Return to Sender

[FACS]

I just checked my mail today. To my horror, among piles of bills, junk mail and my weekly waste-of-paper-Jama, I found not one but two of my thank you letters, sent back to me, looking fairly worse for wear with the words 'return to sender' scribbled on them. They were for a program that's high on my list. Not much I can do about it at this stage. Damn that traditional paper mail!Next time I go through a process like this (hopefully not untill fellowship time) everything will go by email. 😡

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[sepsis]

I just checked my mail today. To my horror, among piles of bills, junk mail and my weekly waste-of-paper-Jama, I found not one but two of my thank you letters, sent back to me, looking fairly worse for wear with the words 'return to sender' scribbled on them. They were for a program that's high on my list. Not much I can do about it at this stage. Damn that traditional paper mail!Next time I go through a process like this (hopefully not untill fellowship time) everything will go by email. 😡

****, I'd be pissed. Although a surprisingly high number of my fellow classmates don't even do thank-yous.

I'd have the handwriting analyzed to see if it was a PD

 

[upekkha]

****, I'd be pissed. Although a surprisingly high number of my fellow classmates don't even do thank-yous.

I'd have the handwriting analyzed to see if it was a PD

that happened to me with BOTH of the letters to my interviewers at the same program! (they had different addresses, by the way, and were the addresses provided by the program for one, and on the business card of the other.) the first one i got back i just mailed to the central office of the residency program. when the second one came back, i just gave up and threw it in the trash! 🙄

 

[penguins]

I had that happen twice. The first time it was early enough and I just handwrote a note on the bottom saying it was the 2nd attempt.
The second time my heart stopped because it was too late. Thankfully it wasn't the PD or assistant PD though.
You still have time send a quick email thanking them and saying what happened (without sounding like a complainer). It wouldn't change your ranking probably but it would be polite.

 

[JetsPickVYoung]

I had that happen twice. The first time it was early enough and I just handwrote a note on the bottom saying it was the 2nd attempt.
The second time my heart stopped because it was too late. Thankfully it wasn't the PD or assistant PD though.
You still have time send a quick email thanking them and saying what happened (without sounding like a complainer). It wouldn't change your ranking probably but it would be polite.

I actually called the program director (at my #1 choice) after this kinda-sorta happened to me.

Genius that I am, I sent a thank-you card that required additional postage (because of its shape) and had it returned TWO DAYS BEFORE THE RANK DEADLINE!!!

 

[deleted50478]

I actually called the program director (at my #1 choice) after this kinda-sorta happened to me.

Genius that I am, I sent a thank-you card that required additional postage (because of its shape) and had it returned TWO DAYS BEFORE THE RANK DEADLINE!!!

Heart shaped?

 

[JetsPickVYoung]

Heart shaped?

It was square-ish, smart ass!

 

[missdr]

i bought a whole bunch of thank you cards and then just decided it was too much to get them out to the 70 or so folks that i needed to write to...it didn't seem to effect my app at all since all of the programs i interviewed at contacted me prior to ROL deadline... 🙄 we'll see come match day if thank you cards make any freakin difference (i have a feeling they really don't). if i match at my first choice i will let the future generations know to stop wasting their time and money and just thank the interviewers on the day of the interview!!!!!

 

[DrNick2006]

I sent emails that I was still interested to all the programs I ranked a week before ROL was due. No cards, no PD calls, I worked hard for 4 years, if a thank you card makes or breaks me I don't want to be at that program.

 

[JackBauERfan]

i bought a whole bunch of thank you cards and then just decided it was too much to get them out to the 70 or so folks that i needed to write to...it didn't seem to effect my app at all since all of the programs i interviewed at contacted me prior to ROL deadline... 🙄 we'll see come match day if thank you cards make any freakin difference (i have a feeling they really don't). if i match at my first choice i will let the future generations know to stop wasting their time and money and just thank the interviewers on the day of the interview!!!!!

I'm sure it doesn't affect the ranking much if at all, but I think the point is that it is kind of courteous to officially thank them for taking the time out. Now, you're right, and I agree thanking them in person should be adequate and should count just as much in the 'nice factor', but for some reason I think its just a little nicer to send an email/card saying thanks for taking the time out to interview. Now the second looks are just going way too far 🙂

But I don't think it would change the programs ROL whether student x sent a postcard versus student y who did not.

 

[inositide]

You need a residency. They need a resident. You are glad they invited you. They are glad you applied. Each of you has impressions of the other. Each of you will submit rank lists. You may end up together. Or you may end up never deal with each other again. Both parties have an equal vested interested in the process. What is the need then for all of these thank yous?

 

[missdr]

yeah!!! i am glad that i am not the only one who feels this way!!! don't get me wrong...if you really want to send a card i think the gesture is very thoughtful and nice. if i could have gotten away with sending 1 card to each program i probably could have managed it, but when there are 5 interviewers and the coordinator AT LEAST at every program 😱 reading the number of threads about thank you notes on sdn i thought i was going to have to scramble because i just wan't nice enough to spend the time to do it 😳 after getting so many love letters and calls this last week i am feeling pretty ballsy and i really hope this gets propagated to next year's match...write em if you WANT to, NOT cause you HAVE to!!!!

 

[NoodleIncident]

Why worry about the letters? If it gives you any peace of mind, then just remember that the letters likely make no difference whatsoever.