This fall I was deferred from Dartmouth ED. I finished writing my Letter of Continued Interest. I was considering asking my School’s Dean for an additional recommendation. We are moderately close (I visit her office usually once a week and hang out). She attended Dartmouth and said she would be more than willing to write it. Should I submit it? Should I wait to submit my LOCI, so they can be submitted at the same time? What should I ask her to touch on? Is this too much for the AO to read considering they have all the required recs. as well as the recommended peer recommendation?
Are they asking for an additional rec…ie is it even allowed ? What can she add about you that enhances your candidacy vs writing as an alum ? If nothing new, I’d see no reason. An LOR is likely not the reason that you get over the hump. If sue can add to your profile and they allow a letter, then sure. The issue is you won’t know what others touched on so you don’t know if her letter will differ ? And outside of a Dean role, how does she truly know you that deeply that would add value ?
I would not do an additional LOR, nor would I do a LOCI, for deferral. Generally LOCI’s are done for wait list. I think you run the risk of annoying admissions. I hope you can turn your focus to other schools in the meantime.
I’ll be honest…this sounds more like a friend than anything else.
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This isn’t accurate. LOCI are very commonly sent after a deferral. It gives candidates a chance to update the schools with any new information. That being said, I don’t think an additional letter of recommendation would be welcome unless specifically asked for by the school.
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Agreed. My son’s boarding school, which is extremely sophisticated with regards to college admissions, had my son write a LOCI when he was deferred.
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An LOCI with additional information is fine. Depending on the additional info. It may also vary with school.
Imagine if every deferred student sent a LOCI. Admissions is busy. I think there needs to be a valid reason for communication.
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They say in the letter they welcome any additional admissions materials. I believe to upload it she will send it to me so I will glance at it then and decide if I think it will add anything.
Write the LOCI! My son’s college prep school always recommends writing it and add any information you haven’t already stated which could help your case. Positive change in grades, projects you are working on, leadership roles, awards, etc.
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Who is sending what to whom here?
And adding…you are reading your LOR? Didn’t you sign a thing saying you would not be doing so? Our kids did.
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On the web a few sites say that 5-10% of those deferred by Dartmouth in Early Decision ultimately are accepted. We can wish you luck, but this underscores the importance of making sure you’ve applied to match schools and a safety you’d be willing to attend. Some schools have not hit their application deadlines so it’s worth taking one last look at your list to see if you want to submit any more.
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This is not true. Some schools count it as demonstrated interest and as such, expect it. (I don’t know if Dartmouth does this)
I would think the vast majority of Dartmouth applicants have updates they can come up with. Grades, tying something they learned to a class and/or a prof’s research they would like to participate in, EC updates, etc.
Many HS and private counselors encourage deferred students to send LOCI (if allowed).
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Apparently this is now more common. IF you do submit a LOCI, make sure it is a school you will accept an offer from, and also make sure the school accepts them:
Some schools may not even accept a letter of continued interest at all. University of Virginia for example, notes that letters of continued interested are not used as a factor in their admission process and ask that you not send letters or updates outside of a midyear grade report. And USC recently posted on Instagram reminding students not to submit Letters of Continued Interest. If you see that your prospective school does not accept these types of letters, be sure to abide by their request.
Dartmout accepts LOCI’s.
Write a Letter of Continued Interest swiftly, which you should email to your regional representative on the admissions staff and upload to the portal.
This student isn’t exactly doing a LOCI. They want to submit an additional letter of recommendation. Schools have policies in that also…and this needs to be checked. There are plenty of schools that do not allow additional letters of reference to sent.
@Spooky_Summer_124 before you include a LOR in a LOCI, you must find out if the college will even accept an additional LOR now. And if you can include this…because therefore you would be reading this. As I asked above, did you sign the thing saying you would not be seeing your LOR? If so…including this one with your letter seems off to me.
As did ours. If the LOR can add something to your app, as in “John is on the team I coach, and he was just nominated for the all-league sportsmanship award for xyz”, it might be worth it as it highlights who you are and adds to the application. If it’s just another “great kid” LOR, I wouldn’t bother unless she has a special relationship with the school or AO.
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