Now that I am an interviewer...things I've noticed with the interviewees...

[Jolie South]

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Uh, she doesn't HAVE tuition, so it's certainly not coming out of it.

yea, they're hoping you'll crank out a lot of research to make their institution look special.

 

[parto123]

I'm sorry...did I just step into the twilight zone? Thank you notes are just nice and polite. Unless you FedEx'd the thing (which reeks of sucking up - gotta get it there before the committee meets), what kind of socially inept recluse is going to get bent out of shape upon receiving a thank you note?

If this is your twilight zone, you really need to get out more. The question/debate, of whether sending thank you notes is a good idea, bad idea or neutral, exists in all professions and schools and isnt as "obvious" as you believe. Many people dont understand that there are people who just see things differently than they do. Yes, there are people who see thank you notes as annoying or insincere and kiss ass. There is no 'correct answer.'

Here is a good example of this same debate in another profession:

http://call-back-thank-you-notes.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=251978&mc=38&forum_id=2

 

[Depakote]

i've had a few thank you cards returned to sender, especially ones sent to medical students. that might explain a bit of it.

I've found that if you don't have an address, you can always send something care of the office of admissions and it usually gets there (maybe not the fastest but it works).

 

[limpkitty]

I couldn't possibly see how interviewers would tailor their recommendations based on whether they received a thank-you note. Especially since (if what my interviewers told me is true) they write up their report w/in a day of the interview.

 

[Green Apple]

The OP would most likely give you a better review if he/she received a thank you letter. I'll assume the OP is not alone and send my thank you letters.

 

[limpkitty]

The OP would most likely give you a better review if he/she received a thank you letter. I'll assume the OP is not alone and send my thank you letters.

So what if he received the thank-you note a few days after he wrote the applicant a bad review? Wouldn't he feel like a total jackass

 

[Jolie South]

So what if he received the thank-you note a few days after he wrote the applicant a bad review? Wouldn't he feel like a total jackass

that's just a silent victory for us then.

 

[Cataract]

No matter what your perspective is, I think you should just send the Thank You letter. The other interviewees will be sending one and the interviewer might take note of that in his or her mind.

Even if you get nothing out of it, I say show some integrity and courtesy.

 

[chickenlittle84]

Well, I am surely going to be sending thank you notes...not because it will or won't help me get in, but simply because it is the polite thing to do. And you really don't know who thinks they are important and who doesn't...I will say that from my experience in the work world, thank you notes are absolutely expected after an interview mostly because they show ongoing interest in the position - 'Thanks for interviewing me, I learned so much about X organization and really feel like I would be a great fit there, let me know if I can provide any additional information, etc.'

The organization I work with was interviewing a candidate for a senior level position a few months ago. The candidate sent a thank you note after the first and second in-person interview she had. She did not send one after the third in-person interview AND FOR THAT REASON (I swear) she did not get the job...it was really important to the president of the company...if she doesn't send a thank you note to them, can she be trusted to always send one to clients when it really counts? Not exactly medical school, but I think courtesy really is important to some people...

 

[45408]

The OP would most likely give you a better review if he/she received a thank you letter. I'll assume the OP is not alone and send my thank you letters.

The OP probably writes up the evaluation right after the interview, long before the thank you would arrive. I'd like to do interviews next fall, and I really won't care if someone sends me a thank you. Just be polite and thank me in person.

 

[sosarah]

i don't know what kind of crappy insurance you have, but the "salesmen" representing all of my insurance policies (homeowners, car, etc) send me not only a yearly christmas card, but also a card on my birthday.

I got a thank-you PACKAGE when I bought my car. A few weeks after I drive off the lot, I get this box in the mail full of candy, a card, and a baloon thanking me for doing business with them. NO JOKE. It happens. And it made me like them more.

 

[45408]

yea, they're hoping you'll crank out a lot of research to make their institution look special.

thanks for clearing that up

 

[maestro1625]

I got a thank-you PACKAGE when I bought my car. A few weeks after I drive off the lot, I get this box in the mail full of candy, a card, and a baloon thanking me for doing business with them. NO JOKE. It happens. And it made me like them more.

when my family got the Aztek, GM sent us a free tent/camping package. It could have been because GM was trying to be nice and win future business... or more likely they realized that no one was actually going to pay for a tent that attaches to your car...

