<p>Put it out there. Do it. Send it. Get it done. IOW, I’m a believer. ;)</p>
<p>Sure! Send me an e-mail over the system and we can talk through things a little more.</p>
<p>For public purposes, the only thing the board needs to know is that letters of intent should only go to one school. Details, we can talk about on our own.</p>
<p>Thanks Mike, just emailed you. Let me know if you didn’t get it (the “send to” line looked really bizarre–but then again, what do I know?)</p>
<p>Letters of intent won’t hurt but I’m not sure they make a difference in the vast majority of cases. In the right situation, they can be tie breakers. But, unfortunately, I think letters of intent have become too cliched. Personally, I think a LOI carries a lot more weight when paired with a significant update.</p>
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Me, too. And personalized. Not just some statement of love followed by a list.</p>
<p>Well, gentlemen, you are making great points as always. If you have some additional pieces of advice for a kiddo considering a letter of intent (what to include, what to avoid, etc), I’m all ears. </p>
<p>No major breakthroughs/changes though, so I don’t think I’d have anything of substance to send except (what I assume to be the cliched) “You’re the perfect place for me because…”</p>
<p>Well, how about this as a theme to your love letter?</p>
<p>In our conversations here and back-channel, I have told you this app season that you say “Mayo” to me. Mayo doesn’t do things like anybody else. With respect to rankings - they simply do not appear to care and as such they allow leeway in MCAT score. They appear to want leaders and movers and shakers more than academics, and tend to like more “mature” applicants (not neccessarily older, just more experienced, maybe more “finished”). </p>
<p>My kid was a first day Mayo interview and early (maybe first day) reject. 
I just don’t think she came off as “seasoned” enough for Mayo in person as she’s a bit of a goof-ball. lol.</p>
<p>So. Here’s the advice FWIW…</p>
<p>Convince them you are what they need. Not that you need them. ;)</p>
<p>NCG probably convinced me. I remain convinced that they’re a HUGE deal when we get into May. But he’s probably right that at this stage they don’t matter all that much.</p>
<p>Just tried e-mailing you back. Are you still at the VA address?</p>
<p>Hm. Doesn’t seem to work. Will try PMing.</p>
<p>Just cryptic enough that I know exactly what you mean, BDM. Glad we figured it out. </p>
<p>And thanks for your opinion, Curm. As you may have guessed, it does mean a bunch. I’ll keep it in mind and will of course keep you guys abreast of what happens.</p>
<p>In regard to interviews vs. acceptances, D. has been waitlisted after one interview, still waiting on results of another and 3 resulted in acceptances in addition to Med. School in her program. Well, her percentange of post-interview acceptances is higher simply because she has applied to fewer schools compared to lots of others and possibly because all of them within close location from us (might be a factor??). The last was her own criteria which was the most important for her also. Another factor that I can think of is that 3 acceptances are IS and one OOS (still not very far).</p>
<p>Big congrats to the kiddo, Miami. Any favorites emerging?</p>
<p>Thanks, curm.
3 favorites, will withdraw from the 4th. Also she has withdrew from the one that waitlisted her. In regard to 3 favorites, she has really positive impression of all and planning on second visits, unless they overlap (which seems to be the case with 2 of them), then it will be even more confusing. D. is applying to scholarships at all 3, we have filed FASFA. Some scholarships are automatic though.</p>
<p>BTW, here is reminder to everybody - FASFA is due by Feb. 15 (March 1 at some places) and scholarship applications are Feb. 15 - March 15 at the few that I have looked.</p>
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<p>I would add to norcal’s comment that the Letters of Intent may be more relevant at lower ranked schools. Top 20 schools have more than enough qualified/fit applicants to choose from and they are not likely to be impressed by anyone stating “I WILL attend if you accept me”. They expect it. </p>
<p>The waitlist is a totally different ballgame.</p>
<p>Bumping this up. How’d it get so far down? Folks may want to track the process start to finish and this is the best thread to do that in, IMO.</p>
<p>Want some insight into selections process at elite schools? Check out this Duke article:</p>
<p>[DukeMed</a> Alumni News](<a href=“http://catalog.proemags.com/publication/b47aafea#/b47aafea/85]DukeMed”>http://catalog.proemags.com/publication/b47aafea#/b47aafea/85)</p>
<p>Armstrong was my beta–fingers crossed we hit it off well :)</p>
<p>I do like that that article (although I found it difficult to navigate) …and feel validated by that article, too. If I could copy a paragraph or two I would. I’ll try again with my computer noobness.</p>
<p>Fail. </p>
<p>So I’ll two finger type some. </p>
<p>“Capable of brilliance”. That’s what they are looking for in a student. </p>
<p>Along with the obvious MCAT and GPA</p>
<p>Duke wants students who took academic chances, took difficult courses, excelled in scholarly research projects</p>
<p>Also Duke wants to understand those achievements in the context of the students’ lives</p>
<p>Varsity athletics? Played in the band? First in their fam to college? Unusual cultural or life experiences that add divesrity to Duke and the medical profession? </p>
<p>(But why?) </p>
<p>** If they are stellar academically in spite of these other factors, they will be superstars in med school ** </p>
<p>(Agree or disagree, but that’s what Duke admissions believes.)</p>
<p>Students “capable of respect and dignity” to patients. Those with life experiences that suggests (I’d say “show”) significant maturity (I’d say especially important for a youngster). Duke wants students "who have the humanistic qualities to translate academic firepower to compassionate medicine’. </p>
<p>I believe most top med schools work this way.</p>
<p>As a friend of a recent Duke Med grad, I can attest that she had none of those things, except good grades at (grade-inflated?) Stanford, and a good MCAT score. Other than that, she was just an All-American girl – played intramurals, drama queen in the dorm, research, but no publications, standard shadowing hours, etc. The one thing she had was lotsa clinical hours – she was a bio-Span double major, so she volunteered in the ER doing translations. Indeed, one of the Duke deans even asked about her Span major bcos they were opening up a new outreach program in the 'hood. (One of the reasons I think that a lang can be a plus factor.)</p>