How do you salvage bad interviews?

[ssc_396]

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If you have a crap interview for a school you really want is it inappropriate to email your interviewer trying to explain the things you should have said during the interview?

Has anyone done this?

 

[DrHuang]

If you have a crap interview for a school you really want is it inappropriate to email your interviewer trying to explain the things you should have said during the interview?

Has anyone done this?

no, no need to explain your actions...send in a letter of interest/intent and thank you cards...best you can do imo

 

[Law2Doc]

If you have a crap interview for a school you really want is it inappropriate to email your interviewer trying to explain the things you should have said during the interview?

Has anyone done this?

Best thing you can do is hope it wasn't as bad as you thought -- to get back in touch with the interviewer in this way guarantees that he will end up with the impression that it wasn't good.

 

[ssc_396]

Thanks, good point.

Do many pleople send a thank-you letters for a med school interviews?

 

[Law2Doc]

Thanks, good point.

Do many pleople send a thank-you letters for a med school interviews?

Most do. There have been many many many many threads on this on SDN. It is a matter of good business etiquette and will absolutely not affect an interviewer's decision. They will most typically get it after they have turned in your evaluation anyway, and most won't take the time to read it. I personally write them. Some on here don't. Don't do it because you feel you have to -- do it because that's who you are and the kind of professional you plan to be. It will not come across as brown nosing (as others will surely suggest), and is not uncommon (it is the norm) it is just proper manners.

 

[anon-y-mouse]

If you have a crap interview for a school you really want is it inappropriate to email your interviewer trying to explain the things you should have said during the interview?

Has anyone done this?

Yes, it is inappropriate - they've most likely already turned in their evaluation of you. Figure out why it didn't go well and then fix it for next time.

I actually sent my thank-you notes to my interviewers only after I get admitted... it is more genuine to me, because it shows that the interviewer was really impressed enough to write a favorable review, and I am thanking them for actually going over and above what they did for the mediocre candidates. Otherwise (and I haven't gotten any post-interview rejections yet! phew) I didn't write anything; seriously, these people have way too much to read for them to care about some premed's note, no matter how thick the stationery or how eloquent the e-mail -- they've probably received thousands of such notes, and the only thing it can do is inflate their ego or make them nonplussed. I personally don't feel it is appropriate to thank someone for their time if the school hasn't admitted me -- interviewing is something that comes with the interviewer's job, and I like to think my application fee helps cover the interview service they provide.

The notion of "manners" is subjective; I think I have good manners, despite the fact that I don't categorically send thank-you notes. I do, however, take the time to genuinely and politely thank the interviewer upon the end of the interview. As for business etiquette, I'm sorry, but I'm not going into business, law, or even healthcare administration, so I personally don't think those stuffy standards apply to me -- and nobody thinks I'm insensitive, rude, or inappropriate.

I do send emails to the various directors and deans of admission, post-interview, to ask some interesting question, but at the same time mention (with poise) my particular interest in the school.

 

[Law2Doc]

I personally don't feel it is appropriate to thank someone for their time if the school hasn't admitted me -- interviewing is something that comes with the interviewer's job, and I like to think my application fee helps cover the interview service they provide.

The notion of "manners" is subjective; I think I have good manners, despite the fact that I don't categorically send thank-you notes. I do, however, take the time to genuinely and politely thank the interviewer upon the end of the interview. As for business etiquette, I'm sorry, but I'm not going into business, law, or even healthcare administration, so I personally don't think those stuffy standards apply to me -- and nobody thinks I'm insensitive, rude, or inappropriate.

