Check spelling on your interviewers' names!

[Shinken]

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A piece of advice from something that happened to me recently...

I came home from an interview at my local med school and sat down at my desk to write thank you cards. Well, something told me to look up the names of my interviewers on the school's website. I used the search feature and the name of one of my interviewers didn't show up in any search! I thought maybe he was a new hire. Well, the interviewer was a teacher in the microbiology/immunology dept. so I decided to check the dept. website and looked under "faculty". Lo and behold, there he was. "Dr. Jon" was written down in my interview sheet by the admissions secretary as "Dr. John"!! Imagine if I just sent a thank you card to this person and misspelled his name (not my fault, but Dr. Jon wouldn't know that). Needless to say, I'm glad and relieved I found out the error.

Moral of the story: check your names before you send out the cards...don't trust that whoever types the names on your interview schedule sheet knows the correct spelling.

 

[Lions Pride]

What are the chances that Jon or John will actually read that thank you card anyway. I was told by PD's for residencies not to even bother writting thank you letters and to just save the postage stamps, because they dont have time to read them all so they pose no advantage. I'm assuming its pretty simillar for adcoms. I guess however a mistake will make you stick out.

 

[Shinken]

Yes. You can only hope that the person would see the name not spelled correctly and assume it's junk mail and toss it aside.

Anyway, to finish the story I decided not to go the card route and sent out e-mails instead. It worked out fine since both interviewers have replied to me already (and they remember me, which is a good sign...I hope).

I realize they might not read the cards, but this process is expensive and anxiety-ridden, and I just don't want to add to the anxiety by misspelling someone's name.

 

[LP1CW]

My dad's friend interviews students for medical school admissions. He said that cards, letters, and correspondences with him are a waste of time for they all know that they are less than genuine. We're pressured into another bs game. I'm not sending cards or letters out because they don't make a difference. It won't help.

 

[Dr JPH]

Originally posted by LP1CW
My dad's friend interviews students for medical school admissions. He said that cards, letters, and correspondences with him are a waste of time for they all know that they are less than genuine. We're pressured into another bs game. I'm not sending cards or letters out because they don't make a difference. It won't help.

Nice attitude. I sure hope youre coming to PCOM.



🙄

 

[Homunculus]

LP1's got a point though. After awhile all the thank-you cards are probably viewed as junk-mail. it's not like they keep a list of who sent cards and who didn't. i wonder if it has ever come down to a thank-you card getting someone in, lol. "great interview, but i'm afraid your lack of courtesy in thanking us for inviting you has been viewed as contempt for our school and as such we cannot grant you admission." 😱

 

[Shinken]

Well, the way I think about it is a short note or e-mail doesn't cost much (at least compared to the total cost of applying) and doesn't take that much of my time so what the heck. If people just ignore them, fine. Who knows, someone might notice and it might make a difference. Why take the chance?

 

[Idiopathic]

Hey, Shinken...I see that you got into OSU-COM. Was that interview with "Dr. Jon" you are referring to @ OSU-COM? If so, then you should know, it really is Dr. John

That makes me giggle. PM me if you need any infor on the school. Congrats. I hope you decide to go to OSU. (even though i know nnothing about you)

 

[Shinken]

No, I got admitted to OU-COM (Ohio U., not Oklahoma State U.).

The Dr. Jon I was referring to was one of my interviewers at the University of Wisconsin.

Thanks for the kindness to offer your help, though. I really, really like OU-COM and it's very likely I'll attend. I have an interview coming up at KCOM at the end of the month and if I'm lucky enough to be accepted, it's going to be one hell of a difficult decision!

 

[OSUdoc08]

They decide if you are accepted or not before they even recieve the thank you cards in the mail. I called up one week after my interview, and they had already made the decision.

Why send a card if they aren't going to read it and it doesn't affect their decision?

 

[Shinken]

It's not about affecting their decision or not. It's just a matter of professional courtesy. If people don't want to do that, that's fine. For me, I'm in my mid-thirties and an engineer by profession. I'm used to receiving and sending Thank You cards for almost anything. I gave a group of students from a local college a short tour of the place where I work, and the instructor in charge of the students sent me a Thank You card. It's just something you get used to doing, and when I meet with people for whatever reason (dinner, interview, etc.) it's just a polite, professional thing to do. It has nothing to do with trying to impress or influence an adcom's decision.

In my opinion, when a group of people look at my stats on paper and decide to grant me an interview, after I speak to them I'm going to send them a Thank You note. Plain and simple. No hidden agenda here.

It amazes me how people think sending Thank You cards is silly and hypocritical, but it's OK when some 22 year old who wears baggy pants and T-shirts every day and drinks himself silly every weekend shows up for an interview wearing a suit like he's all mature and professional.

 

[XCanadianRagwee]

Originally posted by Shinken
It's not about affecting their decision or not. It's just a matter of professional courtesy. If people don't want to do that, that's fine. For me, I'm in my mid-thirties and an engineer by profession. I'm used to receiving and sending Thank You cards for almost anything. I gave a group of students from a local college a short tour of the place where I work, and the instructor in charge of the students sent me a Thank You card. It's just something you get used to doing, and when I meet with people for whatever reason (dinner, interview, etc.) it's just a polite, professional thing to do. It has nothing to do with trying to impress or influence an adcom's decision.

In my opinion, when a group of people look at my stats on paper and decide to grant me an interview, after I speak to them I'm going to send them a Thank You note. Plain and simple. No hidden agenda here.

It amazes me how people think sending Thank You cards is silly and hypocritical, but it's OK when some 22 year old who wears baggy pants and T-shirts every day and drinks himself silly every weekend shows up for an interview wearing a suit like he's all mature and professional.

Bingo!

I'm not doing it in an attempt to influence their decision, because usually by the time I get them sent they've already decided on my status. I've been taught to be polite. If they took the time to sit down and interview me, then I should take a little time to say thank you.

If they toss it without reading it, so be it.

 

[NDESTRUKT]

send a thank you card with a low MCAT score, low GPA, and so so interview...you're not gettin' in.

don't send a thank you card with high MCAT and GPA and a decent interview...you'll get in.

the thank you card is not part of the application process. the thank you card is a subject that people will never totally agree on, albiet it makes an amusing discussion.

Like Shinken, I'm an engineer, though I'm in my lower 20's...and in the professional world, it is one of those things you just do...out of courtesy be it truly sincere or not...

 

[Demosthenes_7]

In a recent discussion w/ a director of 25 years I broached the question of "thank you" letters. Her response was that they are a nice touch and that when she passes them out to the interviewers she tells them, "here's your fan mail."

She went on to say that interviewers put time and effort into interviews and get little in return, therefore they always view the letters favorably. She said e-mailed "thank yous" do not have the same effect.

Sure, it probably does not make a difference in the final decision, but hopefully one feels better after sending the letter and the interviewer will feel that his or her efforts are appreciated.

 

[Shinken]

Wow. When I first created this thread I had no idea that Thank You cards was such a sensitive issue. I guess I'll file Thank You cards in the same category as "Affirmative Action", "MD vs DO", "USMD vs USIMG", and last but not least "Does OMT work?". 😛