When writing a letter of advice to a medical school, you need to consider a number of key factors. Medical professionals are some of the most educated individuals on the planet, those that teach within the field are well respected and articulate. When writing a letter of interest consider the tone of your letter. This letter is going to potentially be placed in front of the dean of admissions or at least, some of their team.
The tone should be respectful, humble yet confident. Be sure to address the individual as “sir or madam”. The number of individuals who write a letter as if it was being written to a friend is unreal, keep it professional and NOT social. Be sure to observe all formalities with formatting, make sure your name and address is included at the top of the page.
Date it, and under the date be sure to include a regards “RE:” section. Include the title of the letter and what your letter is trying to achieve such as “letter of consideration” or “letter of introduction”. When you sign the letter of, always sign the letter as yours sincerely. “Sincerely”, is the correct terminology to end a letter to someone you don’t know and have never met before.
Make sure you include a personal element to the letter, you need to let them know that you are a great candidate aside of just your academic and professional achievements. You need to introduce the reader to YOU, they will have a copy of your academic transcripts in front of them, there is little to no need to revisit any of that part of your background. Include things that aren’t shown by your transcripts, talk about your family, those you have helped, anything that shows you go above and beyond in your education in the medical field and how that has impacted your professional life. Any sacrifices are always great to include “I moved away from family” always hits a personal note with the reader while showing your dedication. Finally, make sure you talk about why you want to go to the institution in question, show you have done some research and how going there will help you get where you want to be in your personal journey into the medical world.
The reader will want to know what your end goal is in terms of your profession. As well as admissions, any educational institution worries about their alumni and how people progress once they leave. Reassure them that you have good plans and intentions, part of those well laid plans is to attend their institution. One final thing to remember, always sign the letter off with a personal touch letting the reader know they can contact you with any questions.
An invitation to communicate is always better than just assuming you will hear back from them in due course, it shows your willingness to help them and the institution in their decision.