How important are thank you letters?

[MSKmonky]

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How important are these thank you letters after the interview? I've written about a dozen and only got one thankyou-response (however I don't really expect an email responding to my thankyou letter).

 

[SSdoc33]

write thank-you letters. its always good form and professional.

ive never heard of a "thank-you" thank-you letter, however.
why would you expect a response at all?

 

[MSKmonky]

well thats all I wanted to know. We shouldn't really expect responses from them I suppose. Just checking.

 

[GQPMR]

Do not discount the value in writing a thank you letter. It may be the reason someone at the program remembers you well after interviewing 60-100 applicants that year. I would recommend writing a thank you letter to all that interviewed you, even if they were other faculty/staff/nurses/social worker/etc. Try and individualize them as well, if you can remember your conversations.

 

[Llenroc]

Do not discount the value in writing a thank you letter. It may be the reason someone at the program remembers you well after interviewing 60-100 applicants that year. I would recommend writing a thank you letter to all that interviewed you, even if they were other faculty/staff/nurses/social worker/etc. Try and individualize them as well, if you can remember your conversations.

Whoa, that sounds a bit excessive. I'm thinking 1 letter to the program director should be enough.

 

[GQPMR]

Remember the program director is not the only one voting on where to rank you on their rank list. Done are the days where the program director has all of the power for everything at residency programs. Most programs will have a commitee and they will all vote on you equally to make their list. I would recommend at least a thank you email to your interviewers if you don't have the money/time for all of the thank you letters/cards.

 

[drusso]

Thank you letters/cards usually get added in your application folder. I wrote copious letters...don't forget the residency "coordinators"/PD assistants too! They have more weight in your selection/rejection than you think...

 

[axm397]

agree with GQPMR and drusso - the more thank you cards the better. There are a lot of unexpected influences on the decision to rank a candiate high. PM&R is a team specialty so getting along with EVERYONE definitely is important. You really don't have to write a lot - just a few sentences about how you enjoyed your day, etc. IF you are truly tired of writing cards - then just do them for your top programs.

 

[Shalom77]

Do you think cards vs. emails make a difference?

 

[GQPMR]

Thank You Letters/Cards are probably better, but can get expensive. So maybe doing what axm397 mentioned about writing cards/letters for your top programs and sending emails to the other ones. The only thing with emails are that these might not get placed into your files, unless the person you wrote them to prints them out (which can be a task if they have busy schedules). Would probably be much easier to get into your file as a thank you card or hard copy thank you letter. just my 2 cents...

 

[Ligament]

Do you think cards vs. emails make a difference?

People will argue with me but I think emails are better. It opens an avenue of communication that a thank you card does not. At worst, it serves the same purpose of a thank you card. At best, the person will reply to you and give you feedback or initiate a conversation.

What I'd do is something like this:

"I really liked your program. Thanks for the great day. There is no need to respond to this email, just wanted to say thanks"

Of course if they want to respond they just hit reply. Very easy.

 

[axm397]

probably depends on age and techno-saviness of the person you are thanking. Some attendings don't know how to check email - their secretaries check them - and your email may or may not end up with the person you intended it to get to.😉

 

[JEB4]

Just thought I'd add my opinion. I wrote thank you letters to just about everyone who interviewed me and the program coordinators. That usually ended up being 2-5 per interview. It did take more time (although it isn't that bad if you carry them with you and write them in the airport/on the plane etc.) Most of my friends only wrote to the PD and they all matched, so I don't think it matters that much. It's just my personal feeling that if you are really thankful for the opportunity to interview at a program, you should thank as many people as you can that were involved in making the day happen. That especially includes the program coordinators who do a ton of work to organize the day for you. They will also be the one's helping you with countless things during your residency should you match there.

It's easy to get caught up in just doing what you think needs to be done to make a good impression, but the original point of the letter is to actually say thank you. That being said, I do think that it is something that can only help you, so why not do it? I was able to buy a pack of 20-25 cards for, at most, five dollars. Three of those was more than enough for my 8 PM&R interviews and 10 or so TY/Prelim interviews. That's $15. When you compare that to how much you spend on the trail, it's really nothing. I hope I don't sound too "preachy". Like I said, I think most people just write one to the PD and they do just fine. I just think it's a nice thing to do and if you are at all able, you should do it.

 

[JEB4]

Just thought I'd add my opinion. I wrote thank you letters to just about everyone who interviewed me and the program coordinators. That usually ended up being 2-5 per interview. It did take more time (although it isn't that bad if you carry them with you and write them in the airport/on the plane etc.) Most of my friends only wrote to the PD and they all matched, so I don't think it matters that much. It's just my personal feeling that if you are really thankful for the opportunity to interview at a program, you should thank as many people as you can that were involved in making the day happen. That especially includes the program coordinators who do a ton of work to organize the day for you. They will also be the one's helping you with countless things during your residency should you match there.

It's easy to get caught up in just doing what you think needs to be done to make a good impression, but the original point of the letter is to actually say thank you. That being said, I do think that it is something that can only help you, so why not do it? I was able to buy a pack of 20-25 cards for, at most, five dollars. Three of those was more than enough for my 8 PM&R interviews and 10 or so TY/Prelim interviews. That's $15....plus postage, which you can even minimize by sending them all in one big envelope. When you compare that to how much you spend on the trail, it's really nothing. I hope I don't sound too "preachy". Like I said, I think most people just write one to the PD and they do just fine. I just think it's a nice thing to do and if you are at all able, you should do it.

