April 3, 2018

How to Write the Best Letter of Continued Interest (LOCI)

A LOCI is a Letter of Continued Interest. Usually, you send this to inform a school of your interest in attending despite being waitlisted or put on hold. It also offers an opportunity to update the school on new developments in your application. Are you putting together your LOCI? Here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know.

Why Send a LOCI?

If you are waitlisted or held, a school typically wants to make sure you still want to attend their institution. A LOCI is your opportunity to convey your interest despite not receiving an immediate acceptance letter.

Will the LOCI Make a Difference?

It certainly can. If you fail to send a LOCI or send a poorly written one, you’re telling the school that your interest isn’t that high. This will lower your chances of admittance. On the other hand, a well-written LOCI that reaffirms your desire to attend. It also serves as an opportunity to add new information to your application. This sends a strong signal to the school you’re sending it to. Since yields are so important to schools, this can raise your chance of getting in.

When Should You Send a LOCI?

Typically, you send a LOCI in response to a specific action by the school. So, you should send the LOCI soon after receive notice. Don’t wait a month! However, do not send a LOCI until you receive a notification that requires action. In other words, don’t send a LOCI just because your app is under consideration and you haven’t heard anything in a while. Schools can take a long time to make decisions and no news does not equal bad news. Constantly contacting the admissions office can be seen as pestering and no one wants that reputation.

This advice does not apply if some sort of event causes your application status to change. For example, if you receive a new, higher LSAT score, there’s no harm in letting the school know! The same would be true if you sent a thank you note for a great interview or school visit.

How Do You Format and Submit a LOCI?

Your LOCI can be written in letter form or as a standard statement, but you must put your identifying information in the document. Your name and CAS number need to be included at a minimum. Preferably include your address and contact info as well if you have room. Don’t forget to include the date, as well. The easiest way to make the letter is to create a Word document and save it as a PDF to preserve the formatting. Word can sometimes lose basic formatting if different versions are used in the admissions office. To submit the document, either send the admissions office an email including the PDF or use the submission form if the school has one.

What Should You Say?

There are a number of points that you can make in your letter. Our friends at Spivey Consulting cover many of these in their article, How to write a letter of continued interest. Definitely give the article a read but be sure to include the following.

A reminder of where you in the process, such as “I am currently on the waitlist at Amazing U…”
A direct statement that you are still interested in attending. If the school is your top choice or if you’ll attend if admitted at any time, say so. The more committed to the school you are, the stronger your case for admission.
Provide any relevant updates to your application (new LSAT score, new achievement, school visit, promotion, etc). In other words, if you have new info that would strengthen your app, let them know!
Discuss any relationship or interaction with the school you have that might not have come up before (but do not repeat yourself or other portions of the application). For example, if you recently visited the school and attended classes, and later spoke with professors who impressed you, there’s no harm in mentioning that. It shows you are serious about the school, and perhaps one of the profs made note of you.

Kaitlin Yutzy
April 03, 2018 at 3:36pm
Good Afternoon,
I recently was denied from a law school and accepted to another which I put my seat deposit down for. The school that I was denied from, it’s the second time as well, and the Admissions counselor suggested that I retake the LSAT in June and to contact him after if my score increased. Do you suggest that after I get my LSAT score back, and if it’s higher, that I should send in a LOCI explaining my increased score?
Thank you for your help,
Kaitlin Yutzy

Dave Killoran
April 03, 2018 at 9:00pm
Hi Kaitlin,
Thanks for the question. The answer is YES, you should definitely update those schools if you have a new and more competitive LSAT score! As one of my friends on the admissions side says, “We’ll always reconsider a prior decision if the numbers or circumstances change.” So, there’s no harm at all, and very possibly a big help.
Please let me know if that helps. Thanks!

