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No One Wants to be your Second Choice for the High School Prom

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Imagine you’re back in high school, planning to ask out a fellow classmate to the prom. You approach your potential date, “Would you be interested in going with me to the dance? You’re my second choice.”

Not very compelling…The same is true for letters of interest or, really, any outreach to medical schools or residency programs: Over the years, I’ve edited many letters in which applicants mention that an institution is “one of my top” picks.

Avoid that type of language. Instead you can say something like “I would be thrilled to be at your institution,” or “I am confident I can make a positive contribution.” In other words, you can stay honest while not shooting yourself in the foot.

Let me know if you need assistance with a letter of interest.

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Make Sure to Read the Fine Print

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Many years ago a medical school applicant told me the following story:

The student sent follow up notes to all schools where he had interviewed, usually a strategic move. However, he was very upset to receive a brusque note from one of the institutions telling him that a) he should have read their policies; they do not allow post-interview contact and b) he was rejected from the school.

I found the school’s note extremely severe – almost cruel – and I strongly suspect the post-interview contact was not related to his rejection. (As an aside, he successfully and happily matriculated at another school.) But this story is a reminder that it’s important to read institutions’ policies about post-interview and post-waitlist contact. Most places welcome written updates, but make sure to confirm before you reach out.

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Love Letters and Janet Jackson

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Letters of interest (LOI) – or what some applicants jokingly call “love letters” – can be used in several types of situations:

1) Residency and medical school applicants who want to make an impression post-interview before decisions are made about their candidacies.
2) Medical school and residency applicants who have not yet been invited to interview.
3) Medical school applicants who have been waitlisted.

When writing your letters of interest, you should have the following goals:

1) Restating your strong enthusiasm for the institution
2) Positioning yourself as a distinctive candidate who can contribute fully to the institution

Errors to avoid in LOIs are:

1) Don’t include generic content about a specific institution’s advantages. There is no reason to spend a paragraph or more telling a PD or medical school admissions member what makes his/her institution special. (“Your faculty is strong and your trainees are collegial” or “You are a world-renowned institution.”) Using your precious space this way is an opportunity cost, keeping you from fully showcasing what makes you a compelling applicant. Having said that, it is very reasonable to link a particular interest of yours with a specific opportunity at an institution. For example if you have done cancer research, make sure to mention how you will contribute to the renowned oncology program the institution is associated with.

2) Don’t write about how the program or school will help you. (“I know your residency will make me into a great doctor.”) The focus should, instead, be on how you will be a contributor to their institution. For example, you can detail how a specific leadership experience of yours has given you the skills to make you a future leader at this institution. (It’s the “What have you done for me lately?” Janet Jackson principle.)

Finally, let me say that I find the term “letter of interest” to be better than “letter of intent” because, generally, I don’t recommend you let institutions know what your intent is (since it might change). Note that with a letter of interest you can create one general letter that you modify and send to different institutions with different goals (i.e. requesting an interview or demonstrating your interest post-interview). You can also modify the letter and send it to your top choices because, if you are not making commitments, then you can honestly use it for multiple institutions. 

For those of you interested in LOI assistance for medical school or residency applicants, please contact me.

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Love Letters and Janet Jackson

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Letters of interest (LOI) – or what some applicants jokingly call “love letters” – can be used in several types of situations:

1) Residency and medical school applicants who want to make an impression post-interview before decisions are made about their candidacies.
2) Medical school and residency applicants who have not yet been invited to interview.
3) Medical school applicants who have been waitlisted.

When writing your letters of interest, you should have the following goals:

1) Restating your strong interest in the institution
2) Positioning yourself as a distinctive candidate who can contribute fully to the institution

The biggest errors I see in LOIs are:

1) Too much content about a specific institution’s advantages. There is no reason to spend a paragraph or more telling a PD or medical school admissions member what makes their institutions special. Using your precious space this way is an opportunity cost, keeping you from fully showcasing what makes you a compelling applicant.

2) Writing about how the program or school will help you. The focus should be on how you will be a contributor to their institution. (It’s the “What have you done for me lately?” Janet Jackson principle.)

Finally, let me say that I find the term “letter of interest” to be better than “letter of intent” because, generally, I don’t recommend you let institutions know what your intent is (since it might change). Note that with a letter of interest you can create one general letter that you modify and send to different institutions with different goals (i.e. requesting an interview or demonstrating your interest post-interview). You can also modify the letter and send it to your top choices because, if you are not making commitments, then you can honestly use it for multiple institutions. 

For those of you interested in LOI assistance for medical school or residency applicants, please contact me.

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Haven’t Heard Back from a Medical School or Residency Program? Here’s What to Do.

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One of the more frustrating aspects of the medical school and residency admissions processes is the lack of response from some institutions. There is no obligation for medical schools or residency programs to reply to a candidate, which leaves applicants in limbo.

If you have not heard back from medical schools or residency programs to which you’ve applied, I recommend that you contact (preferably call) the institutions to inquire about your status.

After I offered that advice to a residency applicant I was advising, she emailed me to say she obtained an interview in a competitive specialty with a phone call. Another said she received two preliminary interviews with simple emails. A third recently told me that, after calling in the morning, he was offered an interview by the afternoon. (Generally, I recommend calls over emails because it’s hard to ignore someone on the other end of a phone line. Still, if you simply can’t bring yourself to call, an email can be effective.)

I’ve seen this phone call strategy work for medical school interviews as well: Several years ago I helped a strong applicant who had been rejected by a top medical school. He thought he was a very good fit for this particular institution, so he called the school to make his case. Shockingly, after the applicant’s phone call, the school granted him an interview, reversing their original rejection. Ultimately, after being initially rejected, this applicant was admitted to that top school. Of course, this is an exceedingly rare occurrence. But to me, the moral of this story is that it is worth being assertive in the application process.Now, if the school or program explicitly asks in written materials that you don’t contact them about your status, then calling is not a good idea, of course.

An additional strong option is to send an effective update letter or letter of recommendation from an influential writer (alumnus, for example). I do edit letters of interest for medical school and residency applicants, but even if you choose not to use my services, I recommend sending a well-written, strategic note in addition to making a phone call.

This process is an uncertain one, but asserting some small bit of control can be useful (and comforting).

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About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more

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