After Your Med School Interview: FAQs on Follow-Up Strategy

Check out our earlier posts on writing Update Letters and Letters of Intent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I send more than one Letter of Intent?

You can send a couple of quasi-Letters of Intent. You can tell up to two schools: "I will likely attend" or "X school is one of my top choices." But only send an "I will attend" letter to your top choice school.

What should I do when I get notified I’ve been put on the waitlist?

Send a Letter of Intent ASAP. If you want to turn your waitlist slot into an acceptance, sending a Letter of Intent to your top choice school is extremely important. We already highlighted what such a letter should generally entail, but waitlistees may also want to do a little more. When you update a school on a major accomplishment, a new Letter of Recommendation based on it by a professor or supervisor adds a little oomph. (Adding a random recommendation that isn't about something that has happened since your application is less likely to have an impact on a school's view of you.)

How do I decide where to send my Letter of Intent?

Be strategic about your note: You only get one, so shoot your letter of intent at a likely target, a safe bet. Of course, you should love the school, but choose a school you have a reasonable chance of getting into.

After Your Med School Interview: Send a Letter of Intent

How to Send a Letter of Intent

If a school is a top contender for you, go a step beyond an Update Letter, and send a Letter of Intent. Send a Letter of Intent one or two weeks after your interview or the instant you have been waitlisted. Your letter should include relevant updates since you submitted your application (what you'd put in an Update Letter). Plus, a reiteration of your interest in the program with shoutouts to favorite offerings. Be specific about why you are interested in the medical school and try to relate those interests to your background, accomplishments, and goals. Have you worked on a study that relates to something happening in one of their labs? Do you want to be a pediatric surgeon and they are affiliated with one of the best children's hospitals in the country? Tell ‘em.

And finally—and this is what makes a Letter of Intent different from an Update Letter—include the yield protection statement: "If admitted I will attend." Keep it tight. No more than one page. Three paragraphs, max.

Medical schools have several reasons for wanting to accept people whom they know will attend. First, they want enthusiastic students who will add to the morale of the student body. They also like to know, especially as the date of matriculation nears, that the applicant they accept will attend because no medical school wants an open seat on the first day of classes. Finally, medical schools like the percentage of accepted applicants who matriculate to be as high as possible since this reflects the desirability of the medical school. (That's their "yield percentage" stat.)

Check back tomorrow for our final post on how to follow-up after your Med School Interview.

After Your Med School Interview: Send an Update Letter

Naturally, you'll have the urge to be proactive as you wait for a school's decision. In the weeks after your interview—say, two to three weeks in—you should send a letter reiterating your interest to keep the admissions office thinking about you.

We're going to go ahead and say that you should send an update letter to every school where you’ve interviewed, unless you absolutely hated one or two and are confident that you'll get in elsewhere. You should also be writing to schools you’ve yet to hear from to remind them that you’re eager to connect. (A Letter of Intent will come later and should be for your one and only true love…but there's some flexibility there. More on that tomorrow.)

"Hey, remember me?”

How to Send an Update Letter

We know of one admissions director who an applicant emailed EVERY DAY after their interview to express their continued interest in the school. Yikes. She gets it. It was beyond too much; it seemed unhinged.

You want to send a maximum of two Update Letters over a six to 10-week period that reiterate your interest in each school with program-specific details. It should include that if admitted, you will likely attend. And only send letters that include a substantive accomplishment. If you don’t think you have one—you do! We like these examples of accomplishments that one might include in an Update Letter:

• "Since submitting my application, I have increased my overall GPA to 3.8, earning an A+ in Biochemistry."

• "As I mentioned during my interview, I began an internship doing clinical research at My Local Hospital in October. In the ensuing weeks, I have pre-screened 75 potential study subjects, gaining valuable research and patient-facing experience."

• "Since applying, I gave a poster presentation on a novel postpartum hemorrhage treatment at The Very Cool National Conference."

Check back tomorrow for our post on how to send your Letter of Intent.

Your Medical School Application: Win the Waiting Game

After you’ve submitted your medical school application and/or completed your interview, you’ll want to be proactive as you wait for a school's decision. In the weeks after your interview, for example—say, two to three weeks in—you should send a letter reiterating your interest to keep the admissions office thinking about you. 

Here are your choices:

The Update Letter. 

We're going to go ahead and say that you should send an update letter to every school where you’ve interviewed, unless you absolutely hated one or two and are confident that you'll get in elsewhere. You should also be writing to schools you’ve yet to hear from to remind them that you’re eager to connect. 

You want to send a maximum of two Update Letters over a six to 10-week period that reiterate your interest in each school with program-specific details. And only send letters that include a substantive accomplishment. If you don’t think you have one—you do! You just have to find it. We like these examples of accomplishments that one might include in an Update Letter: 

• "Since submitting my application, I have increased my overall GPA to 3.8, earning an A+ in Biochemistry." 

• "As I mentioned during my interview, I began an internship doing clinical research at My Local Hospital in October. In the ensuing weeks, I have pre-screened 75 potential study subjects, gaining valuable research and patient-facing experience." 

• "Since applying, I gave a poster presentation on a novel postpartum hemorrhage treatment at The Very Cool National Conference." 

The Letter of Intent.

If a school is a top contender for you, go a step beyond an Update Letter, and send a Letter of Intent. Send a Letter of Intent one or two weeks after your interview or the instant you have been waitlisted. Your letter should include relevant updates since you submitted your application (what you'd put in an Update Letter). Plus, a reiteration of your interest in the program with shoutouts to favorite offerings. Be specific about why you are interested in the medical school and try to relate those interests to your background, accomplishments, and goals. Have you worked on a study that relates to something happening in one of their labs? Do you want to be a pediatric surgeon and they are affiliated with one of the best children's hospitals in the country? Tell them. 

And finally—and this is what makes a Letter of Intent different from an Update Letter—include the yield protection statement: "If admitted I will attend." Keep it tight. No more than one page. Three paragraphs, max. 

Medical schools have several reasons for wanting to accept people whom they know will attend. First, they want enthusiastic students who will add to the morale of the student body. They also like to know, especially as the date of matriculation nears, that the applicant they accept will attend because no medical school wants an open seat on the first day of classes. Finally, medical schools like the percentage of accepted applicants who matriculate to be as high as possible since this reflects the desirability of the medical school. (That's their "yield percentage" stat.)

The Quasi-Letter of Intent. 

Along with your updates, you can also tell up to two schools: "I will likely attend" or "X school is one of my top choices." But ensure that your language is tight. You can only send an "I will attend" letter to your top choice school.