the "i'm am still very interested in your institution . . ." letter

[jdub]

hey guys,

we have covered this briefly here and there, but i wanted to get some folks opinion on what to write, and if to write?

to me it is quite obvious that schools have some type of priority piles, so i am kind of wondering if one just gets lost in the shuffle sometimes because they put in the wrong pile, or in a pile that doesn't have a lot of priority? for example, last year i never heard a word from jhu after i got the "your app is complete" post card. i also was rejected very late, like in april by three or four schools.

i am not talking about a letter of intent, but more so, something that says that you find their school to be very much to your liking for x-reason(s) and that you are patiently and eagerly awaiting the chance to see the school and show what ya got in an interview.

anyhow, i don't want to be overly aggressive, but at the same time, i don't want to be too passive . . . you kind of get my drift, right?

what to do? oh the humanity!

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[none]

I can't help, but I do have a question. Johns Hopkins is amazingly competitive. I mean, like easily near the absolute tops in terms of competitiveness. How did you go from getting completely rejected last year to applying there (again) this year?

 

[jargon124]

jdub wrote: "for example, last year i never heard a word from jhu after i got the "your app is complete" post card."

Does that mean they didn't even send you a rejection letter?

 

[USeF]

jdub: i had the exact same question and directly asked Florida what they thought about sending one of those letters. The young lady said of course as soon as I finished my Q, so they must get this Q often.

UF was my first interview, so I stated in the letter that since then, I've been fortunate enough to have other in and out of state interviews. This has offered me an opportunity to compare/contrast schools, and 2 months and 5 interviews later you are still a (not the) top choice. Afterwards I had a bulleted list of 8 things I liked and 4 things they'd like about me. I'd be happy to send the letter in an email to anyone interested. It's been a month since the letter was sent and I'm going to send fall grades this week. Dont worry, I'll keep you guys posted if anything happens.

 

[jdub]

about jhu:

i applied to jhu last year and i did it again this year, i figured, why not? many schools do have acceptions to the rule and i feel my app is pretty well rounded.

anyhow, USeF i wouldn't mind seeing that letter you sent. if you want to send it by a personal email that would be cool. so thanks in advance.

johnny

 

[praying mantis]

Also, when should the letter of intent be sent? After interview, or when waitlisted? To whom should it be addressed?

Thanks!

 

[bebe2]

Definitely after the interview. A letter of intent says I will go to your schoo if accepted. You need to be able to see the school, meet the students, talk to the Dean, etc before you make such a decision.

A letter saying you are still very interested in their school can be sent anytime (before interview, after, etc). If this is for them to offer an interview, tell the something not previously mentioned in you application or send an update (you can also do this after and interview and before a decision on your file has been made).

Be sincere. Say I like such and such about your school and the opportunity to meet with your admissions peeps will give me the opportunity to elaborate on some facets of my application (elaborate) that show what I can offer your school.

Man I am writing my own essay here. Hummm. Anyways, decide what schools you want to send these letters to. If you are really interested, I would send to the Deans as well.

If there is a school you have interviewed at and they say they make decisions in lets say 3-4 weeks. Write them as soon as possible after your interview to say look I wanted to tell you what a great time I had, students were great, curriculm was even better than I had expected, etc.

You can also update them if you hadn't a chance to tell them about senior year, job opprtunities, etc, during the interview.

Also about being waitlisted, if you think there is a chance you will be waitlisted, then save some stuff to write about until then.

K?

Peace

 

[StitchEM]

It's January and I would like to send an update letter but because I am no longer in college what I have to add to my file is a little odd. I have been working as a park ranger, specifically running the field trip and educational programs and have been doing well and having a grat time. The park I work for won several awards and has been on the news in which I was featured. I don't have any grades to report, but I could add copies of newspaper articles and the news clip I was in as well as another letter of recomendation from my supervisor who used to work as a lab tech before she became a park ranger. My question is what should I include in my update letter outside of "I really want to go to your school please, please, PLEASE."

 

[USeF]

Johnny and others: write me an email and I'll be happy to attach the letter to you. I've already sent it to ~10 people in 2 days that have replied that have given me mostly positive feedback, but they're not adcoms at UF

praying mantis: at this point, the only ones that should letters of INTENT (i'll go if accepted) are those that have interviewed or been rejected everywhere they are interested in. Mine was simply an update/interest/keep-my-file-on-top-dammit! letter