Is it necessary to write Thank you letters to the PDs after interviews

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i say no. i dont think they ever see them. i guarantee you the receptionist does and she tosses them in the trash, or just sticks it in your file. i think if you're really interested in a program its probably just better to call and actually speak to someone.
 
yes. if you want to go to that program. some program directors do read them, and even if they don't and it sits in your file, when that file is read later by the review committee, you will have shown more interest than the average applicant. PD want people who want to be there. showing additional interest is not going to hurt you.
 
While I don't think it's an absolute necessity, I would highly recommend you do it. As someone that's now on the other side and spoken with program coordinators...at the place I've matched is a file that contains EVERYTHING I sent them during the application process...copies of every little email I sent to the PD, coordinator, and copies of all the thank-you's I wrote. My program coordinator told me that whether or not an applicant wrote thank-you's was reflected in the evaluation of their professionalism. Whether or not you agree that you are unprofessional by not sending one, some programs do take it into consideration.
 
Hmmm...I would find it highly unlikely that a receptionist would read your letter and throw it in the trash unless she's a fan of mail fraud.

After all, your letter is addressed to the PD not the receptionist and it would be difficult for that person to defend opening the PD's mail and disposing of it without running it by them.

What typically happens, IMHO, is that your letter gets to the PD, he/she opens it and then gives it to the program coordinator to put in your file. It does speak to professionalism and as I said before I"m not sure it makes a significant difference in your application (since most preliminary ranking has happened before you have even reached the airport after your interview), but raspberry does have a point - if you are seriously interested, a phone call is best but I would still send a letter (because my mother raised me to always send a thank you when invited over to someone's house). 😀
 
Format/type of thank you letter.

Maybe this is a silly question.

Should the thank you letter be very professional on regular paper and typed or can it be on a classy thank you card (I have these cute off white cards that I've been wanting use but never have)?

Are thank you emails acceptable? Or shall I go with the letter/card.Do we need to send thank you's to everyone who interviewed us or just the PD?

Thanks!!
 
I just used some nice thank you cards that I bought to write. I guess you could make up some letterhead and mail a typed one as well. I would type if your handwriting is difficult to decipher.

As far as writing to just the PD, I would recommend you write to all the people you interview with. Due to the number of interviewees on the day you interview at some places, you may not have the opportunity for a formal interview with the PD. If it's really a place you want to go, why not spend the extra 5-10 minutes to write the thank-you's to everyone and the couple bucks in postage? All it can do is make you look professional by showing appreciation for the time and opportunity given to you.

As far as Dr. Cox's post above...just to clarify...I wasn't saying the coordinator goes through the PD's mail. She just gets the stuff that the PD received from applicants and put it all in their file, including thank-you's be they email or paper.
 
I typed letters (since I have horrible handwriting) to all the people I interviewed with and put a handwritten, more personal note involving something non-medical that we talked about at the bottom. Probably unnecessary but polite and kept things from feeling like a form letter (even though they were all personal to begin with).
 
raspberry swirl said:
i guarantee you the receptionist does and she tosses them in the trash, or just sticks it in your file.
Click to expand...

Do you have specific experience with this? That's kind of a bold statement to make, especially if you haven't interviewed much yet, much less matched.

We should give and take our advice with a grain of salt, perhaps.

I think the tradition is to write them, and I think it's perfectly appropriate and appreciated. (Insert grain of salt here 🙂 )
 
DazedMD said:
Format/type of thank you letter.

Maybe this is a silly question.

Should the thank you letter be very professional on regular paper and typed or can it be on a classy thank you card (I have these cute off white cards that I've been wanting use but never have)?

Are thank you emails acceptable? Or shall I go with the letter/card.Do we need to send thank you's to everyone who interviewed us or just the PD?

Thanks!!
Click to expand...

handwritten on thank you cards is better- it is more personal. try to include something you talked about in your interview- "I enjoyed our discussion about . . . ." . . . express your interest in the program. . . this is all in Iserson's. . .
 