/all toyota based cars in the family now
//and we used to live in Michigan, ironically.

 

[maestro1625]

'Thanks for interviewing me, I learned so much about X organization and really feel like I would be a great fit there, let me know if I can provide any additional information, etc.'

I'm more or less apathetic about thank yous (kind of a N and P personality issue I guess), but if I got one like that I would be REALLY turned off. if you're going to do it, you thank the person for taking time out of their day and making the effort to be an interviewer (especially since most of the faculty have next to nothing to do with the school itself besides university affiliation), but to use it to further advertise yourself is a really insincere thing to do... MAJOR TURNOFF.

/for the record, my school interviews on wednesday afternoons, and evaluations are to be sent in by friday.

 

[hawk126]

So what if he received the thank-you note a few days after he wrote the applicant a bad review? Wouldn't he feel like a total jackass

Unusual logic. You're saying that you wouldn't write a thank you note because you'd be concerned that your interviewer might feel like an ass after submitting an unfavorable evaluation of you post-interview? I'm confused as to the downside in this scenario.

 

[hawk126]

I couldn't possibly see how interviewers would tailor their recommendations based on whether they received a thank-you note. Especially since (if what my interviewers told me is true) they write up their report w/in a day of the interview.

Also interesting. What if you were interviewed then waitlisted? What if adcomms wait until after all interviews are completed to rank the waitlisted applicants? What if your thank you note made enough of an impression on someone to move you up even one spot on the waitlist, and that movement was enough to get you accepted? I guess that I'm pleased that many here don't feel compelled to put the effort into thanking their interviewers in writing, but I just don't get why you would leave any chips on the table. The real question is: what is the downside to writing thank you's? My mom made me write thank you notes for absolutely everything and perhaps I'm just old and more than a little old-fashioned.

 

[hermit]

For the record, my school interviews on wednesday afternoons, and evaluations are to be sent in by friday.

For the record, the people who are advocating the sending of thank you notes in this thread are doing so because they believe it is the courteous thing to do - not because they are trying to buy your vote. What an ass you are. I wish I had your address so I could send you a turd instead.

 

[maestro1625]

For the record, the people who are advocating the sending of thank you notes in this thread are doing so because they believe it is the courteous thing to do - not because they are trying to buy your vote. What an ass you are. I wish I had your address so I could send you a turd instead.

of course you hadn't actually read my posts... but yes, what a courteous post you had there. ...if people weren't doing it to buy votes, the debate on this thread simply wouldn't exist, and we wouldn't have a monthly "should I send a thank you note" thread. Everyone is overkill around here with superficially looking as good as possible.

 

[hawk126]

of course you hadn't actually read my posts... but yes, what a courteous post you had there. ...if people weren't doing it to buy votes, the debate on this thread simply wouldn't exist, and we wouldn't have a monthly "should I send a thank you note" thread.

I'm not writing thank you's to "buy votes". Rather, it's the courteous thing to do and it can't hurt. As for the "debate", I can't seem to walk away from a "debate" on SDN of any kind. 🙂

 

[jp61852n]

Personally, I'm going to give them a genuine thank you at the interview letting them know how much I appreciate the time they took to see me as well as a thank you letter following... Is that too much??

 

[limpkitty]

Unusual logic. You're saying that you wouldn't write a thank you note because you'd be concerned that your interviewer might feel like an ass after submitting an unfavorable evaluation of you post-interview? I'm confused as to the downside in this scenario.

On the contrary, I've sent thank you cards to each one of my interviewers. But I think it's ridiculous for interviewers to give someone a worse evaluation simply because they didn't receive a thank you note. I also don't think any actually do, for the simple reason that they need to turn in the evaluation before they would actually receive said thank you. That said, I did send thank you's for the slight chance that the interviewers would take it into account (it's best to hedge your bets, I guess 😉

On the note of applicants trying to be as superficially courteous as possible, it was funny to see all the applicants at my michigan interview day fighting each other to hold the door open for one another. This process really is ridiculous.

