Guide on Writing a Letter of Continued Interest

If you’re deferred or waitlisted from a great college, you may feel frustrated. In this case, the whole application process becomes discouraging. Most students feel very disappointed when they receive a letter that says that they’ve been placed in the waitlist.

You want to know whether or not you’ve gotten into the best college you know, and now you have to wait much longer to hear the answer. Moreover, the regular acceptance rate exceeds the chances to be accepted off the waitlist. Don’t worry, even if you think that there’s nothing you can do about it, the truth is that you can help the application process while waiting.

If you’ve been deferred or waitlisted, you can write a letter of continued interest. Let’s figure out what it is, and college-writers.com will show you how to write it properly.

Letter of Continued Interest: What Is It?

If a student is deferred or waitlisted, it means a few things. The good news is that the college hasn’t rejected you yet. Therefore, they think you’re worth giving a try. They think that you might be a nice candidate, however, they’re not sure that you can make a good contribution to the class. Perhaps, there are more qualified candidates or candidates who made a better impression. The college wants to hear back from those candidates before making a decision about you.

As the name suggests, a letter of continued interest is aimed to demonstrate your interest. You can let your college know that you’re still interested in it, even if you have to wait longer. This letter is also an opportunity to give an update on your new achievements, in order to convince them that you will be a positive contributor to the new class.

What Does Your College Want to Know?

Some sorts of information can help improve the opinion about you. Colleges are looking for successful and qualified students. Therefore, they should have enough candidates to fill the freshman class with the most successful of them. Basically, your college wants to know two things: can you be a successful student, and will you attend if they accept you?

What You Should Include

In your letter of continued interest, you should provide answers to those two important questions above. You can also thank for a place on the waitlist — this way, you will demonstrate your strong personality and the ability to deal with difficulties.

What You Shouldn’t Include

Perhaps, you’re feeling disappointed and frustrated. You may talk about to your friends, but your letter of continued interest is not a good place for such feelings and other negative emotions.

The General Outline

Introduction

Here you should thank for considering your application and say that you’re interested in attending the educational institution.

Accomplishments

Write updates on your accomplishments, however, don’t include what you’ve already written in your original application. If you repeat your achievements, it will look like nothing new happened since then. Briefly describe 2-3 accomplishments and explain their positive impact on your overall development and character.

Personal element

At the end of your letter, provide some information about you as a person that will help you stand out from the rest of the waitlist.

Conclusion

Restate your willingness to attend the school and thank the admissions committee for their time.