There is no way I am writing something.... the last thing I need is criticism over my handwriting if the PD doesn't feel happy (no need to add a negative).

Now my big question is...

Typed Letter...

or

Typed Postcard...

Which is better?😕
 
Should you only write thank you notes to the PD or also the people that you personally interviewed with as well? What about the chair of the department?
 
chocchip said:
Should you only write thank you notes to the PD or also the people that you personally interviewed with as well? What about the chair of the department?
Click to expand...

i wrote notes to the people i interviewed with. sometimes i would also write one to the pd. i didn't write any to the dept chair.
 
My take on this is that I just went through an entire day that was well-planned specifically for me, got put up in a hotel and taken out to dinner, and several people took large chunks out of their day to meet and talk with me, and I believe that deserves a thank-you note, whether it is a top choice or not. It's just good manners.

I plan to e-mail the residents who spent the day with me and those who took me to dinner the night before, and also e-mail the residency coordinator, and send hand-written thank-you cards to the PD, residents, and faculty who interviewed me.
 
sophiejane said:
My take on this is that I just went through an entire day that was well-planned specifically for me, got put up in a hotel and taken out to dinner, and several people took large chunks out of their day to meet and talk with me, and I believe that deserves a thank-you note, whether it is a top choice or not. It's just good manners.

I plan to e-mail the residents who spent the day with me and those who took me to dinner the night before, and also e-mail the residency coordinator, and send hand-written thank-you cards to the PD, residents, and faculty who interviewed me.
Click to expand...

😴
 
Thank you all for your suggestions.

The general consensus is:
. yes letter, no email
. preferably handwritten.
 
megacolon said:
As far as writing to just the PD, I would recommend you write to all the people you interview with. Due to the number of interviewees on the day you interview at some places, you may not have the opportunity for a formal interview with the PD. If it's really a place you want to go, why not spend the extra 5-10 minutes to write the thank-you's to everyone and the couple bucks in postage? All it can do is make you look professional by showing appreciation for the time and opportunity given to you.
.
Click to expand...

You must be WAY more efficient than me, because hand writing ONE neat, personalized, thank you takes me at least 10 minutes. At each program (from the few schedules I have seen) I will be talking to about 5 faculty. That is an hour of writing thank you notes for each program. I suppose it will give me something to do on the plane...
 
Wouldn't you hate to run into the one PD (at your dream program, naturally) who takes a grudge for not getting a thank-you note?

Besides, many PDs reply via email, which then potentially opens a channel for one-on-one conversation if you have further questions about the program.

You are an adult with graduate-level education... saying "thank you" should be obvious. If you can't write 15 postcards in a month, how can you expect to survive internship with 15 progress notes a day?
 
just suck it up and write the thank you notes. if you're like me, buy twice as many notes as you think you will need, because half of them will go in the trash for some reason or another.
 
sophiejane said:
My take on this is that I just went through an entire day that was well-planned specifically for me, got put up in a hotel and taken out to dinner, and several people took large chunks out of their day to meet and talk with me, and I believe that deserves a thank-you note, whether it is a top choice or not. It's just good manners.

I plan to e-mail the residents who spent the day with me and those who took me to dinner the night before, and also e-mail the residency coordinator, and send hand-written thank-you cards to the PD, residents, and faculty who interviewed me.
Click to expand...

i think your mindset is a good one - people made time to further your education and career and a simple note of thanks is a classy response, well worth the 5 minutes it should take to write each one.
 
No, it is not necessary at all, especially if you did not interview with the PD. I got post-match surveys from places I ranked lower, and sometimes near the end of interview season, I neglected to write thank-you notes.

ryanodine
 
I didn't write any. My situation was probably different because I had rotated through two of the four programs I interviewed at, and the interview at that point was just a technicality. I heard from all four programs I interviewed at probably the week after my interview through e-mail, and the program director at my residency called me 3-4 times before match time actually came to tell me that they wanted me to come there. So obviously my not sending a thank-you letter didn't hurt my chances. They are a nice gesture, but I don't think that they are essential.
 