If you think the interviewers do this as part of their job, you are misinformed. Most of the interviewers out there are clinicians and do so voluntarilly, for no compensation, out of pride for their school and some enjoyment in being involved. There is no part of their job description that requires them to do interviews, and they get no personal benefit out of it. And medicine is far more of a bona fide profession than "business", so frankly those standards of professionalism and etiquette apply even more to you than to a business school applicant. And I wouldn't say "nobody" finds you inappropriate on this point. 🙄

 

[p00psicleSTICK]

oops

 

[anon-y-mouse]

If you think the interviewers do this as part of their job, you are misinformed. Most of the interviewers out there are clinicians and do so voluntarilly, for no compensation, out of pride for their school and some enjoyment in being involved. There is no part of their job description that requires them to do interviews, and they get no personal benefit out of it. And medicine is far more of a bona fide profession than "business", so frankly those standards of professionalism and etiquette apply even more to you than to a business school applicant. And I wouldn't say "nobody" finds you inappropriate on this point. 🙄

I said nobody finds me rude for my lack of action. If an interviewer is sitting there waiting for my best stationery, they're clearly the mistaken ones. Yes, fine, if they do it out of pride and enjoyment (which is why I intend to do interviews as well!), then there should be no expectation of gratitude other than immediately at the end of an interview. Formal etiquette (sending grovelling thank-you notes en masse) is absolutely ridiculous to me, and reeks of impersonalness. Yes, if your doctor cures your cancer [or, say, plays a huge part in admitting you to med school], that's something to genuinely express one's thanks, in as many ways as one can. If they're eagerly spending 1/2 hour with you because they want to, and unfortunately nothing comes out of it, I feel my verbal thanks was enough, and that I'd just be wasting their time sending a note. To each his/her own, sorry.

 

[p00psicleSTICK]

I'd say it's NICE to send thank-you notes, but they're not necessary. You meet the interviewers for like 30 minutes... You don't even know him/her well. A firm handshake at the end of the interview and saying, "thank you," is good enough in my opinion.

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Most do. There have been many many many many threads on this on SDN. It is a matter of good business etiquette and will absolutely not affect an interviewer's decision. They will most typically get it after they have turned in your evaluation anyway, and most won't take the time to read it. I personally write them. Some on here don't. Don't do it because you feel you have to -- do it because that's who you are and the kind of professional you plan to be. It will not come across as brown nosing (as others will surely suggest), and is not uncommon (it is the norm) it is just proper manners.

excellent point!! 👍 You always have very good responses and helpful advice. You are on your way to becoming a great professional and caring physician. You already sound like an awesome peson.

 

[Law2Doc]

Formal etiquette (sending grovelling thank-you notes en masse) is absolutely ridiculous to me, and reeks of impersonalness.

Etiquette is not something that you follow because it makes sense to you, and you don't get to make up your own code of societal manners. You either be polite in the manner that society dictates is polite, or you are demonstrating bad etiquette/manners. Much like you don't eat steak with your hands in a restaurant, or wipe your nose with your sleeve. I'm sure some people find those things ridiculous too, but fortunately the majority follow the societal norms. In this case, you are going into a profession, and it is considered polite for folks in professional school and job interview settings to send a thank you note in follow up. You don't have to like it, but that is the etiquette. No groveling, no reeking -- just following the norm.

And actually, only sending a thank you note when you get accepted is pretty lame -- for all you know those interviewers gave you worse reviews than the ones at the schools that rejected you.

 

[anon-y-mouse]

Etiquette is not something that you follow because it makes sense to you, and you don't get to make up your own code of societal manners. You either be polite in the manner that society dictates is polite, or you are demonstrating bad etiquette/manners. Much like you don't eat steak with your hands in a restaurant, or wipe your nose with your sleeve. I'm sure some people find those things ridiculous too, but fortunately the majority follow the societal norms. In this case, you are going into a profession, and it is considered polite for folks in professional school and job interview settings to send a thank you note in follow up. You don't have to like it, but that is the etiquette. No groveling, no reeking -- just following the norm.

And actually, only sending a thank you note when you get accepted is pretty lame -- for all you know those interviewers gave you worse reviews than the ones at the schools that rejected you.

