Writing a Letter of Continued Interest is absolutely necessary if you still wanted to be accepted to your first-choice school. US universities send out their early-round offers in December! If you were deferred to the regular decision pool, writing this letter will make it clear to the admissions committee how excited you are about their school! This helps when they make offers for the regular decision round!

Your Letter of Continued Interest should include the following:

1. Academic or Extracurricular Updates: Yes, you only submitted your application a few months ago. However, writing about successful and notable academic achievements and how you have continued to pursue your extracurricular interests is a great way to show them you are an excellent candidate!

2. More “Why” this School: US universities are worried that deferred students will lose interest! Prove to the admissions committee that this school is still your first choice. Research and clearly articulate another reason the university is a good fit for you. However, this reason must be distinct from anything you mentioned in your previous supplemental essays.

3. Declaration of Intent: Though you may be considering applying ED 2 or have decided one of your regular decision schools is ow your first choice, you should still declare that you will attend this school if offered a spot! US schools are keen to have high a yield when offers are sent. This is a must for a successful letter of continued interest.

4. Send Soon: Send this letter in early January! Of course, you want to take a break over the winter holiday. However, it is still important to send this letter promptly! How quickly you sent this letter is one way a school assesses your enthusiasm.

If you have any questions about drafting a letter of continued interest or any other aspect of the US university admissions process, please feel free to reach out to us!