Interview Thank You Note

[mechtel]

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First, how important are these?
Second, what would you do if you forgot your interviewer's name? Is it okay to ask admissions office?
Lastly, email would arrive much quicker but letter is more formal. Which should I chose?

Thank you!

 

[BlueElmo]

First, how important are these?
Second, what would you do if you forgot your interviewer's name? Is it okay to ask admissions office?
Lastly, email would arrive much quicker but letter is more formal. Which should I chose?

Thank you!

I've heard it's a courtesy, probably not a huge dealbreaker. I was planning on sending both email and a thank you snail mail note.

 

[GoSpursGo]

I've heard it's a courtesy, probably not a huge dealbreaker.

Yep. Lots of adcoms will actually meet the same day of the interview or shortly thereafter, so your note will probably reach them after a decision has been made. Do it if you want to, but you don't have to; lots of applicants do it either way, so it's not going to make you stand out regardless of whichever you do.

 

[BlueElmo]

Yep. Lots of adcoms will actually meet the same day of the interview or shortly thereafter, so your note will probably reach them after a decision has been made. Do it if you want to, but you don't have to; lots of applicants do it either way, so it's not going to make you stand out regardless of whichever you do.

Oh, that's new to me. Thanks!

 

[amph119]

They are worth nothing more than a "oh well hmph wasn't that nice?" from your interviewer after-the-fact and have no bearing on your decision whatsoever. Don't let anyone fool you into thinking that if you don't send them you are in trouble.

That being said, it's common courtesy to toss them an e-mail and you really SHOULD do so. Also, on a different note, I showed up late to one school's interview day, didn't send any thank you notes to my interviewers, and forgot to send them a picture of myself which they said was "required." Also I got lost in the hospital that day and was late to the financial aid meeting by one of the deans. I also shook my first interview's hand like a girl (no offense girls, I'm just a guy) and stumbled, literally, into his office.

And I got accepted.

None of the little bs things matter.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Oh, that's new to me. Thanks!

By no means is that ALL of the schools, but yeah, several of my schools said they were going to meet the same day to evaluate us.

 

[doc totipotent]

It's really just a courtesy...I don't think it'll help too much. Just the other day, I saw my interviewer at the med school I'm at, and he completely forgot he had interviewed me...though he did say he was glad it worked out! In my opinion, a thank you note is just a nice thing to do.

 

[njr3332]

Yep. Lots of adcoms will actually meet the same day of the interview or shortly thereafter, so your note will probably reach them after a decision has been made. Do it if you want to, but you don't have to; lots of applicants do it either way, so it's not going to make you stand out regardless of whichever you do.

Thats not necessarily true. One of the places I interviewed said that they wait one week before voting. Granted it was also the first day of interviews for them.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Thats not necessarily true. One of the places I interviewed said that they wait one week before voting. Granted it was also the first day of interviews for them.

Lots=/=every adcom everywhere 😉

 

[mechtel]

Sorry, while I get some sense now of their importance, is there a consensus that email is okay? Also, if you forgot name, is it okay to contact admission office and ask or better to just forget about it? The school said they meet the same day to decide.

 

[BlueElmo]

By no means is that ALL of the schools, but yeah, several of my schools said they were going to meet the same day to evaluate us.

But they can't hand out acceptances until 10/15 earliest right?
So if I interview on 9/14, for example, then they may meet that same day and already make a decision about me? Then release that info to me on 10/15?

 

[PinkIvy08]

As everyone else said, it really is just a courtesy. However, it would probably look a bit bad if everyone else that interviewed that day extended this common courtesy and you did not. Imo, it really doesn't take that much effort to write one and drop it in the mail on the way to the airport/leaving the city. I know I'm going to submit them (just like I did to my LOR writers, even though the letter had been written and a Thank You was not going to impact my recommendation), but I also have been drilled since childhood to write Thank Yous for just about everything...

The choice is up to you. Any benefit it might incur would be on a subconscious level and minimal, at best.

 

[GoSpursGo]

But they can't hand out acceptances until 10/15 earliest right?
So if I interview on 9/14, for example, then they may meet that same day and already make a decision about me? Then release that info to me on 10/15?

At some schools, yes, they'll actually make the final "accept/waitlist/reject" decision on that day. At other schools, they'll simply "score" your interview and render their recommendation to the committee that day/shortly thereafter, and then the committee may come back and accept the top X "scoring" interviewees from all of their interviews so far on 10/15. For example, I know that at Baylor (at least last year) the interviewers actually gave you a numerical score based on your interview either the day of your interview or shortly thereafter, then the adcom would meet a week or two later to combine your interview score with your score from the rest of your application, and then on 10/15, the applicants with the top X overall scores were accepted. Subsequently, more people were added to the list after each successive interview date, and every couple of weeks, the next top X scores would be accepted, and so on.

If you think about it, it makes sense, and probably works to your benefit; would you really want to interview on 9/14, then have the interviewer sit around for 3-4 weeks, probably interview several other applicants, and THEN try to remember who you are and how your interview went? After a certain point, all the interviews start to run together I'm sure, so it's important that they get their impressions down soon.

 

[BlueElmo]

Thanks Spurs, so helpful.👍

 

[Compass]

They are worth nothing more than a "oh well hmph wasn't that nice?" from your interviewer after-the-fact and have no bearing on your decision whatsoever. Don't let anyone fool you into thinking that if you don't send them you are in trouble.

That being said, it's common courtesy to toss them an e-mail and you really SHOULD do so. Also, on a different note, I showed up late to one school's interview day, didn't send any thank you notes to my interviewers, and forgot to send them a picture of myself which they said was "required." Also I got lost in the hospital that day and was late to the financial aid meeting by one of the deans. I also shook my first interview's hand like a girl (no offense girls, I'm just a guy) and stumbled, literally, into his office.

And I got accepted.

None of the little bs things matter.

I'd like to think that some of us do things because they're nice, not because we're looking for an extra 3 inches.

 

[GoSpursGo]

I'd like to think that some of us do things because they're nice, not because we're looking for an extra 3 inches.

Sure. He's not saying don't do it if there's nothing in it for you, he's just saying don't expect anything out of it.

 

[BlueElmo]

In the book Med School Confidential, the authors also suggest sending a thank you message to the dean or assistant dean of admissions? What do you think about this?

 

[GoSpursGo]

In the book Med School Confidential, the authors also suggest sending a thank you message to the dean or assistant dean of admissions? What do you think about this?

I never did that. Obviously, it's not going to hurt you, but are you going to send a thank you note to everyone involved in the interview day?

 

[BlueElmo]

I never did that. Obviously, it's not going to hurt you, but are you going to send a thank you note to everyone involved in the interview day?

no of course not.

 

[n618ft]

This sounds like extreme brown-nosing. Say thanks in person and have a good handshake. Stop being a tool.

 

[amph119]

My point was that while I did so (except for at that one school), I'm sure that it had no effect on the outcome at any school.

 

[makeshift123]

I'd like to think that some of us do things because they're nice, not because we're looking for an extra 3 inches.

i'm looking for an extra 3 inches.


lol sorry i had to. immature.

 

[NotAsking4Much]

This sounds like extreme brown-nosing. Say thanks in person and have a good handshake. Stop being a tool.

Not really...I think it's just courtesy. In all job applications, it's customary to send a thank you email. They spent their time for you (mostly on a voluntary basis), the most you can do is say thanks again.