How to Write Law School Letters of Continued Interest
Writing Law School Letters of Continued Interest
Law school letters of continued interest, sometimes abbreviated to LOCI, are letters that you write expressing your desire to stay on the waitlist at a particular school.
Format:
Letters of continued interest can be sent in an email or as an attached document to an email. They should be no more than one page, single-spaced, and no smaller than 11 pt. font. Choose and standard font and appropriate margins. Depending on how many letters of continued interest you end up sending (more on that below) some of your letters will be shorter than others. Some letters may be no more than a couple of short paragraphs.
Timing and Quantity:
Some of the timing of your letters of continued interest will depend on when you are placed on the waitlist. In general, you want to send the letter as soon as you offered a waitlist spot. You want to submit this as soon as possible. It may be a good idea to send another letter a month later. Sending letters close to deposit deadlines (especially if the school has two deadlines) may help you as well. Around these deadlines are when admissions officers will be looking more carefully at their waitlist and determining how to shape their class. It is not a good idea to send letters of continued interest if you are just concerned about the status of your application but you have not been officially placed on the waitlist. However, if you had a significant change in your GPA or LSAT, you should definitely send that update even if you have not been placed on the waitlist. If you are still in school, you should send updated grades/transcripts as they become available.
Pro Tip: Every school is different. I recommend asking how each school would like waitlisted candidates to stay in contact with them and at what frequency. If they have a stated policy, just read that :)
Have questions on writing a Letter of Continued Interest? Feel free to book a strategy call with me here!
There are generally four parts to a letter of continued interest.
Part One: Express Gratitude
You want to make sure that you take the time to thank the admissions office for the opportunity to stay on the waitlist. Don’t take the waitlist spot for granted. Not everyone gets on the waitlist. The thank-you should be genuine and professional, without being over the top. While this is an important part of your letter, no admissions officer wants to read half of a page of you expressing thanks. The parts they really care about come after.
Part Two: Convey Your Intentions of Staying on The Waitlist
Sometimes people get on the waitlist to a school and they have no intention of going to that school and could care less about their waitlist spot. A person may have accepted a deposit at a school that they absolutely love and neglect to follow up with the schools that they are waitlisted at. While common etiquette and practice dictate that you notify the other schools of your final decision after committing to a school (that you intend to enroll at), many people do not follow this practice.
This is why Letters of Continued Interest are so important. Schools may not know what your thoughts are about being placed on the waitlist. Schools won’t assume that you take your waitlist spot seriously unless you convey this to them. Therefore, one of the main jobs of your letter is to let them know your intentions of staying on the waitlist. This is not a binding promise, but you should strive to be as honest and genuine at the moment you write the letter as possible. Everyone understands that sometimes circumstances and desires change but saying something you don’t mean or believe in a letter just to gain admission is dishonest and unethical.
What do I mean by this?
Let’s say you are waitlisted at Schools X, Y, and Z. You should, under no circumstances, express to each of them that they are your first choice school and you would absolutely attend if admitted. Why? Because you can really only have one first-choice school. Also, if both X and Y were to call you with a waitlist offer on the same day, chances are they are making that offer because they believed you were writing in good faith that you would attend if admitted.
Now, however, you have the dilemma of walking back one of those promises. Deception and broken promises are not how you want to start your legal career. There are many more ways to convey to a school your strong interest
without overpromising yourself.
Some examples include:
“I know that School X would be a tremendous fit for me because….”
“I have a strong desire to attend School X because…”
“School X is an ideal place for me to further my legal education given….”
That being said, if a school actually is your first choice, and you would 100% go in a heartbeat if accepted, absolutely tell them this.
In addition to expressing your desire and strength of interest, you want to communicate how long you are willing to stay on the waitlist. Sometimes waitlists can go as long as August. Some students are so interested in a school that they are committed to attending, even if they are given the offer of admissions a few days before the start of classes. Understandably, not everyone can do that, especially if the school you are on the waitlist for is across the country and your personal finances are limited. If you’re not sure how long you are comfortable staying on the waitlist, you can omit this part (although oftentimes if a school sends out a waitlist survey this will be a question).
Part Three: Why Are You Interested in This School?
You’ll notice that in my examples I lead into why the school is a strong fit. This is important. You don’t want to repeat anything that you said in your personal statement or “why us” essay, but you do want a couple of reasons why you are so drawn to this school. Now, these reasons should ideally be personal. Did you recently attend a lecture with a professor? Did you get to go to a workshop or visit in person and get a tour? Do you have a family member or friend who shared with you their amazing experience at the school? Did the school release new research that perfectly aligns with your interests? Include these! The more updated and personal your reasons are for wanting to attend the school, the better. This is one way that visiting a school after you have been waitlisted can be beneficial because it can allow you to make these personal connections to add to your letter of continued interest. It is even better if some of these reasons are recent and/or occurred after you submitted your initial letter.
Demonstrated interest can go a long way in helping your chances to get off of the waitlist. Schools do not have time to call and extend offers to candidates they are not sure will attend.
Part Four: Updates – Why Should They Accept You Off the Waitlist?
The meat of your Letter of Continued Interest is the section on your updates. There are several different categories or examples of strong updates to send to schools. These updates are things that were not in existence when you applied. This is not really the place to just include things you forgot to say the first time.
Academics: If you apply during college or another master’s program and you apply in the fall you want to make sure to update the school with your midyear grades and your final grades when you receive them. Likewise, you also want to update them on any new research conducted or papers published. You want to update them on your GPA as well.
LSAT: If you continue to take the LSAT and receive a higher LSAT score you should absolutely send it. You do have to let schools know if you are planning to and/or registering for another LSAT test date. Every school is different, however. Some schools will read your application (and consider it complete) as long as there is one LSAT exam on file and they will not hold your application for additional LSAT scores. Some schools, however, will consider your application incomplete if you indicate you are registered for another exam. Nonetheless, if in the Spring you feel that your application could be strengthened by another LSAT and you find yourself on the waitlist, this could be a viable update to send.
Work: If you receive a promotion or a new role at work with new duties certainly update them on this. If you are engaged in any community or organizational activities outside of work, have substantial professional improvements, or make a significant impact in a project you should include these updates as well.
Lastly, you can offer to send any additional or supplemental materials. Sometimes if you ask the school if they need additional documents, you will be surprised with the response. If they feel there is a gap in your application package, they may request an additional letter of recommendation or clarification about a portion of your application.
Sample Letter
Dear School X Admissions Committee,
I hope this email finds you well.
Thank you for (your continued consideration of me on the waitlist, your time and
consideration, your offer to stay on the waitlist, etc.). I am grateful (one sentence here
expressing your gratitude).
(Here express your desire and intent to remain on the waitlist of School X).
(Explain the recent personal experiences/ interactions with School X that has solidified why
School X is your top-choice school and/or a strong fit for your academic and legal goals.)
(Next, update them on what you either have done or will be doing in the coming months.
This is a place for work/academic updates in the past since you have applied or any large
projects / proposals you know you will be working on in the coming months).
(Reiterate here your desire and intent to stay on the waitlist, including how long you intend
to stay on the waitlist – make an offer to submit any supplemental materials)
(Thank them again)
Sincerely,
Signed Your Name
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