Danielle
April 19, 2018 at 10:52pm
Hi there!
I just got waitlisted at a school I want to go to while still waiting to hear from other schools. I do, however, want to send in a LOCI ASAP. Who can i ask to review my LOCI ? I was just recently a PowerScore student. Does PowerScore have a service like the application consultations?
Thanks in advance!
Danielle

Julie Lipscomb
April 20, 2018 at 7:42pm
Hi Danielle!
PowerScore does offer Admissions Consulting services, from open-ended hours to Start-to-Finish Full Application assistance. You can view all of our available programs and fill out a consultation form here: http://www.powerscore.com/lsat/law-school-admissions/index.cfm . It sounds like one open-ended hour of Admissions Consulting with one of our highly qualified and expert consultants would be perfect for what you are looking for! As a previous PowerScore Student you would receive a 10% discount off of any of our Admissions Consulting Services. Once assigned to a consultant, you would just need to call the PowerScore Office to make payment and receive this discount. Thank you and best of luck!
Julie Lipscomb
Director of Tutoring and Admissions
PowerScore Test Preparation

Danielle Ocampo
April 23, 2018 at 7:08pm
Thank you Julie!

Andrew
May 04, 2018 at 3:54am
HI PowerScore,
Would you still reccomend sending a LOCI for a WL if you are a K-JD and nothing has changed in terms of accomplihsments beyond graduating soon? It doesn’t seem like I have much to add in terms of new infomation. Would my LOCI be re-stating I am interested in attending? For some schools I did make a visit after the app season whereas for other schools I did not. I think I may have made a mistake in writting Why X in my original app so sending in a Why X essay may not be of much use at this point

Dave Killoran
May 05, 2018 at 2:14pm
Hi Andrew,
Writing a LOCI is *imperative* once you are on the WL even if you can’t add much in the way of “new” developments. At the least, you need to express a strong interest in remaining on the list and of ultimately attending the school. Since you don’t have any new accomplishments to add, skip over that part. As far as the Why X vs LOCI, is there anything at all you can say about attending the school that would personalize your LOCI response? If this is truly a school you think you want to attend, there has to be at least one new thing you could say I’d imagine 🙂
Please let me know if that helps. Thanks!

Philip Cho
May 05, 2018 at 4:36pm
Thank you very much for this very helpful article! I’ve been waitlisted at my top choice law school (Harvard) since late March, and I just received an interview request yesterday, and I was reminded just now that the law school offers an option of submitting LOCI, to which I didn’t really give much consideration til now. After reading your article, I realized how important it can be, so I will go ahead and write the LOCI before the interview next week so that it will be considered during their waitlist review process. Like the commentator above, I don’t have much new information to add, perhaps except my ongoing master’s thesis in philosophy on the topic (ethics of immigration) that’s related to the legal field I’d like to pursue both in and after law school (public interest immigration law). Do you advise I include this information in my LOCI, in addition to my commitment to the law school? Any feedback will be greatly appreciated!

Dave Killoran
May 05, 2018 at 6:11pm
Hi Philip,
I have a thought: given that your interview is next week, why not send your LOCI after the interview, so you can then talk about the experience–and the hopefully positive impression it makes on you–in your LOCI reply?
Your thesis could be included, but it depends on how much of a stretch it is to include it. “Ongoing” doesn’t sound to me like there’s been a lot of change since you last wrote them. Instead, perhaps look more into their public interest immigration law programs and see if you explain why that appeals to you (meaning that’ the focus, and your thesis is just a piece of that, and not the focus). Just be careful in how you handle talking about their programs–don’t make obvious statements like “it is a high quality program” because they already know that 🙂 In other words, relate it to you, and don’t tell them about things they already know about their school.

Philip Cho
May 05, 2018 at 8:10pm
Hi Dave,
Thank you so much for your reply! I really like your idea of submitting the LOCI only after the interview, so that I can include in the letter what I’ve learned about the law school and the programs/clinics I’m most interested during the interview. I will also follow your advice that I mention my current thesis work only in passing, while highlighting any personal connection and specific aspects of the program.
Thank you once again!

Andrew
May 06, 2018 at 6:43am
Hi Dave
Thank you for your reply and it was helpful.
If you don’t mind, I had two follow up questions. The first is that I have been WLed for a month+ now for some schools; do you think it would be matter if I am sending one pretty late? I could indicate that I have now completed my undergrad as a context for the starting the letter ‘late’. My other question is that should it be formatted like a letter or still more like an essay like the personal statement? Thanks!

Dave Killoran
May 06, 2018 at 9:01pm
Great, glad I could help. Good luck!

