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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

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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 applicants who want to make an impression post-interview before program directors (PD) submit their rank lists
2) Medical school applicants who have been interviewed but have not yet been accepted or rejected
3) Medical school and residency applicants who have not yet been invited to interview
4) Medical school applicants who have been wait listed  

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?” principle.)

Finally, let me say that I am coming to think that the term “letter of interest” might 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 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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No One Wants to be your Second (or Third) 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 or third choice.”

Not very compelling…The same is true for letters of intent: I’ve had several applicants this cycle (and in past years) ask me if it’s okay to say that an institution is their “second or third choice” or “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 do edit letters of intent and have been busy with them of late. Let me know if you need assistance.

Tags: , , ,

Love Letters

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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 applicants who want to make an impression post-interview before program directors (PD) submit their rank lists
2) Medical school applicants who have been interviewed but have not yet been accepted or rejected
3) Medical school applicants who have not yet been invited to interview (It’s a little late in the cycle now for residency applicants, but LOIs can be used in this way in October through December for residency.)4) Medical school applicants who have been wait listed  

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?” principle.)

Finally, let me say that I am coming to think that the term “letter of interest” might 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 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.

Tags: , ,

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

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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 or third choice.”

Not very compelling…The same is true for letters of intent: I’ve had several applicants ask me if it’s okay to say that an institution is their “second or third choice” or “one of my top” picks.

That does not sound very flattering. 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 don’t need to lie (which I never recommend); but you don’t have to shoot yourself in the foot either.

I do edit letters of intent and have been busy with them this season. Let me know if you need assistance.

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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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Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the White Coat Investor podcast:

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