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Flight of the Conchords’ “The Most Beautiful Girl (in the Room)”

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I’m a huge fan of Flight of the Conchords – both the show and the comedy duo themselves. Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement sing a hilarious tune called “The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room” whose lyrics include

…Looking ’round the room
I can tell that you
Are the most beautiful girl in the… room
In the whole wide room (ooh)
And when you’re on the street
Depending on the street
I bet you are definitely in the top three
Good lookin’ girls on the street, yeah
Depending on the street, ooh…

The lyrics proceed from there, consistently qualifying Jemaine’s crush’s beauty:

…You’re so beautiful
Mm, you could be a part-time model
But you’d probably still have to keep your normal job

I thought of this song recently when a wonderful client asked if he should let a residency program know it was one of his top two choices. While very well-meaning, that type of endorsement can fall flat. I would also avoid phrases like “one of my top” picks.

Instead, you can say (or write) something like “I would be thrilled to be at your institution,” or ” I’m confident I can make a positive contribution.” In other words, you can stay honest while not shooting yourself in the foot.

Here’s the “Most Beautiful Girl” video. It’s hilarious.

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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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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 a fellow classmate out to the prom. You approach your potential date, “Would you be interested in going with me to the dance? You’re one of my top choices.”

Not very compelling…The same is true for letters of interest: I’ve had several applicants ask me if it’s okay to say 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’m confident I can make a positive contribution.” In other words, you can stay honest while not shooting yourself in the foot.

I edit letters of interest and have been busy with them of late. Let me know if you need assistance.

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Be Honest about Your First Choice

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A few applicants have asked me whether it’s wise during the interview, in thank you notes, or in letters of interest to tell an institution that it’s your first choice. My response: Yes, if it’s true. It’s not wise or ethical to tell all institutions that they’re your first choice. I can assure you from experience that faculty across the country speak to one another. And you may see these selection committee members again.

I remember an applicant who told our institution that we were his first choice. He was ranked to match but didn’t because he had ranked another residency over us. After that, my colleagues were pretty clear that they wouldn’t forget this deceptive behavior if they interacted with him professionally in the future (seeking a job, seeking a national committee position). (I felt less frustrated: It’s possible he simply changed his mind at the last minute!)

Medicine is a small world; make sure to demonstrate integrity and collegiality.

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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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