Post-interview follow-up?

[futureapppsy2]

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Hi,

How appropriate is it to follow-up post interview? The school in question interviewed a bit over two weeks ago, and notified us a week or so ago that we would hear "sometime [presumably soon] after" Wednesday of last week. How appropriate is it to send a brief, polite follow-up email inquiring about my status? I don't want to seem nagging, but I really liked this program and would like to know about my status with it, either way.

Thanks!

 

[Psych Dork]

Hi,

How appropriate is it to follow-up post interview? The school in question interviewed a bit over two weeks ago, and notified us a week or so ago that we would hear "sometime [presumably soon] after" Wednesday of last week. How appropriate is it to send a brief, polite follow-up email inquiring about my status? I don't want to seem nagging, but I really liked this program and would like to know about my status with it, either way.

Thanks!

I think that you should wait at least another week if they told you about a week ago you would be hearing soon. Also, not sure if you did this already, but send a thank you card to everyone you interviewed with and the DCT. I sent mine the very next day to make sure they got there before decisions were made. ha!

 

[AlaskanJustin]

I think that you should wait at least another week if they told you about a week ago you would be hearing soon. Also, not sure if you did this already, but send a thank you card to everyone you interviewed with and the DCT. I sent mine the very next day to make sure they got there before decisions were made. ha!

I still sense sending cards etc is a personal preference... I myself find this very pushy, I think I did a fairly fine job thanking them IN PERSON, no need to be obsessive and send another thank you too them, IMO makes ya seem desperate, and yes I know we are all desperate but doesnt mean we need to come off that way.

The only time I would suggest emailing is if you have a legitimate question you sincerely forgot to ask about the program while you were there (assuming, like in my interview, the people you interviewed with gave you there card and said to email if you had questions).

J

 

[ILGirl]

I still sense sending cards etc is a personal preference... I myself find this very pushy, I think I did a fairly fine job thanking them IN PERSON, no need to be obsessive and send another thank you too them, IMO makes ya seem desperate, and yes I know we are all desperate but doesnt mean we need to come off that way.

The only time I would suggest emailing is if you have a legitimate question you sincerely forgot to ask about the program while you were there (assuming, like in my interview, the people you interviewed with gave you there card and said to email if you had questions).

J

I respectfully disagree with you. Thank you cards are always appropriate. They are not a sign of desparation. They are a sign of good manners.

 

[futureapppsy2]

I think that you should wait at least another week if they told you about a week ago you would be hearing soon. Also, not sure if you did this already, but send a thank you card to everyone you interviewed with and the DCT. I sent mine the very next day to make sure they got there before decisions were made. ha!

I did send a brief thank you email to the program directors or POIs at all of at which the programs I've interviewed.

 

[kbean]

I respectfully disagree with you. Thank you cards are always appropriate. They are not a sign of desparation. They are a sign of good manners.

Agreed. In fact, my understanding is that this is an expected step in any interview process: grad school, job, or otherwise.

 

[deadmau5]

I still sense sending cards etc is a personal preference... I myself find this very pushy, I think I did a fairly fine job thanking them IN PERSON, no need to be obsessive and send another thank you too them, IMO makes ya seem desperate, and yes I know we are all desperate but doesnt mean we need to come off that way.

The only time I would suggest emailing is if you have a legitimate question you sincerely forgot to ask about the program while you were there (assuming, like in my interview, the people you interviewed with gave you there card and said to email if you had questions).

J

I will agree with you. To me, if you've thanked enough in person, that is enough. You can also later email a word of thanks to the DCT/Professors who interviewed you and met there on that day.

It does seem to be a personal choice though.

 

[Psych Dork]

The Insider's Guide definitely suggests sending thank-you cards or e-mails where appropriate. Also send one to your host if you stayed with a grad student. You can never be too gracious.

 

[Blue86]

I sent a couple of e-mails as "thank you notes". I for one believe they are a nice thing to do after any kind of interview (grad school or not). I am not sure if you should send "thank you notes" accompanied by a inquiry of your status. Usually thank you notes are those right after the interview. If you'd like to inquire about your status, why not just write to them? Especially if you've waited about two weeks. The best case scenario is of course when you already have an offer... It gives you a great pretext and makes them respond faster. I don't think it's desperate to inquire about your status once after two/three weeks or so. This process is stressful enough. But I would advise against sending multiple emails. Follow your intuition 😀 I know it's not scientific, but it works for me 🙂

 

[hamsterpants]

I respectfully disagree with you. Thank you cards are always appropriate. They are not a sign of desparation. They are a sign of good manners.

Yes, sigh. That used to be what was done but recently people seem to not care. At every job interview I have ever had, I've always sent a thank you card after (and most of my interviews resulted in jobs).

I think it is rude not to send a card but I am an older applicant so ymmv.

Edited to add: and thank you cards should not be used as status inquiries, IMO. or be seen as cries of desperation. they are simply thank you's for their time and consideration.

 

[AlaskanJustin]

Yes, sigh. That used to be what was done but recently people seem to not care. At every job interview I have ever had, I've always sent a thank you card after (and most of my interviews resulted in jobs).

I think it is rude not to send a card but I am an older applicant so ymmv.