"If everybody jumped off a bridge..." comes to mind. We should do things because they have a purpose, and not because they are meaningless vestiges of some archaic system. We don't eat steak with our hands because it's unsanitary, unhygienic, and just plain messy. Same with the sleeve thing. Similarly, we acknowledge people and show them our gratitude if they've done something for us. That's fine, but what form should this take? If I were interviewing in the same city I was living in, I'd think about dropping by personally and thanking the interviewer. In my future profession, I intend to call people and thank them personally: that is more personal, and the other party can detect my voice inflections and *judge* that my "thanks" is genuine. Sending a note "because it is the norm" ipso facto is fake and not genuine.

You're right, there's no way to say how your interviewer viewed you, but for me, the metric of "in or not" is pretty good.

 

[Law2Doc]

Sending a note "because it is the norm" ipso facto is fake and not genuine.

And I think showing appreciation for one's time only if you get what you want is far less genuine or sincere. It's pretty insulting actually - the opposite of good manners.
As for social norms, individuals don't get to make up the societal rules, or choose to not follow them because they think they are silly, without others thinking they are impolite. It's the opposite of jumping off the bridge, because jumping off a bridge is an example of where you are following someone who does something detrimental to you and following etiquette here is where you follow things that even in the worst case scenario are not. Maybe if you become surgeon general or something, you can dictate what's what. But as of today you are just a premed with bad manners. 🙂

 

[p00psicleSTICK]

I agree w/ anon.

If it mattered so much like law2doc stated, I wonder why med schools accept applicants who don't send thank you notes.

If you think people who don't send thank you notes are bad mannered, you got a problem. And you keep on mentioning that it is proper etiquette to send thank you notes, but I'd like to know where this "rule" is, who dictates it, etc.

 

[Law2Doc]

I agree w/ anon.

If it mattered so much like law2doc stated, I wonder why med schools accept applicants who don't send thank you notes.

If you think people who don't send thank you notes are bad mannered, you got a problem. And you keep on mentioning that it is proper etiquette to send thank you notes, but I'd like to know where this "rule" is, who dictates it, etc.

As I said in my initial post, thank you notes do not affect admissions. And by the time the notes are in, the interviewer will have completed his evaluation and returned it to the adcom anyhow. That doesn't make it not the proper thing to do. (Probably makes it more so, since there is no chance that you are perceived as brown nosing or grovelling if you know it cannot gain anything tangible for you). As to where the rule is, do a google search of terms like interviews, thank you, etiquette, manners, and you will find thousands of hits. There is no single published rule of what constitutes good manners - Society dictates it.

 

[anon-y-mouse]

individuals don't get to make up the societal rules, or choose to not follow them because they think they are silly, without others thinking they are impolite.

Right. I should do everything in my power to make sure people don't think I'm impolite. What a way to live life, a gold standard! You've helped me see the light!!! I don't want people thinking I'm impolite, oh wow... god forbid someone thinks I'm an ass because I didn't write them a note 🙁

And. There's no way I'm going to go out of my way to thank someone for an undesirable outcome. It doesn't make sense to me, and I feel, it cheapens the value of the gesture. I'll send heartfelt thank-you notes if they're merited (for example, I'd send one if my interview went, say, over 2 hours, and I didn't get in), but I thank people verbally no matter what. I don't disagree with you on the sentiment of thanking someone, but moreover who I thank, and to what extent I thank them [verbally, note, call, in person, etc.]. Pleasantries are so twen-cen. 😛

And you're just another obsequious mediclone to me 🙂

 

[p00psicleSTICK]

Law2doc, during my next interview, I'm going to ask my interviewer what he thinks about sending thank you notes and get back to you. 😀

I don't think you're "wrong" per say, you and anon represent two opposite spectrums of looking at this issue. I just happen to agree w/ anon's viewpoint that's all.