 

[kypdurron5]

For two years in a row I religiously sent thank you letters within 24 hours. I'm now on my third cycle with more interviews than ever (4 so far, 10 total scheduled) and I didn't even give it a thought until I saw your post! I can't believe I forgot about sending thank you's. I seriously doubt that any interviewer waits any length of time before writing up their review, but I think it's still something one should do as a courtesy. Also, even if they've written their review already, some schools include interviewers in the committee meeting that may not be until a few weeks later (not just the written review- the interviewer actually comes in and votes and/or presents the applicant).

Now that I've been reminded about sending letters- do you guys think 3 weeks later is too late (and I should no longer bother)? Another problem is that interviewers don't always give you their mailing/email info. This is the case with my last interview; I literally don't have any contact info for either one of them.

 

[Adradr]

I believe that a thank you note is always appropriate and should never be neglected... But then again, I believe it's rude for men to wear hats indoors, too. I've accepted that a lot of people don't care as much about etiquette as much as I do, and it's not a big thing.

But you never know when you'll have an interviewer who will care as much as I do! 😀

 

[cruz21]

i don't understand why there is a debate going...it's only a THANK YOU CARD for goodness sakes! it's a common courtesy, not a requirement. if you want to take the extra step of writing one, feel free, and if you don't want to, don't. period.

 

[Chuckwalla]

Graduate programs do. My friend interviewed at 3-4 grad schools all around the country, and each school paid for her flights, hotel room, transportation, and now that she's accepted, she's got free tuition plus a $35,000 annual stipend. Med schools just don't love us the same way.

Getting a degree from a med school will net you a job making 150K or more. With that stipend I am going to guess she is a PhD student. The PhD market is awful for pretty much anything but engineering. As a matter of fact it over qualifies you for more jobs that it qualifies you for. Most PhDs make about 45-55K with not so secure employment, if they can find a job.

If I were an interviewer I would see right through a thank you letter. It is an attempt to suck up and a waste of the interviewers time. You had your chance to show your stuff during the interview.

 

[Ahmed786]

Question, how do you slyly get the email address or the university address of the interviewer during the interview? If you are unable to do so, how do you find out the email/address of the person and should u still send a thank you letter then?

 

[BeatrixKiddo]

don't interviewers get paid for this job? i didn't know they were doing it out of the kindness and love they had for me.


i don't even thank my own mother for doing my laundry and cooking me food so wtf would i thank some bum asking questions off a paper.

 

[Dr_Dan_the_man]

3)Most have an answer to "why do you want to be a doctor" but a few have said "Oh that's a good question...I haven't thought about it"😱

Never mind the thank you notes....

are people not AMAZED at this statement?????? 😕😕

If people are actually going into an interview saying "wow, i havent really thought about why i want to be a doctor" then my chances are looking pretty damn good right now !!

I mean seriously not everyone spends hours preparing on sdn, school websites and mock interviews.... but the least you can do is be able to explain why you want to be a doctor. otherwise what the hell are you doing at the interview....


wow... still amazed

 

[elfish]

Question, how do you slyly get the email address or the university address of the interviewer during the interview? If you are unable to do so, how do you find out the email/address of the person and should u still send a thank you letter then?

i just sent mine to the admissions office in hopes they'd give it to the right person (i had put "attn: my interviewer's name")

 

[UCDavisISokay]

don't interviewers get paid for this job? i didn't know they were doing it out of the kindness and love they had for me.


i don't even thank my own mother for doing my laundry and cooking me food so wtf would i thank some bum asking questions off a paper.

Good one!

 

[ryandote]

Even if they paid for it, it's still coming out of her tuition. Most grad programs don't get nearly the number of applicants as med schools do. If they paid for everyone's flights, the matriculants' tuition would be MUCH higher.

You ought to read up on that kind of thing before you post it. It's fairly obvious that you don't know how it works.

 

[ryandote]

If one doesn't write a thank you card because of one's fear of making mistakes (grammatical, etc.) then why become a doctor??? 😕 A simple thank you is a simple task, unlike writing a 100-page essay. Just curious.

Your statement is semi-******ed. Well, mostly ******ed, actually. I don't really see how writing and becoming a doctor correlate.

Is this what you are going for: If somebody is afraid to write a thank you because they might make a mistake, you infer they are afraid to become a doctor because they might make a mistake?

Bit of a stretch there, buddy. Welcome to SDN.

