Writing Law School Letters of Continued Interest

Law school letters of continued interest, sometimes abbreviated to L.O.C.I., are letters that you write expressing your desire to stay on the waitlist at a particular school.

Format: Letters of continued interest can be sent in an email or as an attached document to an email. They should be no more than one page, single-spaced, and no smaller than 11 pt. font.

Timing and Quantity: Some of the timing of your letters of continued interest will depend on when you are placed on the waitlist. In general, you want to send the letter as soon as you offered a waitlist spot. Sending letters close to deposit deadlines (especially if the school has two deadlines) may help you as well. It is not a good idea to send letters of continued interest if you are just concerned about the status of your application, but you have not been officially placed on the waitlist. However, if you had a significant change in your GPA or LSAT, you should definitely send that update even if you have not been placed on the waitlist.

Components of a Strong Letter of Continued Interest

There are generally four parts to a letter of continued interest.

Part One: Express Gratitude

You want to make sure that you take the time to thank the admissions office for the opportunity to stay on the waitlist. The thank-you should be genuine and professional, without being over the top.

Part Two: Convey Your Intentions of Staying on The Waitlist

Schools may not know what your thoughts are about being placed on the waitlist. Schools won’t assume that you take your waitlist spot seriously unless you convey this to them. Therefore, one of the main jobs of your letter is to let them know your intentions of staying on the waitlist (including whether they are your first-choice school). This is not a binding promise, but you should strive to be as honest and genuine at the moment you write the letter as possible. Everyone understands that sometimes circumstances and desires change but saying something you don’t mean or believe in a letter just to gain admission is dishonest and unethical.

There are many more ways to convey to a school your strong interest without overpromising yourself.

Some examples include:

“I know that School X would be a tremendous fit for me because….”

“I have a strong desire to attend School X because…”

“School X is an ideal place for me to further my legal education given….”

That being said, if a school actually is your first choice, and you would 100% go in a heartbeat if accepted, absolutely tell them this.

In addition to expressing your desire and strength of interest, you want to communicate how long you are willing to stay on the waitlist.

Part Three: Why Are You Interested in This School?

You’ll notice that in my examples I lead into why the school is a strong fit. This is important. You don’t want to repeat anything that you said in your personal statement or “why us” essay, but you do want a couple of reasons why you are so drawn to this school.

These reasons should ideally be personal and include recent examples. Demonstrated interest can go a long way in helping your chances to get off of the waitlist. Schools do not have time to call and extend offers to candidates they are not sure will attend.

Part Four: Updates – Why Should They Accept You Off the Waitlist?

The meat of your Letter of Continued Interest is the section on your updates. There are several different categories or examples of strong updates to send to schools. These updates are things that were not in existence when you applied.

Academics: If you apply during college or another master’s program and you apply in the fall you want to make sure to update the school with your mid-year grades and your final grades when you receive them. Likewise, you also want to update them on any new research conducted or papers published. You want to update them on your GPA as well.

LSAT: If you continue to take the LSAT and receive a higher LSAT score you should absolutely send it.

Work: If you receive a promotion or a new role at work with new duties certainly update them on this.

Community/Organizations: If you are engaged in any community or organizational activities outside of work you should include these updates as well.

Lastly, you can offer to send any additional or supplemental materials. Sometimes if you ask the school if they need additional documents, you will be surprised with the response. If they feel there is a gap in your application package, they may request an additional letter of recommendation or clarification about a portion of your application.

I flesh out these components in more detail, as well as include four different templates of letters of continued interest in my Guide to Writing Law School Letters of Continued Interest.

If you want personal guidance on navigating the waitlist, don’t hesitate to contact me and book an information session to see how I can help you achieve your law school goals.

Have more questions? Tweet me @smontadmissions I’d love to hear from you!