3 Red Flags To Avoid In Your Letter Of Continued Interest to Ivy League Colleges

Forbes

03-04-2025

Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA - July 18, 2023: Lehman Hall is a Georgian-revival building by Charles ... More Coolidge completed in 1925. Lehman Hall, located in Harvard Yard, is the student center of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS).
After Ivy Day's college admissions results were released last week, many students found themselves navigating the uncertainty and stress of the waitlist. While a waitlist notification represents a frustrating delay, it does not necessarily mean that a student must forgo their dreams of attending that college. However, applicants should adjust their expectations and their strategy to align with the school's admissions trends. Even if the odds of acceptance off a waitlist are slim, students who still want to attend the institution by which they have been waitlisted have one final recourse: a letter of continued interest.
What is a letter of continued interest?
A letter of continued interest (LOCI) is a brief note to admissions officers expressing an applicant's desire to attend should they be accepted and offering concise updates to inform the admissions committee's secondary evaluation of their materials. This letter is critical, as it is a student's final opportunity to convey information to admissions officers in their own words. They should therefore approach it with thoughtfulness, strategy, and intentionality.
While an eyecatching letter could tip the scales in your favor, it is important to remember that admissions officers are inundated with these letters in March and April, and the wrong approach can result in a forgettable message—or worse, poorer chances of admission.
In order to write a letter that elevates your application, it is imperative to avoid these three red flags:
A LOCI should provide admissions officers with new and relevant information. A student should not rehash their entire resume and application in their LOCI, nor is it appropriate for them to list every minor activity they have participated in since applying. Depending on the school, admissions officers may receive hundreds of letters, so students should keep theirs brief to show respect for the committee's time and to ensure that they convey their key points effectively. Applicants should therefore focus on providing concise updates that directly impact the reassessment of their application.
Have you received any new awards, honors, or leadership positions? Have you started a meaningful project or initiative? Have you improved upon a weakness in your application? Have you boosted your standardized test scores or GPA? Such updates are tangible, often quantifiable, and directly impactful. While you can—and should!—show your humor, personality, and perspective, make sure that you are doing so in a way that highlights, rather than distracts from, the concrete information in your letter. The more you can showcase these positive updates in your own unique voice, the greater impact your LOCI will have.
You may feel frustrated that you weren't accepted or anxious that you won't ultimately get into your dream school, but those emotions should not be evident in your letter. Statements such as 'Yale has been my dream school since I was a kid,' 'I thought I was a shoo-in at Vanderbilt,' or 'I don't know what I will do if I don't get in' will not translate as genuine enthusiasm for the school, but as immaturity and lack of perspective. That being said, your letter should clearly signal to admissions officers that the school is at the top of your list—the key is communicating that effectively.
Approach your LOCI with gratitude and poise. Open by thanking the admissions committee for considering your application and reaffirming your enthusiasm for the institution. Acknowledge the competitive nature of the process while expressing optimism about the possibility of contributing to the university's community. Here, you might include an anecdote about your time visiting campus or another personal detail to convey why you see yourself as an ideal fit for the school. References to specific aspects of the campus community will demonstrate your candidacy and interest in the school more effectively than desperate pleas for admission. Admissions officers value maturity, resilience, and positivity—traits that will render you a positive addition to their campus—so use your letter to showcase these qualities.
Finally, students should keep in mind that admissions officers have already read their application materials. This means that there is no need to reproduce their Activities List or essays—students should provide important updates while trusting that their previously submitted materials will stand on their own in the second review process.
Additionally, students should resist the temptation to send more than one letter. After sending their note to admissions officers, they must do the hard work of waiting for a decision; continuing to flood the admissions office with correspondence will not reflect favorably on the applicant. As Yale's admissions blog notes: 'You should not try to re-do any parts of your application. You should not inundate your admissions officer with weekly emails and cards. More often than not it is the required pieces of the applications, like the essays and teacher recommendations that we already have, that make a student stand out for us.'
Ultimately, while a letter of continued interest will not guarantee you admission to your dream school, it is your final recourse to catch the eye of an admissions officer and express your enthusiasm for the institution in your own words. Sending a polished, professional, and authentic letter could tip the scales in your favor at your dream school.
Who should I send my LOCI to?
You should address your LOCI to the admissions officer assigned to your region. If you are unsure of who that may be, refer to the university's admissions website or call the admissions office to inquire.
When should I send my LOCI?
Students should be prompt in sending their LOCI. Aim to submit your letter within a few weeks of receiving your waitlist notification.
How many words should my LOCI be?
In general, students should limit their letter to roughly one single-spaced page (no more than 500 words).