 

[Law2Doc]

Law2doc, during my next interview, I'm going to ask my interviewer what he thinks about sending thank you notes and get back to you. 😀

I don't think you're "wrong" per say, you and anon represent two opposite spectrums of looking at this issue. I just happen to agree w/ anon's viewpoint that's all.

Well, I've been around the block a bit more, both in and out of this process, and have been on both sides of the desk of professional level interviewing. I promise you anon's viewpoint and attitude is not the standard, and in many cases gives way to maturity over time.

 

[QofQuimica]

When I first began interviewing, I did send out thank you letters to my interviewers. My thoughts on the subject were pretty much like law2doc's. However, at one school (and much to my chagrin), the admissions director explicitly told us NOT to send thank you letters at all (or if we felt compelled to do it, to wait until after being accepted). Since that time, I have been more or less following anon's procedure. Maybe it depends on the school, but just an FYI for all of you interviewers that not everyone agrees with what law2doc and I had assumed was "proper" med school interviewing etiquette. Maybe it's just new rules of etiquette for a new generation, law2doc. 😕

 

[Law2Doc]

When I first began interviewing, I did send out thank you letters to my interviewers. My thoughts on the subject were pretty much like law2doc's. However, at one school (and much to my chagrin), the admissions director explicitly told us NOT to send thank you letters at all (or if we felt compelled to do it, to wait until after being accepted). Since that time, I have been more or less following anon's procedure. Maybe it depends on the school, but just an FYI for all of you interviewers that not everyone agrees with what law2doc and I had assumed was "proper" med school interviewing etiquette. Maybe it's just new rules of etiquette for a new generation, law2doc. 😕

More likely just one atypical school having trouble with handling paperwork.

 

[MissMary]

More likely just one atypical school having trouble with handling paperwork.

I agree.

A thank you letter won't have any affect on your admission, but it may show that you appreciate the interviewer for taking time out of his/her day to interview you. And the suggestion above:

I'll send heartfelt thank-you notes if they're merited

I think is a little silly considering that these ppl have volunteered their free time. Just becuase you didn't get doesnt mean that they should not be thanked.

 

[Orthodoc40]

Not sending a thank you note because you disagree with social etiquette telling you what to do is just as mindless as sending a thank you note because you want to go along with it, if that is your only galvanizing reason. BOTH responses are being dictated by social etiquette, and not one's own unique value system.

Sending a thank you note does no harm (unless as in the case previously mentioned where they specifically told applicants to refrain from doing so).
And is it THAT difficult to find a genuine reason to thank someone for their time? Or do you think you were doing them a favor by being there?

 

[anon-y-mouse]

Just becuase you didn't get doesnt mean that they should not be thanked.

But I AM thanking everyone for their time, every time, BY DEFAULT, after every interview at the end, explicitly. I'm just giving an extra special thanks to those who (I feel) made an extra difference in my life. Thanking is standard, I just feel that there are different standards for different situations - a note, verbal acknowledgement, a phone call, a meal, a gift, ... in extreme cases, eternal gratitude ...

Just as an aside, I've been accepted everywhere I interviewed (so far), so I haven't not had to write a note yet.

Anyway, I agree, Q - new standards in these changing times.

 

[AcesHigh]

I, too, agree with anon. You have already thanked your interviewers profusely during the interview, why clutter up their space with thank you notes? I feel it is more personal to do it in person anyways, as I would rather have one in-person thank you and a smile than a hundred thank you notes. This all really boils down to the type of person you are.

 

[Law2Doc]

This all really boils down to the type of person you are.

