Did you send thank-you notes to your interviewers?

[westsidespartan]

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So here I am with 7 interviews and no acceptances. My parents think I have no acceptances yet because I didn't send thank-you notes to my interviewers (I disagree). In none of my interviews did we hit it off big or anything. Just curious, how common is this practice?

 

[deva]

I sent thank-yous to the interviewers that deserved them, and I didn't send anything to the ones that didn't 😀

 

[Dr. Will]

Yup, yup! The true question is whether or not my interviewers will ever read them!

 

[community]

I think that sending a thank you letter can only help you. It reminds them of you, and you can also use the thank you letter to reinforce the qualities that set you apart from the other applicants; and to remind them the reasons why you feel you would be a good fit for the program. I think that they are just as important as they would be for a job interview. If an interviewer doesn't even remember who you are then they have no reason to act as your advocate. Also, it isn't too late for you to begin emailing/calling you interviewers to check your status.

 

[THE instiGATOR]

I sent them last year, but not this year. It's such a stupid formality. I'd rather shake their hands and express my thanks verbally. Guess I was just feeling lazy this year.

 

[Aeromonas]

Only to the ones who deserve a thank you

 

[A-Phi-A]

I'll send out the thank you notes after I get accepted 😀 On the real though the student interviewer I had at Upstate was really the coolest dude I could ever have hoped to interview with. Too bad, he is graduating from Upstate this summer. We definetely could have hung out together. I would have sent him a thank you note, but since we turned out to be a lot alike, he like me would have thought it to be corny.

 

[A-Phi-A]

I'll send out the thank you notes after I get accepted 😀 On the real though the student interviewer I had at Upstate was really the coolest dude I could ever have hoped to interview with. Too bad, he is graduating from Upstate this summer. We definetely could have hung out together. I would have sent him a thank you note, but since we turned out to be a lot alike, he like me would have thought it to be corny.

 

[maverickDO]

I interviewed at 2 schools and was accepted at both. One school told us not to send thank you notes. I did not send notes to the other school. I was very blessed to be accepted at both.

So I am not sure how valuable notes are. But, you have nothing to lose to send them, unless the school says don't. I would if you don't know, go ahead and send them. But I find it highly unlikely that you were not accepted because not sending notes.

 

[Resident Alien]

I interviewd at 6 schools....3 of whom i sent thank you letters to, waitlisted at those 3 and pulled off one. The rest three whom i didnt send thank you's, i got accepted to 2 and waitlisted at one.

Conclusion: no correlation, atleast in my case. 🙂

 

[Epi]

I dont think its required to sent thank you notes to interviewers, they might not think anything of it. I sent them to my interviewers to be courteous, but I dont think I gained that much from it. Its more of a formality than anything else. They are not going to reject you for not thanking them in a note. Its a nice gesture though.

 

[SolidGold]

I don't see how it will hurt to right a thank you letter. Besides, didn't your mom tell you it's polite to say thank you.

 

[Retro]

I sent it my thank you cards to one school where I thought I hit it off with the interviewers, and I didn't send to other schools where I had average interviews. In the end, I got rejected from the school I sent in the cards, and got a few acceptances from schools I never send in the cards. It does not matter at all... besides, unless you send it your card the same day you had your interview, otherwise chances are, the interviewer has already written his report on you before he receives your card. Besides, they probably receive tons of them and they probably can care less. It is an act of courtesy but it does not AT ALL help your chances, trust me on this.

 

[Doctora Foxy]

Do you guys send typed letters or cards?

My tour guide at a med school told me she emailed an E-card to thank her interviewer. She got in. <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" />

I have only sent 2, but only when i needed something. Tomorrow I'll send the rest. Hehe, is a month too late to send them? :wink:

 

[deva]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Doctora Foxy:
•Do you guys send typed letters or cards?
•••••I use the same rules that I use for job interview thank-yous. Thus, a card is a too informal; typed letters are best. The formality within the letter should be determined by how the interview was structured.

 

[El Jefe]

I didn't send them to any of the schools I interviewed at. I always thought they seemed pretty trite and insincere, and I think most of my interviewers had more important things in their lives to worry about than who sent them thank you notes. Anyway, this process is so expensive, I need to save all the money I can - those $0.34 stamps can start adding up after all 🙂 .

 

[jdub]

the whole idea does seem rather trite to me as well. if the interviewer didn't take notes during the interview, it is most likely he won't remember most of the people he interviewed anyhow, so i doubt sending some formal note is going to help out much anyhow. besides, who knows if they even read them? every school is different. i am also not really big on formalities personally, so i'm jaded a bit. they most likely won't hurt though, so if you really feel the need, by all means.

now on the other hand, if one sent nude pics . . . that might be a little different.

 

[moo]

Of the two schools I sent thankyou notes to, I got rejected from both.

So I would definitely say thank you notes at best may not make much of a difference.

 

[Coalboy]

I was accepted at four schools, and I didn't send a single thank you note. I wanted to, but I was so busy with work and traveling that by the time I got around to it, it was very much after the fact. I don't think it really affects your chances that much.

