How to Write a Letter of Continued Interest TKG

How to Write a Letter of Continued Interest One of the steps that we suggest after being deferred is to write a letter of continued interest. When you’re in limbo, it’s completely understandable to get stressed out and overwhelmed, but trust us when we say that taking steps to contact your dream school will alleviate some of your anxiety. There are no guarantees, but you do have one last chance to double down on your interest in X school. Before you start the process of writing a letter of continued interest, it’s crucial that you understand that these letters should not be sent to every single school that you got deferred from. In your letter, you should tell them that X school is still your top choice, if those words don’t ring true to you, you shouldn’t write one at all. If after reading this you’re sure that you want to reach out to the school, call them and ask who you should send the letter to and keep the contact information handy for when you’re ready to send. The Process: Read everything that you’ve already submitted to the school. What do they know about you? Did you leave anything out? If there is any information that you didn’t have space for in your original supplement, make note of that. Make a long list of reasons as to why you want to attend X school. Write down everything that comes to mind. Then, cross off at least half of the list. You should remove anything that isn’t specific to X school (weather, “I want to major in English,” sports culture, etc.) This is because you can find these things at hundreds of other schools. Once you’ve narrowed down your list, dig deeper. For example, saying that you want to major in English is not enough, but there could be upper-level classes that you want to take. Perhaps there’s a professor running a creative writing track, or a special program within a school. At this point, you’re starting to gather information for what should be included in your letter. You should have at least three highly specific bullet points tha t could be related to courses, professors, special opportunities, organizations, etc. Think about why you’re “qualified” to take advantage of those opportunities. What have you done to prepare yourself? If you want to major in Sustainability, and you’ve been working to improve the recycling program at your high school, that would be a good reason. If there’s a professor that you want to work with, you might explain that you just finished reading their most recent research proposal to prepare yourself for the potential opportunity. Let’s discuss what this information should look like, although you’ll need to add more at the end. After introducing yourself and including your reference number, you should state that you’ve been deferred and are writing to update the admissions team. This will look slightly different for everyone (we don’t know your life) but you should then pick your strongest reasons for wanting to attend, and craft a narrative around those facts. It could be classes, research, opportunities to work with professors, or all three. But as you’re writing, make sure that everything ultimately links back to your accomplishments. Yes, you go to school to learn, but the purpose of this letter is to show that in addition to growing as a person by attending X school, you also have a lot to offer to the community. After you’ve done that, you need to let them know what’s been going on in your life. You should include your first semester grades, an additional letter of recommendation, and an update on your involvement with your extracurricular activities and job, if you have one. The students who eventually get into competitive colleges after being deferred have not only continued their activities, they’ve stepped things up a notch. They don’t give up and hope for the best after they hit submit. And if you’re genuinely interested in your activities, you should have kept at it. Detail any accomplishments that you’ve had since applying, but don’t stretch it. It should all be related to your original application. When we write letters of continued interest with our clients, they are no longer than one page (single-spaced) when typed in Word or Google docs. If your letter is longer, you’re either including unnecessary information, or you haven’t edited enough. Re-read your work, and while we think all of the information above should be included, it can and should be in the order of your choosing. Before you hit send, revisit your original application one more time. The letter should read like a follow up to your original application. We find it helpful to read the original supplement and then immediately read the letter. If it paints a cohesive picture, you’re ready to send. Contact us here if you’re not sure where to start.