How to Write a LOCI That Actually Works
Receiving a waitlist decision from your dream school can feel like purgatory. You aren't rejected, but you aren't packing your bags, either. At the Burgess Workshop Studio, we remind our students that a waitlist is not a soft rejection—it is a strategic holding pattern.
Universities use waitlists for "Yield Protection." They need to know exactly how many beds to fill. When spots open up in May, Admissions Officers look for the students who present the lowest risk and the highest value. Your tool to prove you are that student is the Letter of Continued Interest (LOCI).
Here is the architectural framework we use to help our students craft compelling, data-driven updates that move the needle.
1. The Shift in Tone: Narrative to Informational
Your Personal Statement was designed to be emotional, vulnerable, and voice-driven. Your LOCI should be entirely different. It must be formatted as a formal professional letter ("Dear [College] Admissions Committee") and the tone must be direct, concise, and heavily informational. You can allow a brief moment of emotion in the introduction to express your continued passion for the school, but the body of the letter must be strictly business.
2. The Introduction & The Magic Phrase
Begin by thanking them for their continued consideration. Then, immediately transition with a variation of this phrase: "I am writing to share new and compelling information regarding my candidacy." Admissions officers are fatigued by May. This phrase signals that you are not simply begging for admission, but rather providing concrete updates that alter the context of your file. This is the perfect place to mention significant new achievements or even substantial commitments (like family responsibilities or informal community organizing) that you mistakenly omitted from your original application.
3. Proving Academic Velocity
Colleges want to see that you are sprinting through the finish line, not coasting on senioritis. Use a short paragraph to confirm that you are maintaining high marks in your rigorous AP/IB courses.
If your mid-year report contained a lower grade, the LOCI is your opportunity to re-frame it. Do not make excuses. Instead, explain how you fixed it. For example: "To address my B in AP Physics, I organized a weekly peer study group and attended early-morning office hours, successfully raising my grade to an A- for the current term." This demonstrates incredible maturity and proves you are ready for collegiate academic rigor.
4. Extracurricular Updates: Metrics and Scaling
Dedicate the middle of your letter to your activities. Break this down into bullet points or short, punchy paragraphs.
Update the Metrics: Did your debate team win a new regional title? Did your passion project hit a new milestone? Give them the hard numbers and the updated hours-per-week.
Focus on Leadership: Highlight what you did to drive the success of the group.
The Campus Connection: Conclude these updates by drawing a direct line to the university. Explain exactly which campus organization will benefit from the new skills you’ve acquired over the last four months.
5. The Definitive Yield Guarantee
The conclusion of your LOCI is arguably the most critical component. If a college offers you a spot, they need to know you will take it.
You must state, unequivocally, that the university remains your absolute top choice and that you will enthusiastically commit to attending if admitted. If you are applying to a highly impacted major (like Computer Science or Business) and are genuinely willing to be admitted as an "Undeclared" student or into an alternate major, state that clearly. It provides the admissions office with a flexible pathway to admit you.
Thank them for their time, sign off professionally, and submit the letter through your applicant portal.
(Note: This exact framework can also be adapted for formal Appeal Letters, though students should note that successful appeals for outright rejections are statistically exceedingly rare).
Need an expert set of eyes on your LOCI? Crafting the perfect update requires precision. As part of our Founder's Rate Mentorship, the Burgess Workshop Studio is currently offering rapid-turnaround strategic reviews and live calls for waitlisted students. Reach out via our Contact Page to secure a spot before the May deadlines.