What’s a Letter of Continued Interest?

by Megan Briggs


Applying to colleges is a convoluted process, and it can be even more confusing when you’re not in on the lingo. As a senior having just recently submitted 14 college applications, I’m going to break down a few items you may encounter that I was in the dark about at the beginning of my senior year. In my first post of this series, I dug into what a likely letter was, and gave some background on different types of admissions. Today’s topic is another, quite different letter: a letter of continued interest, commonly shortened to LOCI.

So, what is it? Well, let’s say you apply early decision to your top-choice college. Rather than getting accepted or outright rejected, you get waitlisted or deferred. This means that while you are a strong applicant (woo!), the admissions committee wasn’t entirely convinced that you’d be the best possible candidate for one of the coveted spots in the incoming class. If this happens, you’re probably not feeling great. You have to wait longer to find out if you’re in or not, the chances are slim, and you feel pretty helpless in the whole process. One way to take action and possibly distinguish yourself from the other applicants is with a letter of continued interest. An LOCI is exactly what it sounds like: a letter telling the college that you are still very interested in attending. It’s a great opportunity to demonstrate some of the qualities below:
                                                                                      
  1. Perseverance
It’s important to keep a positive, upbeat tone in your letter to display that you’re not the type of person to let obstacles (i.e. a deferral) get you down.

  1. Interest in the School
An LOCI takes time and thoughtfulness, and this shows the college that you really want to be there (psst! Colleges want to accept students that will say yes!) You should reiterate in your letter the qualities of the college that you like and what you believe you can contribute as a member of the class. Be specific – if you sound too general, they’ll think you don’t really know much about them or didn’t care to learn.

  1. New Accolades
Maybe a week after you submitted your application you were made captain of the soccer team. Maybe you just recently were awarded 2nd place in your school’s art show. Whatever it is, if you have new things to add, let them know! The school year doesn’t stop after you submit your apps, and you should show them your hard work.

  1. Writing Ability
Take the time to make this letter really good. To be clear, that doesn’t mean you should replace every word with a longer more intellectual-sounding one from a thesaurus. However, you should put a lot of thought into it to make it professional and error-free. Frequent editing and having someone else look it over is key. And don’t make it too long; a page is sufficient and that way you won’t need to worry about wasting an admissions officer’s time.

  1. Personality
This is where your distinct writing style should come out. Be true to yourself. It’s okay to be honest and say that the thing you love most about the college is *gasp* not just the amazing academics, but also the chocolate ice cream machine in the dining area or the British Art club. They have thousands of people telling them how amazing the curriculum is, so this could make you stand out and will show how passionate you really are.

If you include those five items in your letter, you’re sure to make a good impression! You should send it to the admissions office of the college and include your application reference number if they gave you one so the letter can be added to your file. If you still need a little more guidance, Thought Co. has a great article including several examples of what to do and what not to do in your LOCI: https://www.thoughtco.com/sample-letters-of-continued-interest-4040198

TL;DR: A waitlist or a deferral is not the end of the road, and an LOCI can increase your chances of acceptance.

Stay tuned for the next post on all the obscure yet essential things to know about applying to college!
 

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