 

[Ihateverbal]

I'm a student interviewer for a med school and I noticed that some applicants regurgitate word for word things on their secondaries/applications...

Trust me, I actually do read them =)

 

[theNEWgirl]

Never mind the thank you notes....

are people not AMAZED at this statement?????? 😕😕

If people are actually going into an interview saying "wow, i havent really thought about why i want to be a doctor" then my chances are looking pretty damn good right now !!

I mean seriously not everyone spends hours preparing on sdn, school websites and mock interviews.... but the least you can do is be able to explain why you want to be a doctor. otherwise what the hell are you doing at the interview....


wow... still amazed

LOL THANK YOU for reading my mind I thought I was the only one raising my eyebrows at this

 

[radi0headfan]

So I interviewed for medical school about 2 years ago and I remember meeting with my advisor regarding what were the things I NEEDED (aka absolutely necessary) to prepare myself for interviews.
They included:
1)paper and pen/pencil
2)List of questions to ask anyone I came across about the medical school
3)Reason why I wanted to be a doctor
4)My research
5)My application
6)A Thank you card for the faculty interviewer or student...

Now that I am interviewing prospectives...I've noticed a few things that kind of throw me off...

1)No one has pencil or paper for me to give them my email address in case they have any questions
2)No one has questions. They kind of all just blankly stare at me
3)Most have an answer to "why do you want to be a doctor" but a few have said "Oh that's a good question...I haven't thought about it"😱
4) No one sends thank you cards/or emails!

The last one I am confounded by. I used to either mail my thank you card as I was walking out of the building, OR id rush home to get on the computer to email my interviewers back for their time and patience.... I've interviewed 10+ people now and NONE of them have sent a thank you. It also can't be just me because other interviewers are ALSO not getting any thank yous.

SO.....what is goin on?! Why are we sending potentially fantastic medical students out into the interview world so utterly unprepared.....? Im underwhelmed

Lesson of the day: Just shoot your interviewer a thank you email would be super nice 😀. Oh and know why you want to be a doctor.

oh come on, spare me the BS and the formalities...we're already wearing an uncomfortable suit and tie, awkwardly smiling, and answering your god-awful questions...isn't that enough for "dance monkey, dance!!"

 

[crucifixio]

I can see reason to cry over thank you's if the interviewee doesnt mention it immediately after the interview. If no act of good eye contact and firm handshake is done at the end of the interview, then please by all means wail and lament about students being utterly unprepared.

Ok, on behalf of all your interviewed students Toxic, I say THANK YOU. with 2 thumbs up and one smiley.👍👍🙂. Your interview time is appreciated but SDN time, I think you should be studying. You have a lot more to gain instead of sobbing to frustrated and broke premeds about thank you letters.

I certainly hope you gave good reviews to students who have worked hard to deserve it. bcos if a review is ever done depending on a thank you note, may the gods strike down whoever that biased interviewer is.

 

[MystA RavE]

Out of curiosity, are you stressing the Thank You card or email out of courtesy for the interviewer, or does the interviewer influence the admissions decision after receiving it?

 

[radi0headfan]

I'm a little shocked by the brash dismissal of the potential impact of thank you notes, not to mention the good ole' fashioned common courtesy associated with sending them. Given the fact that an interviewer posted his/her opinion on the importance of thank you's, it's kind of funny that a bunch of premeds would then have the audacity to "explain" to the gatekeeper why they're really not all that important.

Interviewers send thank you's to interviewees? Hilarious... that's like my life insurance salesman expecting to get a thank you note from me after I buy a policy. Your interviewers (in most cases, as I understand it) are your advocates on the admissions committee. Regardless of when they make their decision on your application, it seems a bit short sided not to do everything in your power to ensure that they're in your corner. For a group that, in general, bemoans the seeming randomness of the admissions process, there seems to be a ubiquitous, irrational sense of intractibility when it comes to doing the small things to make yourself stand out. What do I know though? I'm just another member of the herd... a squirrel of an applicant scampering to find a nut 🙂

many interviewers make their evaluations and ratings the day of the interview, so an extra "thank you", besides the one you already gave them at the interview, will not add much clout...also, schools probably evaluate students soon after the interview so they avoid getting swayed by the "please let me into your med school" thank yous and gifts sent by overly anxious pre-meds..the interview was the time for you to meet your interviewer and make your impression..and then its over

 

[nomoreplz]

Honestly, had I not read SDN, I would have NO IDEA that people sent thank-you notes. I haven't, for a couple of reasons - I really don't think they're necessary, or will help me, and to do so would require...more time than I have right now. I thank my interviewers at the end of the interview, and I hope that is enough.

