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.