Medical school letters of intent (or what some applicants jokingly call “love letters”) can be used for several types of applicants:
1) Those who have been wait listed
2) Those who have been interviewed but have not yet been accepted or rejected
3) Those who have not yet been invited to interview
When writing your letters of intent (LOIs), you should have the following principal goals:
1) Restating your interest in the institution
2) Positioning yourself as a distinctive candidate
The biggest error I see in LOIs is too much content about a specific institution’s advantages. There is no reason to spend a paragraph or more telling medical school admissions members what makes their institution special. They already know! Using your precious space this way is an opportunity cost, keeping you from fully showcasing what makes you a compelling applicant.
For those of you interested in LOI assistance, please contact me. I do offer a popular LOI editing service.
Just a reminder that applicants and programs must certify their rank order lists before February 22 at 9pm EST.
Please see my previous blog entry on creating a rank list. Don’t make the error of changing your rank order last minute based on panic! Your list should be a considered decision.
I received an urgent request from an applicant last week. He wanted to discuss a pre-match offer he had received that had a Friday deadline. The pre-match program was an academic institution, which was appealing, but the interview day had left the applicant underwhelmed for a number of reasons.
On the one hand, this offer was a sure thing. On the other, the applicant had noted what he considered to be red flags. He asked me what to do.
As usual, in life there is no right answer. But here are a few suggestions if offered a pre-match:
1. Ask for more time. In the worst case scenario, the program director says no. Nothing lost.
2. Try to move up any interviews you have not yet attended.
3. Contact the other program directors and let them know you have a pre-match offer and give them the deadline date. They may offer you a pre-match in return. Or – on the contrary – they may let you know they are not interested. Either would be helpful in making your decision.
4. Speak to residents who are at the pre-match program. Trainees will often readily tell you the weaknesses of their institution :). This information will help you make an informed decision.
5. Assess a) your risk-taking comfort zone and b) the strength of your candidacy. This step is probably the hardest, yet most important.
In the end, the applicant did not accept the pre-match offer and is crossing his fingers he’ll end up at another program he likes better. He is so relieved that – with the information he has now – the decision seems to have been the right one for him.
Now that the new year is here, many pre-meds, medical students and residents will be asked to finalize their schedules for the next year or more. Although it’s easy to get wrapped up in it all, I wanted to put in a plug for something a bit unconventional – time away from the field entirely.
When I was in medical school, I took almost a year away to travel and explore journalism, a career that had always interested me. I obtained a small grant to conduct research in Mexico and then backpacked with some friends through Mexico and Guatemala. I also spent a month in Thailand. Additionally, I was awarded an American Association for the Advancement of Science Mass Media Fellowship in Science Writing, so I worked in Portland at the Oregonian writing articles for the paper.
Taking time away from medicine is not an option for everyone: Some institutions do not encourage it, and there is usually a financial opportunity cost. I will say, though, that being away from medicine made me appreciate it more and helped me improve several useful skills, including foreign language and writing.
If taking a scheduled break from the norm is a viable choice for you, I would strongly encourage it. The experiences I had have long-reaching effects that continue to help me as a physician today.
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
