Tino Mkorombindo is a third year MD/MBA candidate at the University of Louisville School of Medicine/College of Business. You can follow him on instagram, twitter, or linkedin.
One mistake you will NOT make is sitting around waiting to hear back from schools after you submit your primary application and secondary application. That is the time you need to be active and intentional! Medical schools receive thousands of applications every year! So this is your opportunity to make yourself stand out even more! Here’s how you will do this.
Continue to improve yourself!
During this time, you address weaknesses in your application. For example, I did not have enough clinical experience to make myself stand out. In the months after I submitted my application, I completed over 200 additional hours. So, identify what you could work on and do your best to get better. If you are looking to improve your GPA or retaking a class, do your best to excel in that class.
Be great at what you are already doing!
Some people use this time to launch new initiatives in the leadership positions they hold. Others continue to serve their community. These will make for great conversation at your interviews.
Send updates!
With all the new improvements you are making, you want to let the medical schools know. It means a lot when an applicant goes out of their way to contact an admissions office and share how they are continuing to improve to become the best medical student and, ultimately, physician. You can drastically increase your chances of acceptance by doing so.
Below we’ve included templates from ProspectiveDoctor for two types of letters you can send. The first is an update letter highlighting progress or improvement that you’ve made since you submitted your application. The second is a letter of continued interest; you can send this to show toa medical school that you are interested in them and that they are a perfect fit for you; this letter must be genuine and sincere and explain why this is the ideal fit for you. You can utilize Google to find the email for the individual schools you send them to.
Stay active. You’ve worked so hard up until this point. Don’t stop now.
Update Letter:
Dear [Dr. Dean of Admissions]:
Paragraph 1. My name is [Awesome Applicant], AAMC ID 12345678, and I am writing to provide an additional update to my medical school application for the Fall of 2018.
- Keep this first line simple and to the Let them know precisely why you are contacting them
Paragraph 2. I want to update the status of [current research, extracurricular projects, presentations].
- Keep this section to 3-5 sentences and provide brief details summarizing what had changed between when you submitted your application and No fluff, only concrete updates, i.e., XYX paper has been accepted, I was elected to this leadership position, etc.
Paragraph 3. Use this section to provide further updates that can be listed as bullet points that are not included in paragraph 2. In this section, you can list new committees or programs you are involved in, list updates to any publications you have, or abstracts and presentations.
Respectfully, [Awesome Applicant]
M.D. Applicant
AMCAS ID 12345678
Letter of Continued Interest:
Dear [Dr. Dean of Admissions],
Paragraph 1. My name is [Awesome Applicant], AAMC 12345678, and I would like to express my continued interest in [Dr. Dean of Admissions Medical School Name].
Paragraph 2. Take 1-2 sentences summarizing what efforts you have previously taken to reach out to the school. This can include previous update letters or that you have requested an updated transcript be sent, etc.
Paragraph 3. Share the exact reasons why this medical school is a great fit. Find 4-5 concrete and meaningful reasons. What about the school attracts you to it? Is it the location, reputation for research/service/primary care, opportunity to pursue dual degrees, learning environment, philosophy towards medical education, etc. This is the meat-and-potatoes of your letter and where you can really have an impact.
Respectfully, [Awesome Applicant]
M.D. Applicant
AMCAS ID 12345678