 

[nick_carraway]

I'm a student interviewer for a med school and I noticed that some applicants regurgitate word for word things on their secondaries/applications...

Trust me, I actually do read them =)

I believe that. Whhile verabalizing some of my answers for practice, I realized that the descriptions for activities were almost like my AMCAS descriptions and that my responses for some questions were from various secondaries that I had written. I guess it's a force of habit since you spent so long internalizing those answers.

 

[BlackSails]

It never hurts to be polite. Every job interview ive ever had, ive sent thank you notes for (unless I was hired on the spot.) I plan to send one to every interviewer at med school. Even if they already finished their write up of the interview, there is always the chance you have to reapply next year. There is also the chance that (shockingly, im sure) they are a little behind on the paperwork.

Always send thank you notes.

 

[45408]

It never hurts to be polite. Every job interview ive ever had, ive sent thank you notes for (unless I was hired on the spot.)

In which case, you don't need to be polite?

 

[chickenlittle84]

I'm more or less apathetic about thank yous (kind of a N and P personality issue I guess), but if I got one like that I would be REALLY turned off. if you're going to do it, you thank the person for taking time out of their day and making the effort to be an interviewer (especially since most of the faculty have next to nothing to do with the school itself besides university affiliation), but to use it to further advertise yourself is a really insincere thing to do... MAJOR TURNOFF.

/for the record, my school interviews on wednesday afternoons, and evaluations are to be sent in by friday.

Well, perhaps not quite so generic...and I also think it is different for med school interviews and job interviews. Employers WANT someone who thinks they are a great fit and someone who really, really wants the job...I find it strange how we assume that interviewers will be second guessing our motives...perhaps pre-meds are reading into thank you note writing culture, but I guess its because interviewers really do read into it, case and point. If I send a certain kind of message, I turn you off...the thank you note isn't being seen for what it is: a 'thank you' for taking the time to interview me because it was nice of you and I am interested in your school, which is more likely than not to be very genuine.

 

[BlackSails]

In which case, you don't need to be polite?

You always need to be polite, but since I will probably be seeing the interviewer again before whatever letter I send would arrive, I see no reason to send the note.

 

[BeatrixKiddo]

I can see reason to cry over thank you's if the interviewee doesnt mention it immediately after the interview. If no act of good eye contact and firm handshake is done at the end of the interview, then please by all means wail and lament about students being utterly unprepared.

Ok, on behalf of all your interviewed students Toxic, I say THANK YOU. with 2 thumbs up and one smiley.👍👍🙂. Your interview time is appreciated but SDN time, I think you should be studying. You have a lot more to gain instead of sobbing to frustrated and broke premeds about thank you letters.

I certainly hope you gave good reviews to students who have worked hard to deserve it. bcos if a review is ever done depending on a thank you note, may the gods strike down whoever that biased interviewer is.

👍

 

[ladyluck3]

I can see reason to cry over thank you's if the interviewee doesnt mention it immediately after the interview. If no act of good eye contact and firm handshake is done at the end of the interview, then please by all means wail and lament about students being utterly unprepared.

Ok, on behalf of all your interviewed students Toxic, I say THANK YOU. with 2 thumbs up and one smiley.👍👍🙂. Your interview time is appreciated but SDN time, I think you should be studying. You have a lot more to gain instead of sobbing to frustrated and broke premeds about thank you letters.

I certainly hope you gave good reviews to students who have worked hard to deserve it. bcos if a review is ever done depending on a thank you note, may the gods strike down whoever that biased interviewer is.

what's "bcos" ??

 

[ImNotBritish]

... mostly, interviewers are usually encouraged to write their interview review immediately after the interview, making the thank you letter worthless.

I hate to sound super naive, but shouldn't you be sending a thank you letter to thank the person for their time, and not just to try to get a better review? Whether they liked you in the interview or not, a thank you email won't change that, but at least they'll know you're a polite person.