 

[brickmanli]

Instead of thinking about this, just send the notes! It can only make things better. To me, that worth more than 34 cents.

We can all return to being true to ourselves after we're accepted. Holden Caulfield would never get into med school.

 

[trout]

I have to second I sent them to the people who deserved them....I sent about 50% and it did not seem to make a difference (accepted equally to non-thank you places) however, this said...1) it can never hurt 2)some schools (and I won't mention columbia) but it is kinda required 3) I look at it as long as you don't make an a$$ out of yourself you may be seeing that person when you matriculate and this would be one more + thing for them to remember you by

 

[Resident Alien]

I emailed my interviewers....

 

[j99]

I actually think that sending thank you notes can only HURT you. I had an interviewer tell me this to my face once (granted, it wasn't for med school, but for a job--still, it's the same idea). Basically, this guy said that no interviewer ever actually thinks more of you for sending a note (at least in a way that would affect your chances), and what is more likely to happen is that you accidentally include some spelling error or stupid mistake in the note, which DOES lower their opinion of you. So I have since stayed away from thank you's...and I've managed to survive!

 

[sorrento]

There's some truth to this, but I still think it's better to send one. Courtesy aside, it's just too hard to know which schools look for thank you notes and which don't care (and, within a given school, which interviewers like to hear from people they interviewed and which don't care). Of course a thank you note is nowhere near as important as, say, how well you actually did in the interview, but it gives you a chance to cast the interview in a positive light. Plus, having already written their critique by the time the note arrives, most interviewers will just take a quick glance and then forward it on for your file, where it will serve as evidence of your love for X school.

But yes, do be sure to use spell-checker.

 

[Ibis]

I don't know how to respond to this......to me, not sending a thank you note would be comparable to not brushing my teeth in the morning. 🙄

 

[oldman]

some schools place the thank you notes into the file. when the committee reviews your file, they'll see it. this means that you might have to send in the thank you notes very quickly for it to have impact.

 

[specialk]

Ask your advisor. He or she will definitely know when it comes to the schools that your school sends the most students to.

 

[westsidespartan]

Doh, this used to be a poll. I don't know what happened to it... I guess there are still bugs to be worked out.

 

[Jewely2177]

I sent notes after my first 6 or so interviews, then I slacked off...but I definitely handwrote mine. However, it made no difference to where I was accepted...I was rejected and accepted by schools in both sets. From one school that I was accepted to, I actually received a handwritten thank you note from the INTERVIEWER--telling me she hoped I'd attend. That was pretty whack.

 

[mdmom]

I didn't send thank you's to anyone.

Actually, I was sent a thank you from one of my interviewers! <img border="0" alt="[Wowie]" title="" src="graemlins/wowie.gif" />

What a wonderful surprise!! 😀

Don't sweat it. If its your style, go ahead, but I don't think it makes any difference.

See ya.

 

[Droopy]

the interviewer does take time out of their busy day to do an interview so i feel that the least that i can do is write a thank you note. i wrote the thank you notes on the day of the interview and gave them to the admissions office as i was leaving (even for the interviewer from hell), it took all of 5 minutes of my time. i had cards that showed the cherry blossoms along with various memorials and the washington monument here in dc.
i was accepted to every school i interviewed, but i do not think there is a correlation between sending them or not. i just got lucky.

 

[Future_Doc]

I had an interview and sent e-mails the next week to to both interviewers thanking them. They both responded. One wished me the best of luck and that he hoped to see me on the wards one day. The other responded and apologized for the other interviewer's dirty jokes he told during the interview. <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" />

 

[Doctora Foxy]

How late post-interview is it still aceptable to send the thank you letters? I was travelling 2 weeks in a row and am in school and was too lazy to write one out and send it. Anyway, i know that at UVM they will meet next week, but I'm syure my interviewer has already handed in the evaluation. I liked my interviewer and I want to send a TY note---but is 2 weeks too long post-interview to send it?

 

[Random Access]

Originally posted by Coalboy
I was accepted at four schools, and I didn't send a single thank you note. I wanted to, but I was so busy with work and traveling that by the time I got around to it, it was very much after the fact. I don't think it really affects your chances that much.

So it seems like too many people think of this in terms of "will it help me get in?" Remember the real reason to send a thank you note: it is common courtesy, and these people do take the time out of their day to interview you. Maybe it makes a difference and maybe it doesn't, but you should still send it anyway.

-RA

 

[relatively prime]

I send e-mails... I figure it can't hurt... better safe than sorry. You never know, one of them might be expecting a thank you. And e-mails are quick and easy enough that it's worth the 10 minutes just to be on the safe side.

Good luck 🙂

 

[xaelia]

Hm, I've had one interview and I sent a "thank you" card to the admissions staff (who probably does most of the work anyway) and I think, if I can find the e-mail address of my interviewer, I'll probably e-mail her a thank you as well.