I agree with this statement, but respectfully disagree with the rest of your post. 🙂

 

[Its_MurDAH]

I dont understand what the bickering is about. Some of you guys like Law2doc claim sending thank you letters is the "proper" thing to do...proper according to what or whom? Proper may hold a different definition for others. That does NOT make them an impolite person or someone who is selfish. SO they are very choosy with who they give their thanks to...so the f*ck what? Many premeds i know will have you believe that the "proper" thing to do in a class room setting is bother the hell out of the professor and TA's and question every little answer that was marked wrong so that they can "win back" a few points here and there. You guys aren't the authority on this subject no matter HOW old or experienced you are. The arguments you guys are making - that it is the social norm to send thank you notes is absolutely ridiculous. SO we should do it cuz it's the social norm? Granted, the interviewers are doing their job as volunteers but maybe the thanks that i express during the interview itself will come across as more genuine and heartfelt than the thank-you i can put on paper. I have volunteered at a million different places...but I don't expect a thank-you from everyone i have helped or rendered my services to...not expecting something in return is the definition of volunteering. If i feel that my interview was exceptional and if it had a substantial impact on me then i may be inclined to email or send a thanks to the interviewer but other than that...fuggedaboudit

To everyone who doesnt want to send thank-you notes...don't do it. No one is gonna think of you any less and it isn't the "proper" thing to do unless you think it is and not because someone told you it is.

 

[MissMary]

I dont understand what the bickering is about. Some of you guys like Law2doc claim sending thank you letters is the "proper" thing to do...proper according to what or whom? Proper may hold a different definition for others. That does NOT make them an impolite person or someone who is selfish. SO they are very choosy with who they give their thanks to...so the f*ck what? Many premeds i know will have you believe that the "proper" thing to do in a class room setting is bother the hell out of the professor and TA's and question every little answer that was marked wrong so that they can "win back" a few points here and there. You guys aren't the authority on this subject no matter HOW old or experienced you are. The arguments you guys are making - that it is the social norm to send thank you notes is absolutely ridiculous. SO we should do it cuz it's the social norm? Granted, the interviewers are doing their job as volunteers but maybe the thanks that i express during the interview itself will come across as more genuine and heartfelt than the thank-you i can put on paper. I have volunteered at a million different places...but I don't expect a thank-you from everyone i have helped or rendered my services to...not expecting something in return is the definition of volunteering. If i feel that my interview was exceptional and if it had a substantial impact on me then i may be inclined to email or send a thanks to the interviewer but other than that...fuggedaboudit

To everyone who doesnt want to send thank-you notes...don't do it. No one is gonna think of you any less and it isn't the "proper" thing to do unless you think it is and not because someone told you it is.

i'm not sure i'd call a pretty civil debate/discussion bickering. u seem like the only one really upset about it. i think the OP wanted to hear opinions from both sides of the fence and that's what has happened. i think its clear that ppl are capable of coming to a conclusion about this topic on their own and will do what makes the most sense to them.

 

[Law2Doc]

To everyone who doesnt want to send thank-you notes...don't do it. No one is gonna think of you any less and it isn't the "proper" thing to do unless you think it is and not because someone told you it is.

That there are no repercussions doesn't make it any less proper. There are manners and social etiquette customs in the world. They started centuries ago, and continue to persist in a big way in professions, and the notions of "professionalism" and "acting professional" are in big part a continuation of these forms of etiquette. An unwritten code of behavior of how people should act in certain aspects of their life, how they carry themselves, and how they deal with others. You are joining a profession, and it's time to start walking the walk. And that means sending thank you notes in certain contexts.
You guys are welcome to disagree, or think it's silly, or think that your verbal thank you is sufficient, but that really doesn't change the etiquette, or the fact that certain professional expectations are out there and will reflect upon you now and in the future. Best of luck!

 

[anon-y-mouse]

That there are no repercussions [...]

[...] will reflect upon you now and in the future.

These are incongruent statements. If there are no repercussions, then there is no such reflection. Surely you should have learned about logic in law school?

 

[Law2Doc]

These are incongruent statements. If there are no repercussions, then there is no such reflection. Surely you should have learned that in law school?

Not at all inconsistent. Your actions, or lack thereof, reflect upon you. Repercussions are things that actually cause you detriment.