 

[rehab_sports_dr]

As a general rule, I would agree with the conventional wisdom that writing a thank you letter is probably valuable

Now that I am on the other end, I personally don't care one way or another. I rank the candidate once before they get there (when I review their file), and rank them a second time immediately after I see them for the interview. I won't go back and rerank someone because I receive a thank you. If I get a card from someone I liked anyway, it's nice, but it makes no impression on me if I didn't like the candidate.

I do think writing thank you letters to the program coordinators, however, is probably worthwhile. The program coordinators are really the ones who put everything together, and as a group they tend to be underappreciated. If nothing else, a thank you letter will help them feel better about all the work they do, and it may actually help you.

 

[axm397]

there are many programs where residents have a say in who gets ranked. And many interviewers and residents only spend limited time with the applicants and even if we vaguely like you - most likely you will blend in with the others. A thank you card can distinguish you and give people a visual reminder of what a nice pleasant person you were on your interview day.

On the other hand, if people didn't like you, no amount of thank you cards will change your rank status.

I think my thank you cards helped me distinguish myself from other "good" candidates. People still remember my cards and I have kept in touch with many residents, PDs, and faculty members. PM&R is a small world and the sooner you start meeting people and getting to know them, the better. I don't have the numbers,the strong intelligence, and the extra initials after my name like some people (rehab_sports_dr😉) so I have to rely on my people skills and connections. Besides, I really like feeling "a part of" something bigger than myself and am proud to be a physiatrist.

 

[Gauss]

Remember the program director is not the only one voting on where to rank you on their rank list. Done are the days where the program director has all of the power for everything at residency programs. Most programs will have a commitee and they will all vote on you equally to make their list.

Commitees yes, but the dept chair and/or PD can override or veto anything. Ultimately, they are the final determinants.
And I hate thank you letters, I don't even open them. Emails I can tolerate.... sometimes

 

[axm397]

true - but I can think of several examples when we residents vetoed PD/attending/chair's choice.

not that thank you cards came into play in those examples...

 

[savealife]

Commitees yes, but the dept chair and/or PD can override or veto anything. Ultimately, they are the final determinants.
And I hate thank you letters, I don't even open them. Emails I can tolerate.... sometimes

I hope that you tell your applicants not to write you thank you notes; if not, this is sort of messed up as a philosophy.

As an applicant going through the process right now, I have no desire to write thank you notes, but because so many other people are doing it, I feel obliged to "play the game" and write them. It takes a lot of time and effort, and, quite frankly, when you're traveling from big city to big city, the last thing you want to do is be searching for a freakin' post office or mailbox to stick them in.

Anyway, if I ever get to the level of being someone who is in the position to receive a thank you note, I am going to staunchly and adamantly insist that my interviewees DO NOT write me any sort of thank you. It's enough of a thank you for you to take a day out of your ridiculously busy schedule to come check out my program and to sweat a day of interviewing for it, too. That's my two cents.

That said, I'm still going to begrudgingly continue to send thank you cards to all of the PDs, chairmen, interviewers, program coordinators, janitors, secretaries, security guards, OTs, PTs, and candy stripers that I meet on each interview day, because everyone else is doing it too and I would be remiss if I missed the opportunity to go to a program because a residency coordinator didn't get a card with a kitten on the front with a little voicebox saying "thanks."

 

[Gauss]

true - but I can think of several examples when we residents vetoed PD/attending/chair's choice.

Really? Overruled Roth? Hard to believe.

 

[Gauss]

I hope that you tell your applicants not to write you thank you notes; if not, this is sort of messed up as a philosophy.

No, I don't tell apps to write or not write thank you letters.
Yes, it's a game and you either play the game or get out of the game.

It's enough of a thank you for you to take a day out of your ridiculously busy schedule to come check out my program and to sweat a day of interviewing for it, too. That's my two cents.

Oh please, gimme a freakin break. While you're taking a day out of your "busy" 4th year vacation schedule, I'm rounding earlier and staying later on interview days because I still have to care for MY patients in addition to interviewing AND giving you guys tours AND sitting down to answer your questions AND taking you out the night before.
Suck it up

 

[philaPMR]

i wouldn't advocate doing it this way, but here's what i did...

i wrote ZERO thank you letters over the entire interview season.

when i figured out what i wanted to do, i contacted the PD's at my top choice for intern year and for PMandR and told them that i was ranking them number one. then i contacted my 2nd and 3rd choices for each, and told them how much i liked their programs and that i'd be ranking them highly.
matched top choice for both.
that's just one way to play "the game."

probably better off writing thank you letters, but if you don't do it, it's probably not the end of the world.

 

[Aisha6102]

What if you send a thank you card with a 1,000 dollars cash ?

 

[Karaoke]

when i figured out what i wanted to do, i contacted the PD's at my top choice for intern year and for PMandR and told them that i was ranking them number one. then i contacted my 2nd and 3rd choices for each, and told them how much i liked their programs and that i'd be ranking them highly.

Someone once told me to the same thing: call your top choice and tell them you love the program and you're ranking them #1, and call your second and third choices and tell them you love the program and you're ranking them very highly.

I don't know how great a strategy this is; maybe someone who is involved on the other side of the ball can tell us if, and why, this works.

savealife, you have to play the game to some extent in most aspects of life, including friendships, love and work. How much you do it is entirely up to each individual, but recognize that there are consequences no matter which decision you make in every situation.

[steps off the soapbox]

Good luck with interviews, everyone!

 

[tubocurare]

I've been sending writing thank-you Emails and have not gotten a response to a single one. Does that mean no one is interested? thanx for any insight.

 

[Shalom77]

No.

I don't think that means anything.

I've haven't gotten a response to any of mine either.

I did get a few thank you notes/emails from programs though. Some of these were clearly generic and sent to everyone.