Not writing thank you notes reflects on you poorly. Period. BFA (be a f* adult).

I wrote notes to my home program -- you don't want to leave the impression that you are taking them for granted or that the interview is a "technicality." Match is a harsh and moody mistress.
 
So as a technical issue- Where should we send these letters? Should we send it c/o the residency office or try to find the interviewers office addresses on the website? Thanks.
 
traveltheworld said:
So as a technical issue- Where should we send these letters? Should we send it c/o the residency office or try to find the interviewers office addresses on the website? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Hopefully, many of the people you interview with will give your their card (or you can ask for their card if you have any additional questions) and it should have their mailing address on it. Otherwise you can send it c/o them to the residency coordinator.
 
sophiejane said:
My take on this is that I just went through an entire day that was well-planned specifically for me, got put up in a hotel and taken out to dinner, and several people took large chunks out of their day to meet and talk with me, and I believe that deserves a thank-you note, whether it is a top choice or not. It's just good manners.

I plan to e-mail the residents who spent the day with me and those who took me to dinner the night before, and also e-mail the residency coordinator, and send hand-written thank-you cards to the PD, residents, and faculty who interviewed me.
Click to expand...

Just FYI, three e-mails and 3 hand written notes took me all of 15 minutes. If I can't handle that with my grueling 4th year schedule, I have a serious problem. 🙄
 
For those balking at the thought of handwriting thank-you notes to PDs and all of their interviewers, this is nothing compared to getting married. That's like thank-you note bootcamp. 😉

As for where to send them, if you interviewers didn't give you a card, go to the program's website and find their contact info.

It's also nice to send a note or at least an email to the program coordinators too, since they do most of the work on interview day.
 
sophiejane said:
Do you have specific experience with this? That's kind of a bold statement to make, especially if you haven't interviewed much yet, much less matched.

We should give and take our advice with a grain of salt, perhaps.

I think the tradition is to write them, and I think it's perfectly appropriate and appreciated. (Insert grain of salt here 🙂 )
Click to expand...

um, duh... this is sdn. i think everyone on here is well aware that all posts should be taken with a grain of salt. we're all big kids who have made the educated decision to solicit advice on the internet. and yes, i have interviewed a lot already, thanksverymuch, and i've seen how much interest people take in our files, and frankly, its not a lot. i haven't written any thank you notes yet (my PERSONAL decision) and when i do interview at the place i am very interested in, i WILL follow up. just not with a queer thank-you card (my PERSONAL opinion, please take with grain of salt). oh and congrats on having special days tailored just to you (and no other applicant, apparently).
 
raspberry swirl said:
um, duh... this is sdn. i think everyone on here is well aware that all posts should be taken with a grain of salt. we're all big kids who have made the educated decision to solicit advice on the internet. and yes, i have interviewed a lot already, thanksverymuch, and i've seen how much interest people take in our files, and frankly, its not a lot. i haven't written any thank you notes yet (my PERSONAL decision) and when i do interview at the place i am very interested in, i WILL follow up. just not with a queer thank-you card (my PERSONAL opinion, please take with grain of salt). oh and congrats on having special days tailored just to you (and no other applicant, apparently).
Click to expand...

There, there. No need to get upset. I just thought it was a bit extreme to say that all thank you notes get thrown away by the secretary, "guaranteed". That hasn't been my experience, that's all.

I didn't imply the day was "only" for me, but meant more in the vein of me and the rest of the applicants. I have felt that residents and faculty who were chosen to interview me were ones I had something in common with (outside interests, for example), and I thought that was really nice of them to consider that.

