A letter of continued interest, which we have sometimes called a deferral package, is a letter that you send to the admissions office after you’ve been deferred or placed on the waitlist of a school. And while we think that it’s important to tell your dream school that you still want to attend, we are not suggesting that you send a letter of continued interest to every school that you’ve been deferred from. The process is similar to writing another (shorter) supplement, and if you don’t have valid reasons for still wanting to attend, and pertinent updates, you’ll be wasting your time and the time of the person reading the letter.
The goal of the letter is to reintroduce yourself to the admissions team and reiterate your interest in the school. Here’s what you should include:
Your name and student reference number
An explanation as to why X school is your #1 choice. You probably have a lot of reasons, and if it will help you frame the narrative, you could write that list out for reference while you’re writing. But as for what actually goes into the letter, you need to be very specific. You could write about specific programs, your intended major, classes you want to take, professors you hope to shadow, special opportunities that are only available at X school, and student groups and organizations. But the most important aspect of the letter is that you link the opportunities you write about to what you’re currently doing. For example, you might say that since applying, you’ve successfully implemented an after-school program at a local elementary school in your hometown, which is why you think you’re a great fit for Michigan’s early childhood education center.
Your first semester grades
An update on your continued involvement (or expansion) of your extracurricular activities
Any other pertinent updates
An additional letter of recommendation
It’s important to keep in mind that you’re writing this letter to an actual person, so it should be in letter form. It should be no longer than one page. It’s best to get in contact with someone at the school and ask where you should send the letter. Email is best. Remember that this is not a resume, and your letter should be personable. Introduce yourself, include the most important information, and thank them for their time and consideration.
If you need help writing a letter of continued interest, contact us here.