So we’ve discussed what to do if you are deferred or waitlisted already, and now we’re at the Letter of Continued Interest. There are two possible uses for a LOCI: expressing interest in the event of a deferral, or expressing interest in the event of a waitlist. We’ll talk about how to approach both, but the approach will be fairly similar.
Letter of Continued Interest for Deferral
So you’ve been deferred. If you’ve read the previous article in this series, then you know that first and foremost, the goal is to give admissions new information—whether that’s something you didn’t have room to cover in your application, or new accomplishments or accolades since you applied. But let’s talk about how to format such a letter.
FORMATTING
If you’re writing a letter…
Let’s format this like a letter: put the date that you intend to submit the letter in the upper left corner (you’ll likely need to forward date this letter a few days so that you have time to revise and seek feedback from others before you submit). And start with a semiformal salutation:
February 21, 202x
Dear [so-and-so],
Who you address the letter to will depend on the college. In some cases your deferral letter will have an actual name on it. If the name is not the director of admissions or enrollment, then it’s likely the name of an admissions officer (check their title beneath their name in the deferral letter). If your letter is signed by an admissions officer, this was likely the person who read your application. That is who we want to address the letter to.
If the letter is signed by a dean or manager of admissions or enrollment, or by the “Admissions Office”, then we will address the letter to the admissions office in general: “Dear [college name] Admissions,” and then get on with our letter.
If you’re writing an essay for a box in the portal (like U Mich):
Obviously, we don’t want to waste words on a letter opening or date in this instance. Just approach this like any other “Why Us?” or other supplemental essay. You’re going to jump right into your story.
CONTENT
Opening
Begin with humility and gratitude. Thank admissions for taking the time to read your application. There are definitely stories out there about admissions offices that get so overwhelmed by applications that they either work overtime to read everything, or they just can’t get it done in time and have to defer unread applications. So it’s important to make sure we express how we appreciate their time.
It’s okay if you want to express some disappointment, especially if the school that deferred you is one of your top choices, but keep it brief. Remember: don’t take the deferral personally; these colleges can fill their freshman classes 1,000 times over with unique combinations of students that are equally qualified. Also, it’s worth remembering that admissions officers are people too, and none of them get into this line of work in order to crush people’s dreams. They want to admit students, and they love hearing from excited future students, but their job necessitates making hard choices every. single. year.
Any negativity you express (being bummed at not getting in) should be followed by excitement at still being in consideration. Remember, this letter is to express your continued interest in the college: the paragraph shouldn’t end on a sour note.
Core
The next paragraph needs to contain that new information. Talk about what you’ve been up to since October, and add any other activities or accomplishments that you missed including in the original application. Whatever you add, try to make sure that what you talk about aligns with the college’s mission and values somehow. The goal is not only to look impressive, but to align with the college’s values (remember, a big part of admissions is “fit” with the college—this is how we show “fit”).
If part of your update involves improved grades, it’s worth even adding a sentence or two about the work you did last semester to improve. Yes, the college will get a mid-year report with your first semester grades, but acknowledge the work you did to make that improvement amid all the other extracurriculars and awards you pursued.
Do not talk about writing college apps. Finding a good fit can feel a lot like online dating. You connect with the other person, and you try to figure out how you’re good for each other. But a surefire way to cut that relationship short is to talk about the other people you’re seeing. Let’s be honest: colleges assume that you’ve applied to other schools. But that doesn’t mean we should tell them about it. Saying that you were “so busy” writing “20 college applications” on top of your grades and other extracurriculars—or that you had fewer ECs because you were writing so many applications—is a huge red flag. Why should this college admit you if you might have 5–15 other potential colleges to look at? Keep that part of your fall semester to yourself.
CONCLUSION
End by reaffirming your interest in the school, plus 1-2 reasons why, and 1-2 things that you bring to the college. Thank them again. If you’re writing in an essay box, that’s where you stop. If you’re writing a letter, then put in your sign-off:
Sincerely,
–name–
And that’s it!
Letter of Continued Interest for Waitlists
Before talking about the letter, I want to make sure that I start by saying that waitlists are incredibly capricious. Some years, colleges admit thousands of students from their waitlist; other years, they admit handfuls. In extreme cases, you can count on your fingers how many waitlist offers a school might make. The other thing to know about waitlists is that they are rarely ever “ranked”. The waitlist is more of a “waiting pool.” Depending on who decides to enroll and who doesn’t, the college may dig into the “pool” to find a trombone player, or a dancer, or a Literature major, or whatever need they are trying to fill. So even though you’re “on the waitlist,” you might be considered multiple times for a slot, or you might be considered never—it just depends. And there’s no way to know what the college’s institutional priorities are that year.
Keep all that in mind when accepting waitlist offers. It’s extremely unlikely that you will get off the waitlist. But if you decide to join a waitlist, the LOCI letter is largely the same, except for the following:
For starters, you won’t talk about “still being in consideration.” You’ve been waitlisted, so you are not in consideration for admissions; that decision has been made. Weigh your college options carefully when accepting a waitlist offer. Would you still take a spot at this college over the other colleges you got into, if they offered you a spot? If the answer is yes—and it likely is if you’re writing this letter—then say that you’re absolutely still interested in the college, and if you got in off the waitlist, you would still be excited to attend.
You won’t be talking about everything you’ve been up to since November. You’ll want to reframe based on when you submitted your application. If you applied in December, then start there; if the application was due Feb 1st, then start there.
For a waitlist LOCI, there’s likely a bit more room to talk about other aspects of the college that excite you as well. Try not to re-tread your “why us” essay, if the college had one. If the college didn’t have one, then this is a chance to talk a little bit about how you hope to spend your time at the university (this is useful when your ECs are a bit thin because you’ve been busy, or you applied more recently).
As for things that stay the same:
You’re still going to express gratitude, you’re still going to connect yourself to the values of the college. You’re still doing a bit of bragging about your record. And you’re still providing new information, not repeating things you’ve already told them. Remember: the information they had got you waitlisted. So repeating those same things won’t help. Focus on new information.
Summary
No matter which kind of LOCI you’re writing, try to keep it short and sweet. Stick to 1 page in the letter format, with 1.15 or 1.5 line spacing. My general rule applies: no one will thank you for giving them extra reading homework, so try to be mindful of the reader’s time by keeping your letter brief. That means you’re not writing more than 350-400 words maximum. For the essay boxes, the college will give you parameters in which to write, sometimes as few as 250–300 words. That’s where the “thank you” at the end disappears. But keep the introduction the same if you’re writing in one of those boxes on the college’s portal!
Regardless of whether you’ve been deferred or waitlisted, remember that once you submit the letter, it’s out of your hands. It’s easy for me to say “don’t worry about it,” but I recognize that it’s harder to execute that. But as much as possible, know that you did everything you could to put your best foot forward, and whether or not the college accepts you has very little to do with you and everything to do with their needs and priorities. Try to be present in the moment; focus on enjoying the last months of your senior year; spend time with your friends, make core memories, and whatever happens, happens.
No matter where you end up in college, you’ll do fine.