As far as interest in our files, maybe it's a family medicine thing, but I found that everyone who spoke with me had not only read my file, but a number of them commented on details from my PS and CV that I thought no one would even see, much less remember.
 
megacolon said:
As far as Dr. Cox's post above...just to clarify...I wasn't saying the coordinator goes through the PD's mail. She just gets the stuff that the PD received from applicants and put it all in their file, including thank-you's be they email or paper.
Click to expand...

Thanks - but my comments were in response to raspberry swirl's in which it was stated that the program coordinators just throw the letters in the trash or stuff them in your file without anyone ever seeing them.

I disagreed, since the letter would be addressed to the PD, he/she would see it first, then pass it on for your file.

In regards to people having matched without writing thank you letters, sure it occurs. Just as people have succeeded in getting dates or even married via email or without calling afterwards to say "thank you" or writing a thank you note to the parents when taken out to dinner. Our society has become much less polished over the last generation.

Our discussion here is what is the appropriate and polite thing to do. And that is to write a letter, thanking people for taking the time to spend with you. Good manners haven't changed; its society which has decided to TRY and change the rules. The arrogance of us in medicine never ceases to amaze me; the rules are not different for us. 🙄
 
Kimberli Cox said:
Thanks - but my comments were in response to raspberry swirl's in which it was stated that the program coordinators just throw the letters in the trash or stuff them in your file without anyone ever seeing them.

I disagreed, since the letter would be addressed to the PD, he/she would see it first, then pass it on for your file.

In regards to people having matched without writing thank you letters, sure it occurs. Just as people have succeeded in getting dates or even married via email or without calling afterwards to say "thank you" or writing a thank you note to the parents when taken out to dinner. Our society has become much less polished over the last generation.

Our discussion here is what is the appropriate and polite thing to do. And that is to write a letter, thanking people for taking the time to spend with you. Good manners haven't changed; its society which has decided to TRY and change the rules. The arrogance of us in medicine never ceases to amaze me; the rules are not different for us. 🙄
Click to expand...

I agree that it is polite thing to do. I in fact sent thank you letters to all the people I interviewed with (which is a rather taxing thing!).

But the last program I interviewed at, I was tired and worn out and had other issues going on, so I never sent anyone a thank you note (despite the fact that the program was my top choice!).

In the end I still matched there. Basically my point is that a program won't bump you off their rank list if you don't send them a Thank You note (that would be really stupid if they did).
 
Methyldopa said:
Basically my point is that a program won't bump you off their rank list if you don't send them a Thank You note (that would be really stupid if they did).
Click to expand...

And that is exactly right - no one ever lost a position because of not writing a thank you note. But therein lies the point of etiquette- it isn't about "getting you something" or as a means to an end, but rather exists a function of polite society, to build confidence and ease social relationships.

But I am of a different generation than most of the medical students here, and perhaps was raised differently or am just "old-fashioned".
 
Kimberli Cox said:
And that is exactly right - no one ever lost a position because of not writing a thank you note. But therein lies the point of etiquette- it isn't about "getting you something" or as a means to an end, but rather exists a function of polite society, to build confidence and ease social relationships.

But I am of a different generation than most of the medical students here, and perhaps was raised differently or am just "old-fashioned".
Click to expand...

👍 👍

But I admit my own motives for writing TYs were not entirely selfless. I wanted an excuse to buy some nice personalized correspondence cards. I have a wee bit of a stationery fetish...
 
FWIW, I've gotten a hand-written or personalized email response from every program I interviewed (and sent thank-you notes to). Program coordinators can get you mailing addresses for your interviewers.
 
Kimberli Cox said:
But therein lies the point of etiquette- it isn't about "getting you something" or as a means to an end, but rather exists a function of polite society, to build confidence and ease social relationships.
Click to expand...

👍 👍 👍

Sometimes I wonder if the beginning of the decline of the Roman empire saw the foregoing of thank you notes, please, thank you, pardon me etc...
 
DebDynamite said:
👍 👍 👍

Sometimes I wonder if the beginning of the decline of the Roman empire saw the foregoing of thank you notes, please, thank you, pardon me etc...
Click to expand...

