Following Up with your Admission Officers

In the application process, your admission officer may seem quite distant and somewhat of an authority figure: one you shouldn’t freely conversate with. Well, they are just ordinary people. People who like students that show enthusiasm and consistent communication. On that note, you should follow up with your admission officer frequently. Wish them happy holidays, update them about your academic and extracurricular progress, and most importantly, demonstrate your passion for attending the school. 

So when should you follow up with them? While it is good to make ample correspondence, there is such a thing as too much. 4-5 emails should suffice, from the moment you meet your admission officer for the interview to before decisions are available. One crucial moment you should always follow up on is right after the interview, that is, the night of or the morning after the day of your interview. There is no need to write a long 5-paragraph essay, though: a simple note of appreciation and what, how, and why you liked the school should be good. An example might look something like this: 

Dear Mr. X, 

Hello, I hope this email finds you well. I am Y, a prospective student at (School Name). Thank you so much for the wonderful interview. I had a great time talking to you and got to know a lot about (School Name). I really liked the hockey rink because I could see myself coming in every morning to practice my slap shop skills. 

I sincerely hope to see you next fall as (School Name) class of 2028. 

Best Regards, 

Y

Once you’ve written this email, I suggest following up with them every holiday: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Then around February, you can send them a final email. These emails should start with phrases like “Happy Thanksgiving” or “I hope you are having a great Christmas,” but the crux of the body should be in the updates of your activities and a final note that explicitly shows your desire to attend the school. The updates of your life are important because continuity shows that not only you are genuinely interested, but you continued to make progress in yourself despite the application being over. Did you win a sports competition? Mention it. A research project? Flaunt it. 

The main - and really the only - medium of communication between you and the AO is email. One main tip is to write all of them in one chain. I mean, when writing the second, third, fourth, and perhaps the fifth email, reply to the previous one. Admission officers receive tons of emails, so your email may be overlooked. This way, when the AO reads yours, he can notice your previous emails. Additionally, it clearly shows that you have been doing your due diligence in relaying the ins and outs of your life. 

Lastly, when you receive a reply, correspond as soon as possible. Ideally, an instant reply, but at the most, you should get back to them in 24 hours. This is another way to show how eager you are. Besides, in the world of emails, where simple communications may take days, a fast reply is always positively perceived.