by Mary Mahoney
When to Send Letters of Interest to Med Schools
If you have been placed on a medical school’s waiting list, you can send the admissions committee a letter to reiterate your interest in the school. Keep in mind that this letter of interest (LOI) will not make or break your application. Where you are placed on the waiting list plays a much larger role. If you’re #5 on the waiting list, you’re much more likely to receive an acceptance before classes begin than the applicant who is #54. Some medical schools share this number with you, while others do not. It doesn’t hurt to ask what your placement is, but don’t expect a clear answer from most schools.
Since it’s customary to send an LOI, and most applicants do, the best way to approach this piece of correspondence is to (1) be yourself and let your personality (and gratitude) shine through, (2) have solid reasons for your genuine interest in the school, and (3) have exciting new achievements or developments to share to demonstrate how hard you are working. If you cover all three of these areas in your letter, you will have a strong letter to submita strong letter to submit.
To help you determine when to submit your LOI, consider these important milestones in the application cycle:
1. Submit an LOI after being waitlisted.
An LOI is rarely a game changer; however, if you are higher on the waitlist (among the more competitive spots), it behooves you to respond to a waitlist decision with an LOI to reaffirm your interest in the school, reassert the reasons it remains your top choice, and update the adcom with any achievements you’ve had since you submitted your application.
That said, medical schools receive many follow-up letters, so they are likely numb to generalizations, flattery, and overwritten letters. Stay concise (one page or less). The more specific you can be in your LOI, the better. If you are certain that you would attend the school if offered a spot, explicitly state this commitment. This is referred to as a Letter of Intent.
2. Submit an LOI prior to accepted students’ events.
Most medical schools have a revisit day or events to which they invite accepted students back to campus to persuade them to choose their school. Many candidates receive multiple acceptances, and medical schools use these events to recruit the most competitive applicants.
The dates of the school’s revisit events are an indication that its admissions process is coming to an end. If the school doesn’t have a revisit event, you can instead find out when its last interviews are scheduled, typically in February or March.
Many schools share interview information on their admissions websites. It’s a good idea to get your LOI submitted before the last interviews and/or revisit events, though you want to be sure to adhere to the school’s guidelines regarding communication from waitlisted applicants.
3.Submit an LOI prior to the school’s deadline for final decisions.
Medical schools give accepted applicants a deadline for deciding whether to accept or decline their offer of admission. April 30 is a common date for medical schools to require accepted applicants to “plan to enroll” or “commit to enroll.” Double-check your school’s deadline for final decisions. If you are on the waiting list, you could receive an acceptance shortly after this date, once the school sees how many open spots it has left. Plan to get your LOI submitted a few weeks before this date. At the very least, you will appear engaged and attentive to the application process.
4. Submit an LOI prior to the school’s start date for classes.
I have worked with students who received an acceptance only weeks or even days before the program was scheduled to begin. Don’t give up hope if you are high on the waitlist. You can send an updated letter that provides important new information or developments (such as new grades or a new MCAT score). (If you are on the waiting list, you should be doing everything in your power to create new and radical developments.)
Dr. Mary Mahoney, PhD, is the medical humanities director at Elmira College and has more than 20 years of experience as an advisor and essay reviewer for med school applicants. She is a tenured English professor with an MFA in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence College and a PhD in literature and writing from the University of Houston. For the past 20 years, Mary has served as a grad school advisor and essay reviewer for med school applicants. Want Mary to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!
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