Update Letters!

[Dr. Will]

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For those who wrote update letters to schools you were waitlisted at, here are some quick questions. How long were they and what types of things were included, besides the obvious update on what you've done since the interviw? Did you talk about what you liked about the school, etc.? Just curious 'cuz I have no idea how to start mine out. Thanks for the help all!

 

[Hero]

Will you punk! Finally u're getting around to doing it! 😛

Keep the letter to a page. Ad com don't have that much time or patience, applicants are a dime a dozen.

Be very polite and thank them for the waitlist even tho you wanna (adcommbastards) 😛

🙂 then go on to say since my interview i have accomplished the following: etc etc. I basically just listed what I did.

Then you end it with a strong intent. eg: If accepted, i intend to matriculate.

I didn't talk much about liking the school or how well I will fit in. I feel that ad com hears this all the time and it's just boring. IMO, they would be more interested on what you are as an applicant than how suited you are for the place. (but it doesn't hurt to tie in one of your update activities with one of their strengths :wink: ) for example if the school has a free clinic program and you volunteer at a free clinic, tie them together.

 

[Doctora Foxy]

My first paragraph was my "letter of intent" part and then I rambled on for two pages <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />

In the second paragraph I wrote about how well the school fits me (using examples). In the next few paragraphs I wrote about new activities since my AMCAS application. I couldn't keep it to just a page, but my important "intent" info is in the first paragraph so it's all good. 🙂

I remember a girl who posted a while ago that she wrote letters of interest to several schools that were 2 pages long and she subsequently got intoi Hopkins, Penn, and one other. Sounds good to me! That gave me room to explain my activities thouroughly. 🙂

I still think you should keep it to a page if you can, but I had too much to say. Oops!

-Foxy

 

[USeF]

I will second the 'keep it to one page' bit. Short and sweet is the best way, though rambling on may show an overflowing love (like a love letter :wink: ) that they may dig.

As for saying what adcoms like, it's been arbitrary in my very breif experience. Of the 4 schools I was waitlisted at after March, I sent 2 update snail-mail letters to only U of Florida. Guess which of the 4 rejected me from the waitlist?

A letter I sent to Dean Lombard of U of C-Pritzker was received so well, that he personally emailed me back and stated that the things I liked about the school are the very things they sought in students to be interested in.
BOTTOM LINE: write simply what you feel in a professional manner, and be confident you tried your best.

 

[Spiderman [RNA Ladder 2003]]

USed, did you get accepted into that school?

 

[USeF]

I forgot the search is now working.
Here's the link to the letter the dean sent me.
<a href="http://forums.studentdoctor.net/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=next_topic;f=1;t=010189;go=older" target="_blank">click here</a>

 

[Spiderman [RNA Ladder 2003]]

Your application was supposed to be reviewed in April. So did you get in or not?

 

[USeF]

sup Spidey? not accepted to Pritzker yet, though I did make it to their contracted 'alternate' list that they made in early May. I also set up a phone interview with the asst. dean of admissions that went well. In the next week or so I may also send either a letter of rec specifically from an alumni and/or set up another phone call with the dean himself.

if you mean U of Florida, they rejected me when they shrunk their waitlist.

 

[Trowa]

Hi,
I was hoping to get some good advice about waitlists and letters of intents. Here is some background information. Thus far, I am on three waitlists. One for NYMC, Tufts, and on the HPL for Upstate. My problem is this, I really want to attend Upstate and I wrote a strong letter of intent saying that I love their school and if accepted I will attend, etc, etc. I also want to write some type of letter of interest to Tufts. I also really like Tufts (The only deciding factor in favor of Upstate is cost and very close to home), but I am afraid if the letter I write is for only "strong interest" and not intent, that it is a waste of time. Is it worth the time to write a letter of interest? I am just wondering if it will make a diference? I also really want to attend Tufts, it's just I want to attend Upstate alittle more. My main goal is obviously just to get in, I just want to do everything to help make that possible. Any and all advice would be great. Thank-you!

 

[Dr. Will]

bump...any other suggestions?