When should I begin worrying about sending LOIs? (low stats)

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

pepes1lv1a

Bird Law Medicine
10+ Year Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2013
Messages
355
Reaction score
108
Hi friends,

I'm a little baffled as to this letter of intent business. I've been reading old threads about it but one thing I can't seem to ascertain is exactly how soon in the process I should begin to think about it. I know most people send them post-waitlisting, but since I am a longshot with my stats (34Q, 3.0 cGPA/3.2 sGPA, 4.0 postbacc, stellar ECs/LORs--everything's great but those frosh-junior undergrad grades :( ) I likely won't even get waitlisted at most places. Certainly not MD, but I'm applying broadly MD and DO. Anyway, would sending LOIs pre-waitlist help my chances?

Members don't see this ad.
 
Hi friends,

I'm a little baffled as to this letter of intent business. I've been reading old threads about it but one thing I can't seem to ascertain is exactly how soon in the process I should begin to think about it. I know most people send them post-waitlisting, but since I am a longshot with my stats (34Q, 3.0 cGPA/3.2 sGPA, 4.0 postbacc, stellar ECs/LORs--everything's great but those frosh-junior undergrad grades :( ) I likely won't even get waitlisted at most places. Certainly not MD, but I'm applying broadly MD and DO. Anyway, would sending LOIs pre-waitlist help my chances?

Probably not. I would wait until post-interview. Although most schools probably realize that with your low stats you're not going to have too many options for school choices until you begin with. Also, LOI's (intent, not interest) should not be plural. If you're actually going to send one, it should actually be only one to the school that you would definitely go to if you somehow got into every school you applied to.

As some adcom's have indicated on this board they don't take them very seriously as so many students use them as a tool to increase their chances at EVERY school they apply to (whether it works or not) instead of just using it to increase the chances at their first choice school. It becomes meaningless in the plural.

For what it's worth, I didn't use any at all. I have similar low stats/good MCAT. You can check out my cycle on MDApps. If I would have sent one, it would have been U of Florida where I was waitlisted, but I got in somewhere else before they were even scheduled to start touching the waitlist (post May 15th).
 
Letters of intent (i.e.--I will definitely attend this school if accepted) should only be sent post-waitlist. However, if you haven't heard back about interviews by December, you could try sending in letters of interest/update (i.e. your school is among my top choices because of x,y, and z, and I've done a,b, and c since submitting my app).

With regards to letters of intent, I have little faith in them. The two schools which accepted me off the waitlist didn't receive any letters from me; the schools where I sent letters of interest (and one letter of intent) rejected me. I think you're ranked on the waitlist, whether the schools admit it or not, and based on the ranking, you're accepted if a spot opens up. Unless you have some incredible update, I doubt letters of intent make much of an impact.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Probably not. I would wait until post-interview. Although most schools probably realize that with your low stats you're not going to have too many options for school choices until you begin with. Also, LOI's (intent, not interest) should not be plural. If you're actually going to send one, it should actually be only one to the school that you would definitely go to if you somehow got into every school you applied to.

As some adcom's have indicated on this board they don't take them very seriously as so many students use them as a tool to increase their chances at EVERY school they apply to (whether it works or not) instead of just using it to increase the chances at their first choice school. It becomes meaningless in the plural.

For what it's worth, I didn't use any at all. I have similar low stats/good MCAT. You can check out my cycle on MDApps. If I would have sent one, it would have been U of Florida where I was waitlisted, but I got in somewhere else before they were even scheduled to start touching the waitlist (post May 15th).

Letters of intent (i.e.--I will definitely attend this school if accepted) should only be sent post-waitlist. However, if you haven't heard back about interviews by December, you could try sending in letters of interest/update (i.e. your school is among my top choices because of x,y, and z, and I've done a,b, and c since submitting my app).

With regards to letters of intent, I have little faith in them. The two schools which accepted me off the waitlist didn't receive any letters from me; the schools where I sent letters of interest (and one letter of intent) rejected me. I think you're ranked on the waitlist, whether the schools admit it or not, and based on the ranking, you're accepted if a spot opens up. Unless you have some incredible update, I doubt letters of intent make much of an impact.

Well said. :thumbup:
 
I definitely agree that update letters would be better pre-interview. The only time I think a letter of intent should be sent pre-interview is if you have some very specific reason for wanting to attend there.
 
Thanks guys.

Also, wow, xxfan, first time I've seen anyone with an MD acceptance in my situation. However, you've also been involved in the military and done a lot more volunteering than I have, but who knows. I'm trying to stop thinking about it constantly and just enjoy life now that my secondaries are winding down. Hard to do when waiting on my recommenders, but it's not very productive being anxious all the time.

Also, thanks for clarifying that LOIs should only be sent to one place. I thought "letters of interest" could be sent to multiple schools and that a "letter of intent" goes to one school, but it seems that really one LOI to a school I'm very serious about should suffice.
 
Thanks guys.

Also, wow, xxfan, first time I've seen anyone with an MD acceptance in my situation. However, you've also been involved in the military and done a lot more volunteering than I have, but who knows. I'm trying to stop thinking about it constantly and just enjoy life now that my secondaries are winding down. Hard to do when waiting on my recommenders, but it's not very productive being anxious all the time.

Also, thanks for clarifying that LOIs should only be sent to one place. I thought "letters of interest" could be sent to multiple schools and that a "letter of intent" goes to one school, but it seems that really one LOI to a school I'm very serious about should suffice.

As long as schools accept them, I don't see any problem with sending updates to any number of schools as long as it strengthens your application. A letter of intent though, as already mentioned, should only be sent to one school. I sent two update letters (that also stated my intent to matriculate if accepted) to my top school after I was waitlisted in November. I submitted my first letter after fall semester (December) and the second letter after spring semester/graduation (May). In both of my updates, I discussed how my sGPA and cGPA improved (including a 4.0 my last semester) and how I received several research awards/submitted my senior honors thesis. Not sure what overall impact my letters had, as my school openly welcomed and asked for them, but I was eventually accepted--so it's worth your time in my opinion.
 
Top