Professional Pearl: Writing a Pharmacy Residency Letter of Intent
By Calvin J. Ice, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Writing a letter of intent is an essential part of most residency applications, and it’s one of the
most important tools you as the applicant can leverage to make yourself and your skill set stand
out from the others. This article will discuss how letters of intent differ from cover letters and
how residency applicants can prepare a well-written letter of intent.
Letter of Intent vs. Cover Letter
The content of a letter of intent and cover letter may be similar, but each has a slightly different
purpose. Elements of a cover letter may be incorporated into a letter of intent and vice versa.
Since they are similar, you would never need to submit both a letter of intent and cover letter.
The purpose of a cover letter is to briefly introduce yourself, your qualifications, your interest in
the position, and to ultimately direct the reviewer to attached documents such as a curriculum
vitae or an application packet.
Similarly, a letter of intent captures the elements mentioned above, but it is typically more
comprehensive. It’s an opportunity to put your writing skills to good use to demonstrate to the
prospective residency program director your drive, ambition, and career goals. It also gives you
the opportunity to showcase and explain some of your unique professional experiences,
leadership potential, and other skill sets that may not be fully explained in the other portions of
your application.
Letter of Intent Set-up
First and foremost, the letter of intent must be formatted appropriately and should be visually
appealing. Even an exceptionally well-written letter of intent may find its way to the bottom of
a review pile if it appears too cluttered.
Select a standard letter format as a model, and ensure your contact information is included
clearly. Address the letter appropriately to the reviewer. For many residency programs, this will
likely be the residency program director, but consider any special application instructions you
receive from the program.
As with other professional documents, your letter of intent should have one-inch margins and
font size 11 or 12. It’s always important to review the program’s application instructions to
determine if there are any specific content or length requirements. In the absence of a long list
of content requirements from the program, it is generally best to keep the letter of intent on a
single page.
Always end your letter of intent with a signature. In the era of electronic submission of
applications, it can be easily forgotten. Consider printing your final letter to sign and scan back
to yourself, or keep a scanned copy of your signature on file to insert within the document.