"Thank you for your application..."

That's how all too many medical school rejection letters begin. Typically, they'll praise the applicant's accomplishments and express regret that they simply can't interview everyone they'd like. I suppose it's a little more gentle than, "Sorry, you just didn't make the cut," but still the tone can seem a bit insincere.

My brother, with his solid GPA and MCAT scores, has the opposite problem. He's received flirtatious e-mail from schools to which he had no intent to apply. He recently showed me a response he crafted to a certain school in southern California, in which he attempted to mimic the classic "med school rejection letter" tone. What's funny is that he actually sent the following!

Dear Dr. Q,

Thank you for contacting me regarding the ______ School of Medicine. I am, indeed, intrigued by the possibility of living in Southern California, and in fact, I had already considered applying to your medical school. Unfortunately, however, due to limited temporal and financial resources, I will be unable to apply to [this university].

Best wishes in recruiting a distinguished and diverse class.

Sincerely,
D