I would say it occured with the decline of the dinosaurs. Those T-rexs were a curteous bunch! 😀

The Roman empire brought debauchery and emperors like Caligula!
 
A nice, short handwritten thank you note sent within a few days after the interview is an absolute must. It's also a good idea to write a thank you to each resident that you interviewed with.

Sending a thank you note won't hurt you but not sending a thank you note won't help you.
 
my question to all the folks who have been there and done that..

do they reply to ur tu emails? bcoz i have been sending them. no acknowledgement yet.

not that i mind them not replying. for most programs its a matter of policy. just wanted to know if it is the norm or the exception
 
idiotpathic said:
my question to all the folks who have been there and done that..

do they reply to ur tu emails? bcoz i have been sending them. no acknowledgement yet.

not that i mind them not replying. for most programs its a matter of policy. just wanted to know if it is the norm or the exception
Click to expand...

If you have specific factual questions about the program they will write back. If you're sending thank you emails (and hopefully in actual English) they will likely not write back as a matter of policy.
 
So is there a consensus as to if you just write the PD, or do you write everyone that interviewed you? How much should you say? Thanks.
 
ketafol said:
So is there a consensus as to if you just write the PD, or do you write everyone that interviewed you? How much should you say? Thanks.
Click to expand...

I don't know if there is a consensus but in general I would recommend writing a short note to everyone who interviewed you, including the PD.

You only have to write 3 or 4 lines at most - thanks for having me, I was quite impressed with your program, enjoyed hearing about x, y and z and thank you for spending time with me.
 
So if you interviewed with 3 faculty, you have to write 3 different letters?! 3 separate envelopes?! Son of a gun... Can I just send one letter and address it to all 3 people? If they're putting them in my file, they'll all pretty much say the same thing. So why not save paper, right?

Dear Dr. X, Y, Z:

blah, blah, blah....

I plan on TYPING my letters and signing it. More professional looking. Handwritten letters are nice ONLY if you have good handwriting.
 
i have sent thank you emails so far. i feel this is the most convenient for all. i hope this is ok. also i have 30+ interviews and it would be a nightmare for me to send out so much mail. also it gives them an opportunity to email u back. i know handwritten is more personal but with emails it allows me to write way more than can be fit on a card. my emails are alteast 4-5 paragraphs long and i do personalize them.
 
although i send emails, i email almost everyone i came in contact with. i average about 4-10 emails per program.
 
flashgordon said:
So if you interviewed with 3 faculty, you have to write 3 different letters?! 3 separate envelopes?! Son of a gun... Can I just send one letter and address it to all 3 people? If they're putting them in my file, they'll all pretty much say the same thing. So why not save paper, right?
Click to expand...

I dunno....seems more professional to send them independently. Sending them all in one envelope, when everyone has 3 different offices, makes for confusion and frankly, seems a bit lazy and even cheap to me.


I plan on TYPING my letters and signing it. More professional looking. Handwritten letters are nice ONLY if you have good handwriting.
Click to expand...

Fair enough.
 
This may be a stupid question, but does anyone have any suggestions on where to buy professional looking thank you notes? The ones I have seen (at Walmart, etc) have all been rather cheap looking.
 
butterfly0660 said:
This may be a stupid question, but does anyone have any suggestions on where to buy professional looking thank you notes? The ones I have seen (at Walmart, etc) have all been rather cheap looking.
Click to expand...
Write a standard letter. I think that works just as well, if not better.
 
My two cents:

I personally think all this T-you notes are a gigantic waste of time. I have never changed someone's position on a rank list because of a thank you note. I certainly don't keep track of who sends one and who doesn't. I can't speak for all PD's, and maybe there are some out there who really care, but I bet they're the minority. My Prog Administrator, on the other hand, loves getting them -- she likes seeing what stationary different people use (after she's met you during your interview). Still, they never change ranking decisions.

I'm thinking of starting to tell this to people who interview, to save them the bother.
 
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