I am okay with sending a thank you email, my point was just that sending a card etc seems excessive, this might also just be the new age in me 🙂

 

[ILGirl]

Yes, sigh. That used to be what was done but recently people seem to not care. At every job interview I have ever had, I've always sent a thank you card after (and most of my interviews resulted in jobs).

I think it is rude not to send a card but I am an older applicant so ymmv.

It might be wise for applicants to remember that professors are older as well. : ) They will appreciate the extra effort from you. . . .

And, AlaskanJustin, it doesn't matter if you send an email or a snail mail thank you note. The point is just to say thank you in writing after the interview is over. Either way is perfectly acceptable. In fact, when time is of the essence, emails are sometimes best.

 

[Psych Dork]

It has been two weeks since I have heard from my POI that I interviewed with Jan 22nd. In his last e-mail he told me he had not made a decision yet and that I was one of his top applicants he is considering. He said the reason he has not made his decision yet is because he is waiting on information that pertains to his ability to take a student this year. He said he would keep me updated and had expected to have more information about a week ago, however, I have not heard from him. I HATE WAITING! I know he will get in touch with me, but when do you think it would be, if at all, appropriate to e-mail him again? And what should I say? He encouraged me to e-mail him if questions or concerns arose, but I don't really have any...except "Have you accepted me yet!?" I have had some new ideas about the research I want to do with him and have been thinking about sending him an e-mail about that. Maybe I could sway him with more fantastic research ideas... ahhh! hahaha!

 

[prettikittibaby]

I interviewed with 9 different people at my school. I don't know all of their e-mail addresses, let alone mailing addresses. They invited over 40 applicants for interviews. Wouldn't it seem overkill to write to them all? I will write to the POI and the grad student in her lab (whom I also had the priveledge to stay with...). Should I write to the other 2 professors with whom I interviewed? I was not applying to work in their labs...

 

[Jezebel09]

I interviewed with 9 different people at my school. I don't know all of their e-mail addresses, let alone mailing addresses. They invited over 40 applicants for interviews. Wouldn't it seem overkill to write to them all? I will write to the POI and the grad student in her lab (whom I also had the priveledge to stay with...). Should I write to the other 2 professors with whom I interviewed? I was not applying to work in their labs...

It sounds like you interviewed with 3 professors and the rest were grad students? I would definitely email all three professors. It doesn't have to be a long thank you. Just thank them for taking the time to meet with you, and if you are still excited about their program, express your continued interest in it.

If the rest are grad students, you could maybe send a mass email to them.

I don't see thanking everyone who took the time to meet with you as overkill. It's just polite. Maybe you only send a couple of individual emails and send a group email to the rest.

But, do what you feel comfortable doing.

 

[ADDICTED2STATS]

I know this is just my experience, but, I sent a brief thank you letter (not email) to several of the programs I applied to. I recieved an offer to every program I sent a letter to.

 

[Jezebel09]

I know this is just my experience, but, I sent a brief thank you letter (not email) to several of the programs I applied to. I recieved an offer to every program I sent a letter to.

I prefer snail mail thank you letters as well. But, as many people have pointed out, decisions can be made quickly, so an email thank may get there before a decision is made.

 

[prettikittibaby]

One more question:

My POI shared with me some personal information regarding the health of a friend. In my follow up note, should I send my well-wishes regarding this individual's outcome?

 

[Kat 22]

decisions can be made quickly, so an email thank may get there before a decision is made.

I agree with this completely! I sent thank you emails and received both my acceptances thus far within 3 days of my interviews. I'm not sure a thank you card would have arrived by then.

I like the idea of posting thank you cards, but I'd rather send an email and know it arrived safely while the decision process is ongoing than send a card and be unsure that it will arrive before the decision is made.

 

[Schooled]

You could e-mail the admissions coordinator and ask her for a time line. Tell her that you don't mean to be pushy and that you are waiting for their response before you make decisions about other schools. I think this is something they can sympathize with and it shows that you are so interested that its their sole response that you are holding out for. 🙂

 

[schoolpsych1]

I've always emailed, had too many things get lost in the mail in this process, and I think it was appreciated. Some responded back to my email which was nice.

 

[psychstudent613]

I emailed the people who gave me their email addresses, but did anyone get a response back from them? I didn't and was just wondering what is the norm... (but with psych people, is there really a norm?)

 

[Jezebel09]

I emailed the people who gave me their email addresses, but did anyone get a response back from them? I didn't and was just wondering what is the norm... (but with psych people, is there really a norm?)

I did get email replies. But, I don't think that means anything one way or the other. Some professors are really good at staying on top of their email. Others aren't. (Keep in mind some profs. get over 100 emails/day.)

 

[psychstudent613]

I did get email replies. But, I don't think that means anything one way or the other. Some professors are really good at staying on top of their email. Others aren't. (Keep in mind some profs. get over 100 emails/day.)

Thank you... I was just starting to worry....its been a few weeks...

 

[Jezebel09]

Thank you... I was just starting to worry....its been a few weeks...

And, some people just don't respond to email--unless it absolutely requires a response. I even have friends like that. . . . When no information is provided to us, we can easily start looking for signs in every little interaction (or lack of response).

It doesn't mean anything. Good luck! I hope you hear something soon!!!! : )