Interview Thank you notes

[Aria111]

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I've heard that interviewers/adcomms expect to receive thank you notes after interviews...is this true? Should I send some out?
What am I thanking them for, exactly?

thanks!

 

[Coalboy]

I was wondering the same thing, actually.

 

[amonkeybutt]

i think all you really need to say is something along the lines of thank you for taking time out to talk with me about your school, i enjoyed our conversation and feel that i gained some valuable insight into "insert school name".

 

[italianlove]

Aria,
Definately send them out. As far as the thank you cards go, it's just a gesture of thanks for the adcom who took the time out of their busy schedule to sit and chat a bit. It just shows your maturity level and appreciation for the opportunity to interview at the school (considering the fact that many schools only interview like 7% of applicants). I like to keep mine short and sweet, like a few sentences that say you enjoyed going over your application and look forward to hearing from the admissions committee soon. If you can remember any specifics about the interviewers interests or something that makes you stand out then mention it with a P.S. at the end. Hope this helps...good luck with all of your interviews! Ciao.

 

[alice]

i thank each interviewer with a card, but don't send one to the committee or dean unless i spoke to them personally....

i don't think there's a hard and fast rule about this: i know lots of people who are in med school who wrote nary a thank you note. and usually the interviewer's report goes out before your note gets there. but i always write thank-you notes and i think i would stress about whether writing them or not is hurting me if i didn't. (perhaps you are stressing, too? write it and forget about it, then).

 

[EpiII]

I agree with the above.

I try to add a specific comment that makes the reader know that I am not copying from a standard note. For example, "Thanks for your advice regarding ...." or "I was surprised to find that you knew my prof who wrote the letter of recommendation" or "I hope you get into your residency of choice, etc."

 

[bebe2]

bump

 

[abs39]

I am having a hard time deciding between formal typed letters and handwritten notes. I thought that a handwritten note would be more personal, but the tour guide at the school where I interviewed seemed to think that a letter would be better. What is everything else doing?

 

[mpp]

A thank you note is probably best handwritten on some nice, professional thank-you cards.