What Makes for an Effective Letter of Continued Interest?

As the 2021-2022 college admissions cycle comes to a close, the vast majority of students who applied to top-tier institutions will receive notification of waitlist placement among their college results. It's not uncommon for students to find waitlists even more disheartening than definitive rejections. With thousands of students accepting spots on selective institutions' waitlists and pandemic instability leading to unpredictable enrollment numbers, being placed on a waitlist is often interpreted as a soft rejection. It leads to an unfortunate prolonging of a student's anxiety about where to enroll. However, there are actionable steps a student can take to boost their chances of moving off a waitlist and joining the cohort of admitted students—the most important being to write and send a strong letter of continued interest. Here are three tips for putting together a compelling letter.?

1. Letters must include the right information

Effective letters of continued interest contain two primary components: a reiteration of the reasons why a student would like to attend the college and what he or she could contribute to campus, and a brief account of personal updates and achievements since submitting the original application.

By briefly recounting his or her goals, intended major, and favorite aspects of the school, a student can re-convey their interest and passion for an institution. Specificity is key—a more generic description of excitement about a school's "culture" or "academics" will not stand out among thousands of other letters. Students should concisely describe what draws them to the school and how the school fits into their future educational and vocational paths.

For students who were waitlisted at their dream school, it can be useful to disclose that the particular institution is their first-choice school and that they would enroll if accepted. However, this statement should only be deployed for a single school if it is genuinely true. Just as with Early Decision, students should never put themselves in a situation where their integrity could be called into question by one or more schools. Students should also be aware that referencing other acceptances or comparable institutions in their letter is strongly discouraged; the letter's focus should remain entirely on the single school.

The letter of continued interest is also an important place to communicate personal updates. New and significant accomplishments are likely to catch an admissions officer's attention and increase a student's odds of moving off a waitlist. Examples of such accomplishments might include winning or progressing to the next round of a major scholarship or competition, finalizing impressive summer plans, completing a significant milestone in a passion project, or attaining an important extracurricular goal. Seniors who do not have accomplishments to write about should still note the one or two most significant ways they have contributed to their community since submitting their application, and include brief descriptions of their work and its impact. A light-hearted detail or two can be included in the personal update section, but describing too many minor activities and rehashing old achievements will clutter the letter with unnecessary information.?

2. Letters should be written in the student's voice

Adopting a formal, polite tone is essential when writing letters of continued interest—but so is ensuring consistency with past essays and correspondences. Letters of continued interest must be original pieces of writing. Many students are tempted to copy the exact wording of their "why this school?" application essays or make basic modifications to the many templates and examples found online. While students can use their past essays to refresh their memories and exemplary letters as inspiration, it is extremely important that they write new content. Encouraging a student to include highly specific and to-the-point details is typically the best starting-point strategy for drafting an effective, humanizing letter. The tone throughout the letter should be sincere and optimistic.

3. Students should be timely and courteous with their responses

While it can be difficult to bounce back from the disappointment of a waitlist, students should do their best to draft, edit, and submit their letters of continued interest promptly. Waiting too long to submit, or accepting a place on the waitlist without submitting a letter at all shows the admissions committee that the school may not be among a student's top choices. On the other hand, getting in touch quickly with admissions demonstrates a strong sense of initiative and motivation.

Protocols for demonstrating continued interest can be different from school to school, so students should also make sure that they are following instructions carefully. If a school asks for supplemental materials beyond a letter of continued interest, a student should submit the requested information and documents as fast as possible. However, if a school simply requests a letter of continued interest, sending frequent emails or other materials in addition to the letter will reflect negatively on the student. Double-checking the requirements for each school and staying organized if there are multiple waitlists to respond to will help students avoid any errors and give them the best chance for success.

You can find Command Education’s guide to writing a letter of continued interest and an example of a strong letter, here . Students should see a well-crafted letter of continued interest as a final opportunity to showcase their voice and accomplishments to admissions officers. After crafting and sending their waitlist responses, seniors and their families can explore their other options, remain cautiously optimistic, and ultimately appreciate and celebrate the hard work that the student has invested into high school and the college admissions process.?

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