Dave Killoran
May 06, 2018 at 9:11pm
Hi Andrew,
Well, better late than never, so I’d still send it 🙂 Yes, adding your undergrad completion would work as a reason–and, do you have a new, final GPA to report? That would be a nice thing to add into your LOCI.
As for the format, see above in the article–either works just fine, although I’d simply post it as a letter.

Mel
May 23, 2018 at 3:12pm
Hi, thanks for the post! I sent in my LOCI about three weeks ago and I want to keep in contact with the school to let them know I am still interested. Should I do this with another LOCI or just a short email or call? I do not want to cross the line or become a nusiance of an applicant in terms of how much I contact them. Basically, is more than one LOCI in a span of a month or two ever appropriate? I also had an LOR sent on my behalf to the school three weeks ago.

Dave Killoran
May 23, 2018 at 9:57pm
Hi Mel,
Do NOT send another LOCI any time soon! You really get only one great chance at a LOCI (which is why we preach making your first one as great as possible). If you start sending them messages every few weeks, it pesters them. Plus, you can’t send the same message each time, so updates after that initial LOCI are usually only warranted when significant updates have occurred (new grades, new job, new award, new LSAT score, etc).
Since you sent an additional LOR and a LOCI already, I’d sit tight for as while now. I know the urge is to keep your name at the forefront and to not let them forget you, but it’s counterproductive.
Good luck!

Jae Lo
July 17, 2018 at 1:05am
Greetings Dave,
I am waitlisted right now at George Washington University and have sent two LOCI’ (about one per month). I also recently just started a new job too at an immigration law firm. Do you think this is worth noting in my next LOCI? Or would it perhaps hurt me more than help me?

Dave Killoran
July 25, 2018 at 12:00am
Hi Jae,
In this case, I don’t see how a new job this late in the game makes you look good. Yes, it’s in a law office, but you clearly intend to ditch it for law school in another month or so. It’s a decidedly mixed look!
I’m leaning towards leaving it off for that reason. Any deadlines you can point to that would prod GW to move a bit for you?

Comments

Yasmeen says
March 21, 2020 at 7:09 pm
Hi, thanks for this post! I submitted my applications for the Fall 2020 cycle back in November. I was waitlisted at one particular school that is one of my top choices and I received that notification mid December. I chose to retake the LSAT in February since I knew my initial score was not high enough and had a feeling it was one of the main reasons why I was waitlisted. (I also made sure to call the school and ask about that first to which they recommended I retake anyway.) Well long story short, I had wanted to write a LOCI but chose to wait to receive my new LSAT score first so that I could include it in the letter.
Do you think it was a bad idea to wait so long to write a LOCI, considering that it’s been 3 months now? Also, I was only able to increase my LSAT score by one point. Since it was not a significant increase, is it still worth noting in the letter?
Reply
Isabella says
February 11, 2020 at 1:13 pm
I got deferred from Boston University, and I’m writing a LOCI but I really don’t have any new accomplishments to include. What should I do?
Reply
Christina says
September 19, 2019 at 3:20 pm
Hi! Kind of like the last question can a cliche, generic, well written essay get me denied from a t14 even if my numbers are above the median and even 75th percentile for the school?
Reply
- Dave Killoran says
  September 19, 2019 at 3:39 pm
  Hi Christina,
  Yes, it could. Softs are more often used to keep people out (although they occasionally do work to get people in). so, if you put out a nice but as you say it “cliche, generic” essay, it wouldn’t be a good luck. Anything cliche is typically met with an instant eye roll from adcomms, and that immediately puts you in trouble.
  Thanks!
  Reply
Chloe B says
September 18, 2019 at 2:38 pm
Hi! I am writing a why law for duke. I know its cliche to write about wanting to help people but I have a couple internships at DA’s offices and I did tutoring for low income students, is this enough to be able to write about wanting to help people? Will it really hurt my application if I do not have a good line of reasoning or a cliche reason as to why I want to go to law school?
Reply
- Dave Killoran says
  September 18, 2019 at 2:48 pm
  Hi Chloe,
  Thanks for the question! I would say that’s a decent basis for Why Law School, but what can you add to it to make it about Duke? It needs to be something specific you can tie into that desire to help, some program that only Duke has. If you can do that, then as long as you execute the essay well it should work fine.
  Thanks!
  Reply