After you have submitted your primary application and secondary essays, you may want to contact the schools with additional information. There are three common ways that this can be done: updates, letters of interest, and letters of intent. Before you consider any of these, it is important to determine if the school accepts additional information and if so, in what format. If they provide an option for sending additional information, you still want to be very judicious in what you send. If they are clear that they do not want any additional information, you need to respect this.
Health Careers Advising
Updates and Letters
Updates
If you have changes that could affect your candidacy and you would like to share these with the professional schools you can send an update. However, it is important that the update is a significant change to your experiences or activities and not just a continuation of the activities you had on your primary application. Within the context of the update, you may also want to include a statement of your continued interest in the school but that should not be the focus of the update.
Letter of Interest
We only recommend a letter of interest after you have interviewed at a school or are waitlisted. Schools will view your application as a measure of your interest and so you do not need an additional letter stating this. However, after the interview, you will have new information about the program that has hopefully increased your interest in their school and you can refer to this in the letter. At the same time, you can showcase the features of a school that you are most attracted to and highlight the ways in which you would fit with the curriculum and community. You can also provide any updates since your last communication and should draw a connection between your updates and their program.
A letter of interest is different from a letter of intent and does not indicate that you would guarantee enrollment if accepted. Most schools appreciate a letter of interest from students on the waitlist as this indicates that you are still considering attending if you are accepted. However, this doesn’t play a large part in their admissions decision process.
Letter of Intent
We only recommend a letter of intent after you have interviewed at a school or are waitlisted. A letter of intent is sent to your top choice school only and includes a clear statement that you will unequivocally attend their school if you are admitted. A letter of intent should incorporate an expression of gratitude for being considered, a recap of what you appreciate most about their school, a demonstration of how your strengths align with the school’s offerings, and a clear explanation of what you will contribute to the school’s community and program.
You should only send a letter of intent to one school and only if the school indicates that it accepts these types of letters. Most schools appreciate a letter of intent from applicants on the waitlist; however, this doesn’t play a large role in their admissions decision process.
Frequently Asked Questions
While a letter of intent is not legally binding and can be canceled by either party at any time, it is a promise that you are making. It is wise to keep in mind that the medical school community is not very large, and by not honoring your word, you could cause damage to your reputation.
Most admissions committees appreciate knowing that you are still interested or that you plan to attend if accepted. However, these do not play a significant role in admissions decisions. If you send too many or contact them too often this may negatively impact your application, so be sure to use your best judgment and send them updates or letters rarely.
There is always a judgment call and there is no set list of what makes a good update. Generally speaking, if you are simply adding hours to activities that are already on your primary application, this would not be enough for an update. However, if you have another semester of grades that impact your GPA, a new publication, have been involved in a new activity for a period of time, were awarded a fellowship, or have been working in a new job, these might be good candidates for an update.