Update Letters and Medical Schools
You need to keep the medical schools up to date on your activities throughout the application cycle after the secondaries. There is a balance of contacting them too much and not contacting them at all. Here re some guidelines:
Look up each school and note how they want updates. (Yes, create another spreadsheet!) Some don’t want any updates, others have you upload new information in their online portal, while others just ask that you send a letter. Keep track of these nuances.
How often should I update? Well that depends on the school. Rule of thumb, if they want updates, send at least two official updates: one in early December and another in early February +/-. If you interview at a school, send updates too and express your interest. Don’t send updates to schools where you have been rejected. Send updates to all other schools.
What to include in the update letter? There are hard updates and soft updates. (This terminology comes from my colleague David Thomas.)
Hard updates are concrete items such as Fall grades, new MCAT, recent publication, significant job promotion.
Soft updates are more subtle additions, but significant. It’s more of a deepening of information, knowledge, insights or experience, not necessarily brand new information to the admissions office. This approach can be helpful for students who have no real, hard updates. Soft updates can be quite meaningful so dig deep and find some good insights.
Length of update. Don’t make this letter too long. Respect the time of the reader and get to the point. These are updates, not full on essays. Maybe 2-3 paragraphs long. If you could tie your update to the mission of the school that would be best.
The pre-health advisor at Princeton University, Kate Fukawa-Connelly, did a nice piece with All Access: Med School Admissions Podcast on update letters. Have a listen: