Talk to a PA School Admissions Consultant Today

20 Minutes Free Consultation

PA School Update Letters and Letters of Interest

Anyone who has applied to PA school knows that the application process is lengthy. Applicants may receive an interview anywhere between a few weeks to months after submitting their CASPA application. Following a PA school interview, schools may offer an applicant an acceptance the same day or take months to deliberate. Applicants may also be placed on a waitlist for an interview or for an acceptance.

While the long wait can be stress-inducing, it serves as an opportunity to communicate with schools through update letters and letters of interest to nudge them towards offering you a coveted interview or a long-awaited acceptance.

Note of Caution about Sending Letters of Update or Interest Letters to PA Schools

Before communicating with schools through update letters or letters of interest, check the school’s websites and any correspondences they have had with you. Some PA schools instruct applicants NOT to send letters.

What are PA School Update Letters and Letters of Interest?

Update Letters: These letters can be sent before or after an interview to inform PA schools of any progress since submitting the PA school application or interviewing (more below on what to include in different letters).

Letter of Interest: In a letter of interest, applicants reiterate their interest in a particular PA school and cite reasons why they want to attend that program. A letter of interest can also be sent prior to or after an interview.

Combined Letter: Often, we advise our students to write a single combined letter providing updates and expressing interest. This can work just as well and be more efficient than sending separate letters.

When Should I Submit Letters of Interest or Update Letters to PA Schools?

In our experience, it’s best to wait four to six weeks after submitting the PA school application before communicating with a school. If you do not have many updates to report on your application after six weeks, you can send an interest letter alone. You can also wait until you have updates to provide.

Another good time to send an update letter is when you achieve certain minimum benchmarks required by a PA school. For example, if a PA school requires 1000 hours of patient care experience before matriculation and your hours are in progress, you can let the school know when you reach this benchmark.

Remember you can add some updates to the CASPA application even after submission so you don’t need to send an update letter every time you have something new to add. Reserve the update letter for significant achievements.

What Should I Include in a PA School Update Letter?

New Courses: If you have taken a new course or received a grade in a course that was in progress, it may be included in an update letter. If a course is in progress, you may let schools know how you are doing in the course.

New Patient Care Role or Shadowing: If you have taken on a new patient care role or shadowing experience, you can include this experience in an update letter. Make sure to include how many hours you have accrued.

Additional Hours in Existing Patient Care Role: If you have gained a significant number of new patient care hours in a patient care role that you had already reported on CASPA, you may send update letters to schools letting them know of the additional hours.

Other Extracurricular Activities: If you have been involved in or made significant progress in other activities such as a community service activity, you can include this in a PA school update letter.

What Format Should I Use for PA School Letters of Interest and Update Letters?

The MOST IMPORTANT point about PA school update letters and letters of interest is to keep them concise. The letters should ideally be no more than 1 – 2 paragraphs. If you are writing a combined letter, two paragraphs are reasonable.

Avoid going on long tangents or using grand language to talk about your dream of being a PA, all the reasons why you want to pursue this profession or all of your experiences.

The following is a basic format to consider:

PA School Update Letter:

• In 1-2 sentences, say what you have accomplished since last communicating with the school.
• Include metrics that show achievement. For example, if you have taken 2 new classes and received As in both, mention that you have maintained a 4.0 GPA in new coursework.
• Indicate in one sentence how these new experiences have further prepared you for PA school
• Reiterate your passion for becoming a PA in one sentence

PA School Letter of Interest:

• Indicate in one sentence that you are interested in the program and that you feel the program would be a good match for you
• In 2-3 sentences, provide specific examples of what aspects of the program you find appealing (curriculum, clinical opportunities, patient population served, etc).
• If you are writing an interest letter after an interview, mention anything you saw during the interview that left a positive impression on you
• Indicate in one or two sentences why you are a good match for the program.
• Thank the school for considering your application.

Typically, letters of interest and update letters can be sent via email to the admissions committee. However, we encourage students to check the website of each school to see if they provide any further instructions on how to send these letters.

Should I Tell a PA School They Are My Top Choice?

Yes, if a school is your top choice, you can write a letter of intent to the school. This is essentially a letter of interest but in it, you tell the school they are your top choice and indicate that you would commit to attending if accepted. For example, you may say:

“If I am accepted to your program, I would withdraw my application from all other programs and commit to attending your PA school.”

We remind applicants to only say this to one school and to only do so if they are certain they would attend a program. If you are drawn to a program but cannot say with certainty whether they are your top choice, you can tell the school that they are among your top choices and look forward to learning more in the interview.