I receive a lot of inquiries this time of year about how to distinguish one’s self after the interview process.

One option is the letter of intent. This is a formal note to program directors and medical school deans that a) states your interest in the institution and b) restates the strengths of your candidacy. As I tell my clients, what you do not want to do in the letter of intent is wax poetic about the program’s good qualities. The reader is already familiar with them.

Getting into residency and medical school is never clear cut, so I’ll end by saying that the weight that a letter of intent carries is variable. It depends on the reader, the institution, the timing, and the program’s interest in you. But in this competitive game of residency and medical school admissions, taking a little time to make yourself distinctive before decisions are made won’t hurt.