Don't be a kiss-ass!!!

[lilycat]

Sorry, I just had to vent for a second, but I know there have been various threads on here about thank-you letters post-interview, and I have to say I just read the most obnoxious, kiss-assy letter I could have ever imagined. I can't believe people actually do this. Even my boss (a faculty interviewer for med school admissions) who usually blows stuff like that off, seemed embarrassed by it, embarrassed for the interviewee. I can't even begin to find the words to describe it -- it was simply the most obnoxious, silly piece of superficial, superfluous fluff, and completely unsubstantial. If this person is any indication of the general quality of my future peers and colleagues, that's it, I'm running away to go live on an isolated ranch and marry a cowboy. Take home point -- be genuine, be yourself.

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[Amitha726]

Are you saying it's bad to write a thank you letter? I figured it definitely couldn't hurt, and the interviewer should appreciate the note. Of course I don't plan on writing kiss-up, sappy stuff, but isn't a legitimate note thanking the person for their time a nice gesture?

 

[Djanaba]

It's fine -- and a good idea. Be professional, brief, and pleasant. Brevity is courteousness, often, in the adcom world. Kissing @ss is not.

 

[lilycat]

The point was not "Don't write thank you notes." A brief, thoughtful, GENUINE note seems like it would be nice (although I have to say, out of the 8 applicants my boss has interviewed, this is the first thank-you note/letter he has received), but not page-long diatribes about how great you and the interviewer are. There is a difference.

 

[japhy]

i have heard just the opposite, that interviewers do not like to receive a letter. they interview becasue they want to have a say in the process. unless they did something extraordinary do not write a letter.

 

[KMorris3]

Let me get this straight: Your boss let you read a personal thank you note from someone who applied to med school, and then you both talked about how embarassing it is? Are you a member of the admissions committee, or is he giving out copies to everyone?

Sorry for the sarcasm, but if I ever sent a thank you note (especially for medical school admissions), I wouldn't want the person I sent it to sharing it with others. Perhaps there are circumstances I am unaware of. If so, I apologize.

 

[lilycat]

No, I'm not on the AdCom. And my boss did not give it to me to read. Basically, I overheard him talking about it with another person in our office, who then read it (before she filed it away), and read me certain lines of it. I didn't ask to be included in this process, it just sort of happened. In case you've never worked in a small office, it's sort of hard for certain things not to be shared, or overheard, no matter what the intentions were. As for sharing thank-you notes, apparently these often get forwarded to the application files, even if they are "personal" in which case they can be perused by the committee members.

 

[Hallie]

From what I've heard, at some schools thank you notes are xeroxed and a copy is kept in your admissions file. I can't imagine why someone would be annoyed that you sent one (as long as it wasn't majorly kissing-up). Hey, if the interviewer is too busy, s/he doesn't have to read it!

 

[drfermin]

Originally posted by japhy:
i have heard just the opposite, that interviewers do not like to receive a letter. they interview becasue they want to have a say in the process. unless they did something extraordinary do not write a letter.

From my experience (not just with medical schools, but with many other professional job interviews), it is standard practice and common courtesy to send a thank you to your interviewer. Every single career resource I've read advises you to send a short thank you note. It shows you are courteous and professional, and gives you another chance to bring yourself to the front of their mind.

 

[dfleis]

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[jimi]

When I was interviewing I sent a little thank you card (Maybe with one or two sentences) to my interviewers.

Now, I think this has led to good and bad things, so here are my theories: Two of my interviews sent ME postcards after I was accepted and even gave me their home phone numbers if I had any questions or concerns! I didn't think they necessarily liked me a lot at the actual interview (they were very brief interviews) so I'm thinking perhaps my thank you note had something to do with it.

On the other hand, after my interviews at UCSF, I sent my little notes since I really really liked that school. HOWEVER, later I was reading some of the papers they handed out to us and this is what it said, and I quote:

"Although we appreciate your thoughtfulness in sending thank you notes after your interview day here, please be advised that it really is not necessary."

So, in my paranoid premed mind, I have come to believe that the reason I have not heard anything from UCSF is because I sent them thank you notes.

ok, so there are probably greater factors involved, but still....it really sucked to read that on their flyer.

Anyway, I figure just be careful about who you send thank you notes to.

 

[lilycat]

Yeah, I've sent the short (3-4 line) hand-written thank-you note to all of my interviewers except at one school, because it was just way too difficult to get their contact info. So far, I don't think it has had any bearing whatsoever. I did it to be polite, but I don't think it is necessarily expected.

 

[red fox]

Jimi,

Relax. The thank you letters you wrote to your UCSF interviewers did not keep you out of the school. I wrote thank you letters to my interviewers at UCSF and was accepted in the first batch of acceptances in December. Who knows why some people get rejected and some people get accepted? I've been accepted to some great schools and rejected by some great schools. I was the same person at each interview, but obviously some schools were looking for something that they felt I didn't have. I can't figure out what made the difference, but I have since ceased trying to make sense out of this crazy process. I hope you hear good news from UCSF in the coming months. If so, we might be classmates! If not, rest assured that your other options are phenomenal schools, and you are extremely fortunate to be in the position you're in. Best of luck!

 

[japhy]

all i am saying is that is was my experience at my state school that the interviewers hated to get thank you cards. this is their job and they do it becaue they want a say in the process. this certain professor saw it more of kissing up than being courteous. i am not stating that it is bad in all occasions.

 

[Nanon]

As someone who was once hired people... if it came down to two equally qualified people, one note-sender and one not, the note-sender got the job. As long as they didn't try to kiss my hard-as-nails ass.

Nanon

 

[Annihilator]

Originally posted by jimi:
On the other hand, after my interviews at UCSF, I sent my little notes since I really really liked that school. HOWEVER, later I was reading some of the papers they handed out to us and this is what it said, and I quote:

"Although we appreciate your thoughtfulness in sending thank you notes after your interview day here, please be advised that it really is not necessary."

So, in my paranoid premed mind, I have come to believe that the reason I have not heard anything from UCSF is because I sent them thank you notes.

Hahaha! I had a good laugh at that one... I sent almost all my interviewers a little thank you card. To save on postage, I'd even drop it off at the admissions office before I left the school! haha, it didn't hurt me at all... I'm currently a Med 1 at UCSF.

Like some of the previous posters said (which is basically common sense), you are never required nor strongly discouraged to give thank you cards/letters. However, the key is short and succinct. 3-4 sentences is all you need.

1) Thank them for the interview
2-3) Tell them you enjoyed talking to them about "insert interesting-thing-you-talked-about-that-you-want-them-to-remember-about-you here"
4) Reiterate your desire to attend that school or say you look forward to seeing them on-campus again

And that's it... I could imagine how uncomfortable it would be for both parties (and any other snooping third parties) if the essay ran any longer.

You know, I wonder which of the interviewees that parade through our student lounge are posting on this board.

 

[jimi]

I must say, it is nice to hear success stories.