 

[NapeSpikes]

Are we back on this thank-you note issue again?? Like I said before, it's customary, like tipping, so you should do it. You tip a waiter or bartender not because they were exceptional or helped you out in any special way out of their normal job description, but because it is polite and it hardly costs you anything. Now, if they totally sucked, well that's a different story. I wouldn't send a thank you to an interviewer who reamed me.

As Q mentioned, maybe current undergrads are following some different set of customs? 😕

 

[MrBurns10]

I DID send thank-you notes to many of my interviewers (although didn't to the schools I lost complete interest in or to those that specifically asked applicants not to), but honestly that was mainly because I wanted to reiterate my interest in the school and wanted to keep my name out there. Yes, it may have appeared extra polite to my interviewers that I sent them, but just because doing something is polite doesn't mean not doing it is impolite; I'd say it's more neutral vs. super polite, not "bad etiquette" as law2doc argues. And the fact that interviewers are volunteers shouldn't have any place in the argument, to be honest. They signed up for it because it's something they wanted to do, and I don't think it's bad form to not thank someone for grilling you after you paid several hundred dollars to come visit for one day. If you don't want to do it, don't volunteer for it. And I do think there is some difference in thank-you note societal etiquette between interviewing for a school and interviewing for a job.

Having all that said, I do agree it's very polite to send thank-you notes and it certainly won't hurt.

 

[Law2Doc]

And the fact that interviewers are volunteers shouldn't have any place in the argument, to be honest.

The volunteer point was raised because a prior poster indicated that interviewers shouldn't get thanked just for doing their jobs...

 

[konverse]

Let's consider this from another perspective shall we:
The one of the interviewer.

Most likely, the interviewer has made their decision on what they thought of you within five minutes of you leaving their office. So this means that unless you wrote the thank you note in front of them and handed it over before you left, it is unlikely to bear any impact on their decision. I know this has already been voiced but now to the main point.

If an interviewer were to come across a thank-card addressed to them a week later (from quite possibly a face-less applicant, or not, but chances are they do quite a few interviews over time), what would they think? IMO, not much. They may be slightly amused, because we are pre-meds who wanna go to med school <and will do almost anything to get there>, but at the end of it, they know that it's just part of the game. To some it may be so meaningless and trivial or impersonal, but it's there. And that's the beauty of it. Maybe if you're lucky and they do remember what you said and you were to bring that up in the card, then they might pause for two seconds and smile to themselves because it was funny or lame or whatever. Or if they don't remember then they don't. But that's how it goes. How many times have you received a calender from your realtor? May get annoying some times but that doesn't stop them from sending it. It's a business thing. You do it because that's your style. Like when you buy someone flowers when you stay at their house for a couple days.

Point is: No one is going to remember if you didn't send them anything. How you view that is totally your call.

 

[drmota]

And you're just another obsequious mediclone to me 🙂

sorry, but anon won this debate by post 17. game over.
-mota

 

[Law2Doc]

Let's consider this from another perspective shall we:
The one of the interviewer.

Most likely, the interviewer has made their decision on what they thought of you within five minutes of you leaving their office. So this means that unless you wrote the thank you note in front of them and handed it over before you left, it is unlikely to bear any impact on their decision. I know this has already been voiced but now to the main point.

If an interviewer were to come across a thank-card addressed to them a week later (from quite possibly a face-less applicant, or not, but chances are they do quite a few interviews over time), what would they think? IMO, not much. They may be slightly amused, because we are pre-meds who wanna go to med school <and will do almost anything to get there>, but at the end of it, they know that it's just part of the game. To some it may be so meaningless and trivial or impersonal, but it's there. And that's the beauty of it. Maybe if you're lucky and they do remember what you said and you were to bring that up in the card, then they might pause for two seconds and smile to themselves because it was funny or lame or whatever. Or if they don't remember then they don't. But that's how it goes. How many times have you received a calender from your realtor? May get annoying some times but that doesn't stop them from sending it. It's a business thing. You do it because that's your style. Like when you buy someone flowers when you stay at their house for a couple days.

