pitt, or UChicago, then those will definitely jump up on the list (but maybe not first depending on the financial packages from the other schools... many of the top privates are awesome about needbased aid).

I am pretty pessimistic about Penn even though I railed the interviews.
I am pretty optimistic about Columbia and Duke.
Hopkins has alternate-listed me. We'll see what happens with that. If only I could have that interview day back. argh.

I hear ya on Hopkins and Columbia for the MD program. I absolutely loved both of those places and would probably write either one of them letter of intents galore, but the possibility of getting into the PSTP at Pitt or MSTP at Penn is holding me back a bit.

It's kind of a little sucky, because I don't realistically think I have much of a chance at Penn's MD/PhD program. I look at other people's profiles who've interviewed there and, dude, they've skunked me. But whatever... I'm interviewing there. Somebody made a mistake. ;) :smuggrin:

I wouldn't count yourself out at Penn or Hopkins though. Penn interviews a hell of a lot less people than Columbia, so statistically, you've got a great shot. Coupled with your profile... I think you're solid. As for Hopkins, they apparently take 30-40 people off the waitlist every year. No worries there. :luck:
 
I am still waiting to hear from washu, harvard, cornell, yale --- i dont really care for cornell (too PBL, not better than columbia) and yale (yale system, eh); harvard doesnt love me b/c im not unique enough on paper, and damnit washu!! gimme some love, im stats heavy!

:laugh:

Yeah, I'm waiting on them too. I'm a little bamboozled over Cornell and Yale. I thought they'd just love a former homeschooler. Hell, I grew up on PBL.

But the real zinger is why WashU hasn't given you some love. WTF is up with that? :confused:

Harvard's too focused on DABs, I tells ya. :cool:
 
I hear ya on Hopkins and Columbia for the MD program. I absolutely loved both of those places and would probably write either one of them letter of intents galore, but the possibility of getting into the PSTP at Pitt or MSTP at Penn is holding me back a bit.

It's kind of a little sucky, because I don't realistically think I have much of a chance at Penn's MD/PhD program. I look at other people's profiles who've interviewed there and, dude, they've skunked me. But whatever... I'm interviewing there. Somebody made a mistake. ;) :smuggrin:

I wouldn't count yourself out at Penn or Hopkins though. Penn interviews a hell of a lot less people than Columbia, so statistically, you've got a great shot. Coupled with your profile... I think you're solid. As for Hopkins, they apparently take 30-40 people off the waitlist every year. No worries there. :luck:


You're so optimistic. After the Jhop waitlist, for some reason I think Penn won't have me.
Wow if you're interviewing Penn MSTP you must be a really qualified applicant. Good luck. Hopefully I'll see you there ;)
 
:laugh:

Yeah, I'm waiting on them too. I'm a little bamboozled over Cornell and Yale. I thought they'd just love a former homeschooler. Hell, I grew up on PBL.

But the real zinger is why WashU hasn't given you some love. WTF is up with that? :confused:

Harvard's too focused on DABs, I tells ya. :cool:

I know. come on WashU! I got interviews at other powerhouses relatively quick once I turned in the materials. I've been sitting on WashU for over 6 months now. Other threads on SDN, however, point out that they're slower than other schools and are still interviewing strong. There's always hope.
 
I'm kind of interested in this topic too. So, if you put the "financially feasible" bit in your letter of intent, I mean... that sounds kinda like an escape clause. What then makes the difference between the letter of interest and the letter of intent if you're both pledging to go somewhere if financial aid is available?


I must totally be missing something here. :thumbdown:

Well, I still got in to the school I sent it to... but who knows if that's because I wrote the letter or because they would have let me in anyway.

I mean, really, what difference does it make if it's a letter of intent or just a very strong letter of interest? If you're honestly not prepared to guarantee that you will go to that school if it means you will be $300,000 in debt, then you should not write that you will. But there's nothing wrong with letting a school know, very enthusiastically, that you want to go there, and it's your first choice.

I also highly doubt that admissions committee members read sooo deeply into these letters that they sit there pondering as to whether or not you inclusion "financially feasible" is an escape clause or not.
 
You're so optimistic. After the Jhop waitlist, for some reason I think Penn won't have me.
Wow if you're interviewing Penn MSTP you must be a really qualified applicant. Good luck. Hopefully I'll see you there ;)


Pffft... just because Hopkins made a mistake the first time around doesn't mean that Penn's going to. **but that's just how I think** It's really a total crap-shoot. I will preface this by saying that I have absolutely no insight into how schools pick students, but it kind of reminds me of the beginning of "The Real World: Pick-A-Place":

"This is the true story of seven strangers picked to live in a house and have their lives taped. Find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real."

How or why they pick the strangers, I have no clue. But I think like in reality tv casting, adcoms are trying to create some sort of dynamic... some sort of class/school identity. Everyone at the interview stage can pretty much cut the mustard academically. What it comes down to then -- in my grand theory -- is how well you fit whatever the hell kind of dynamic or character it is they're trying to build that year. Just because Hopkins wants to fill its class this year with Gold-medal winning Ethiopian refugees, doesn't mean that Penn wants to. :luck: :luck: :thumbup:


The bold part made me laugh. :laugh: ;)
 

If you're honestly not prepared to guarantee that you will go to that school if it means you will be $300,000 in debt, then you should not write that you will.
But there's nothing wrong with letting a school know, very enthusiastically, that you want to go there, and it's your first choice.

Well, see that's what I thought a letter of intent was all about. "You had me at 'Hello'... I will pay whatever it takes to come here." But then when you mentioned that you wrote "financially feasible" into your letter, it confused me because I would typically associate that with a letter of interest.

Anyway, I'm not even sure how much weight all these letters hold (outside of the waitlist).
 
While on this topic...

Does a letter of intent obligate you to attend a school? I mean how binding is it? I've heard of applicants who sent letters-of-intent out of fear that they wouldn't be accepted at their other choices and then ditched the school to which they wrote the letter of intent.

A classmate of mine actually sent letters to five different schools telling them they were all his top-choice!
 
While on this topic...

Does a letter of intent obligate you to attend a school? I mean how binding is it? I've heard of applicants who sent letters-of-intent out of fear that they wouldn't be accepted at their other choices and then ditched the school to which they wrote the letter of intent.

A classmate of mine actually sent letters to five different schools telling them they were all his top-choice!

Yeah, that's pretty much considered morally reprehensible. Not only to the schools, but more importantly, to your fellow applicants who will one day be your fellow coleagues.
 
While on this topic...

Does a letter of intent obligate you to attend a school? I mean how binding is it? I've heard of applicants who sent letters-of-intent out of fear that they wouldn't be accepted at their other choices and then ditched the school to which they wrote the letter of intent.

A classmate of mine actually sent letters to five different schools telling them they were all his top-choice!

That's pretty low class. If you really want to go to a school -- no matter what -- write ONE letter of intent and, if accepted, go there. While I don't think that they are legally binding, it wouldn't speak well of a person's character if they didn't follow their word.

Edit: I shouldn't even bother responding anymore. Humble pretty much always says whatever bit of advice I'd give anyway. ;) I'm going to turf all my posting responsibilities to him... just call it outsourcing.
 
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