Update Letter -- list or paragraph format?

[carnelian]

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It's been a while since some of my interviews (earliest was in Oct.), and I'm thinking of sending an update/interest letter to some non-rolling schools. I haven't sent any update letters yet, so I've saved up quite a bit of things to talk about (none super significant alone).

I was wondering, is it okay to write the body of the letter in outline/bullet form, using a few sentences per bullet to explain each update? The first and last paragraphs are still in paragraph form.

Thanks!!

 

[PreMedOrDead]

I would suggest doing it all in paragraphs, but keep it concise. You aren't character restricted, so why come off as you're just listing things off?

 

[Doctor Strange]

Any official correspondence with a university/company/business should be, whenever possible, written in business letter format. This means paragraphs.

 

[lovesfall]

It's been a while since some of my interviews (earliest was in Oct.), and I'm thinking of sending an update/interest letter to some non-rolling schools. I haven't sent any update letters yet, so I've saved up quite a bit of things to talk about (none super significant alone).

I was wondering, is it okay to write the body of the letter in outline/bullet form, using a few sentences per bullet to explain each update? The first and last paragraphs are still in paragraph form.

Thanks!!

This is similar to the format I used. Opening and closing paragraphs, with the updates themselves classified under their AMCAS activity heading and in bullet point format. Not sure if it helped, but I got accepted to a school that I sent an update letter to, so apparently it wasn't offensive in any way. That being said, if you need multiple sentences for any updates, they should be paragraphs. Otherwise it's not really grammatically correct. If you can get them to actual bullet-point length, use bullet points.

Any official correspondence with a university/company/business should be, whenever possible, written in business letter format. This means paragraphs.

I disagree. This is like job-hunting. No one wants to spend a lot of time on your materials. You need to put the key points out there where they jump off the page and the reader can get them quickly. Otherwise, what's their motivation to read into the paragraphs to figure out what it is that you're updating on?

 

[Doctor Strange]

I disagree. This is like job-hunting. No one wants to spend a lot of time on your materials. You need to put the key points out there where they jump off the page and the reader can get them quickly. Otherwise, what's their motivation to read into the paragraphs to figure out what it is that you're updating on?

If you adhere to business letter formatting, they'll know exactly where to look. I have worked with a number of job recruiters, and the one thing I've taken away from it, is that they are extremely picky. A couple of people I know wouldn't even look at resumes that didn't have the proper cover letter format.

Obviously, it's not the exact same case with med school, but there's a benefit to making your correspondence look organized and professional.

 

[lovesfall]

If you adhere to business letter formatting, they'll know exactly where to look. I have worked with a number of job recruiters, and the one thing I've taken away from it, is that they are extremely picky. A couple of people I know wouldn't even look at resumes that didn't have the proper cover letter format.

Obviously, it's not the exact same case with med school, but there's a benefit to making your correspondence look organized and professional.

There's no reason it can't be organized and professional and utilize bullet points. They aren't mutually exclusive.

 

[carnelian]

Thanks for all the advice!