Post-interview thank you emails?

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MedicineZ0Z

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What's the common theme on this? Lets say you're interviewed by the PD and couple others and interact with 1-2 residents a lot during the interview day. Who should get a (brief) thank you email? What's over kill/what isn't? Especially for program(s) that are a reach.

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Really unnecessary to do first and foremost. If you insist though.

Sub: Thank you re: interview (date)

Hello x

I wanted to reach out and say thank you for your time in interviewing me yesterday. I really enjoyed our conversation about x and I will definitely look into y.

Thank you again and best wishes
Name
 
Subject could be "thank you." You can keep it short and sweet and email at least the PD. However, if it's a program you're legit interested in I'd put more effort into it, maybe personalize with tidbits from conversation or about the program in general, email everyone you interviewed with, etc. Some folks complain about this whole thank you email etiquette and what it has become but that's now just the way it is, and some programs do notice. An email can show interest and care by the applicant. Maybe it won't drastically change your rank list order, but programs also want residents who want to be there and will be happy at their program. Obviously don't lie or bs too heavily, but for your top programs, it won't hurt to show interest/enthusiasm.
 
I would try to write down 1 or 2 personal details during the interviews themselves and mention those in your thank you emails. The conversations all tend to blend together after a while, so having something written down will help you when you're writing those thank yous a few days later.

There's no rush to send out those emails the same day or the next day (unless you are prone to forgetting), and one can make the argument that waiting longer (up to a week) will "remind" your interviewers that you exist.
 
Really unnecessary to do first and foremost. If you insist though.

Sub: Thank you re: interview (date)

Hello x

I wanted to reach out and say thank you for your time in interviewing me yesterday. I really enjoyed our conversation about x and I will definitely look into y.

Thank you again and best wishes
Name
My rationale is I presented myself as someone who is very professional/speaks conservatively and the resident crowd was rather outgoing. Just don't want any of them getting an impression of me being quiet (which wouldn't be true) or uninterested.
 
Completely and utterly unnecessary tbh.
 
Related: I have several interview days lined up where I'm interviewing with multiple people throughout the day...I have one coming up where I'm literally going to be interviewed by 10 different people. I'm a handwritten thank you note type of person - if the program accepts post-interview communication would it be appropriate to just send one to the PD + anybody who was particularly helpful on interview day?

Yeah
 
Related: I have several interview days lined up where I'm interviewing with multiple people throughout the day...I have one coming up where I'm literally going to be interviewed by 10 different people. I'm a handwritten thank you note type of person - if the program accepts post-interview communication would it be appropriate to just send one to the PD + anybody who was particularly helpful on interview day?
I wrote to the PD, program coordinator, and any attending I interviewed with.
 
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I really don’t want to. It’s not my style. I hate even getting a thank you card for a wedding gift I bought. Idk if I’ll just suck it up or what. So I’m interested
 
A) in med school, too lazy to update status
B) spoken with several program directors in addition to med school adcoms. They all say the same thing.


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A) in med school, too lazy to update status
B) spoken with several program directors in addition to med school adcoms. They all say the same thing.


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Its not likely to make a huge difference in rank order, but its considered common politeness
 
A) in med school, too lazy to update status
B) spoken with several program directors in addition to med school adcoms. They all say the same thing.


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Showing interest is important for residency. This is a way of minimizing doubt of lack of interest.
 
Showing interest is important for residency. This is a way of minimizing doubt of lack of interest.

Again, spoken with program directors. They made up their mind before you left.


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The OP just started med school and has spoken to PDs all over the country. He knows what's up.
Snark aside, I'm sure there are PD's where what he/she says is the truth. But its not universal. I know for a fact it wasn't at my program.
 
FWIW, I didn't think my interview made much of a difference in terms of ranking. You have two twenty minute talks. Highly doubt that makes a huge difference when programs interview 200-400 people for 20-40 spots. I bet 80-90% of interviewers don't matter, 5-10% tank you (eg sociopath), 5-10% phenomenonal interviewers.
 
FWIW, I didn't think my interview made much of a difference in terms of ranking. You have two twenty minute talks. Highly doubt that makes a huge difference when programs interview 200-400 people for 20-40 spots. I bet 80-90% of interviewers don't matter, 5-10% tank you (eg sociopath), 5-10% phenomenonal interviewers.

Funnily enough a PD at Albany medical college said that at that point they didn’t care about stats and ONLY cared about your interview. But hey I’m just a med student so ‍♂️


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