Point is: No one is going to remember if you didn't send them anything. How you view that is totally your call.

Having interviewed folks in other settings and having gotten thank you notes, I tell you this. You get the note, open it, say "how nice" and then pitch it. But that doesn't make it not the proper etiquette thing for the interviewee to have done. Most of etiquette is inconsequential nicety. But it does apply in professional settings, and folks in the pre-allo board are presumably planning to embark into a profession. I think everyone knows my views on this ad nauseum. Nuff said.

 

[Its_MurDAH]

Having interviewed folks in other settings and having gotten thank you notes, I tell you this. You get the note, open it, say "how nice" and then pitch it. But that doesn't make it not the proper etiquette thing for the interviewee to have done. Most of etiquette is inconsequential nicety. But it does apply in professional settings, and folks in the pre-allo board are presumably planning to embark into a profession. I think everyone knows my views on this ad nauseum. Nuff said.

all this talk of etiquette and being socially proper...

it seems you have spent too much time trying to appease everyone else and "fit in" professionally that you have forgotten to live your life on your terms and not someone elses.

yea it is a big assumption on my part but your every post is just oozing with words like "proper", "social norm", "etiquette", "being polite".

 

[Law2Doc]

all this talk of etiquette and being socially proper...

it seems you have spent too much time trying to appease everyone else and "fit in" professionally that you have forgotten to live your life on your terms and not someone elses.

yea it is a big assumption on my part but your every post is just oozing with words like "proper", "social norm", "etiquette", "being polite".

LOL. I've lived my life on my terms plenty, and your assumption really couldn't be further from the truth. Certainly have broken my share of eggs and ruffled many feathers, and hopefully learned from some mistakes. But I do have a strong sense of professionalism, having actually been in one for quite a while, more than some on this board can say. I just find it sadly amusing that so many on SDN expect the world to follow their own sensibilities and not look to what goes on in real life. But do what you want.

 

[NapeSpikes]

it seems you have spent too much time trying to appease everyone else and "fit in" professionally that you have forgotten to live your life on your terms and not someone elses.

That's just too much.

Anyway, it seems like everyone here is willing to follow proper protocol and "fit in" when the behavior has some bearance on acceptance, but after the fact, it's like who the hell gives a crap. What a lovely attitude, hmm? Let's give people yet another reason to hate the typical premed.

So who's the "mediclone" after all?

 

[MissMary]

all this talk of etiquette and being socially proper...

it seems you have spent too much time trying to appease everyone else and "fit in" professionally that you have forgotten to live your life on your terms and not someone elses.

yea it is a big assumption on my part but your every post is just oozing with words like "proper", "social norm", "etiquette", "being polite".

huh???????

 

[DeadorAlive]

I would choose a "proper", "polite" physician who practices appropriate etiquette while maintaining a professional relationship within relevant social norms any day... wait, I'd choose this individual as a colleague, too. Sending thank-you notes is not exactly on par with selling your soul/trying to "appease everyone else"... hoping to gain admission to training for the medical profession is hardly the time to start DAMNING THE MAN!

That man determines whether you're going to be a doctor, don't forget....

 

[TheMightyAngus]

My dad is a doc who used to conduct med school interviews. His opinion is that thank you notes are meaningless and unnecessary unless your interviewer goes above and beyond the call of duty.

 

[CADreaming06]

if it was really that bad . . and possibly external to your normal interview (ie you were sick, you felt like the interviewer was extraordinarily harsh/judgemental, other extreme cases) you can sometimes request another interview. usually you have to bring this up with the dean of admissions/admin office the day of your interview. most, if not all, of the interviews i went on had this option. good luck . .. it probably wasn't as bad as you think, anyway.