sending thank you email to admissions?

[Oranges2]

I want to send a thank you email to my interviewer but 1) I don't have their emails (could probably guess it's standard format as [email protected]) 2) per website instructions, the school says to send thank you to the admissions office.

What's the best way to get my note to the actual interviewer? email the school thanking them, and then attach a specific thank you letter to the interviewer and hope it gets to him/her?

Thanks!

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[wasteofspace323]

Just send it strait to the interviewer. They'll appreciate that you went out of your way and it will set you apart from other applicants.

 

[Best Sejuani NA]

I would just listen to what the school says. Email the admissions office and thank them for the experience, saying that it was well-organized and such. Then ask them to please forward a note to your interviewer (either in the message body or as an attachment).

 

[625233]

Don't be a sycophant.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I want to send a thank you email to my interviewer but 1) I don't have their emails (could probably guess it's standard format as [email protected]) 2) per website instructions, the school says to send thank you to the admissions office.

What's the best way to get my note to the actual interviewer? email the school thanking them, and then attach a specific thank you letter to the interviewer and hope it gets to him/her?

Thanks!

Follow the directions you were given. Email or write the admissions office and kindly request they forward your regards to the faculty that interviewed you.

Just send it strait to the interviewer. They'll appreciate that you went out of your way and it will set you apart from other applicants.

No it won't.

The reason to send thank you notes is because its the polite thing to do. It will not affect your application or admissions chances in any way, nor will it set you apart from other applicants. Finally, if your thank you is done via email its hardly "<going> out of your way". That would entail a handwritten note, stamped and snail mailed.

 

[Oranges2]

@Winged Scapula Thank you!! this helps a lot.

 

[Oranges2]

I've actually a follow-up...sorry neurotic-ism kicking in!!

Is it more appropriate to address as Dear sir/madam, dear admissions committee, dear dean X?

 

[rocklobstr]

Dear Dean X,


You should use Dean if you're corresponding with them in their capacity as a dean. Otherwise, use Dr or whatever their title is

 

[Winged Scapula]

I've actually a follow-up...sorry neurotic-ism kicking in!!

Is it more appropriate to address as Dear sir/madam, dear admissions committee, dear dean X?

If you know the name and gender, use the appropriate salutation.

 

[Holmwood]

Some schools specifically request that you send it through admissions and not directly to the people that interviewed. Be careful.

 

[mrspecialist]

Advice I heard from Adcoms, Send it to admissions office, don't spam and waste interviewer's time.

 

[purplecricket]

This is good info to know. I don't have any post-interview instructions from this school, so I was going to send it straight to the interviewer using an email address I found on the department's website. I'm going to assume this wouldn't be the way to go.

 

[musicalfeet]

On that note...I always feel the need to send individualized thank you notes, so at least in my past 3 schools, I sent one to the admissions staff (for taking care of the logistics, presentations, scheduling the interviews + setting up interviewers, etc), one to each of my interviewer. It just seemed weird and too contrived to write one big one thanking each person individually, especially if there were things discussed in the interview that were of a more personal nature.

I don't expect it to help at all, just that everyone deserves some graciousness for taking the time out of their day (yes, everyone who was involved in interview day because they all have had to work to make it happen!) to make interview day as pleasant as they could. In all honesty, it'd probably be simpler and easier to literally just have candidates be paired up with interviewers, do the hour long interview, and then go home.

 

[wasteofspace323]

On that note...I always feel the need to send individualized thank you notes, so at least in my past 3 schools, I sent one to the admissions staff (for taking care of the logistics, presentations, scheduling the interviews + setting up interviewers, etc), one to each of my interviewer. It just seemed weird and too contrived to write one big one thanking each person individually, especially if there were things discussed in the interview that were of a more personal nature.

I don't expect it to help at all, just that everyone deserves some graciousness for taking the time out of their day (yes, everyone who was involved in interview day because they all have had to work to make it happen!) to make interview day as pleasant as they could. In all honesty, it'd probably be simpler and easier to literally just have candidates be paired up with interviewers, do the hour long interview, and then go home.

Funny, it also sounds preferable.

 

[mrspecialist]

And unless your note is as well crafted and thought out like your personal statement, wouldn't help you get in, anyways.

 

[Lost in Translation]

It's a formality that, if merely done correctly, affects your application very, very little. If done poorly, well then yea that's bad.

For just about every med school, a thank you note/letter/email is not added to your application.

 

[Tenk]

I still don't understand why medical schools don't put a ban on thank you notes after all these years. I remember when I interviewed and I was all worried about the timing and if I should send them by paper or electronic, etc.

Nobody cares if you send thank you notes unless you have something amazing or ridiculously funny to say, and quite frankly, if they do care, you wouldn't want to go to school there anyways.

 

[Oranges2]

i just did it as a formality plus the school i interviewed for had instructions for sending thank you so i took that as a "we accept them" sort of thing.

i don't think at all sending thank you will affect my chances positively or negatively.. it's just a thing that i'm use to doing.

 

[Catalystik]

I'd just chill on thank yous. A lot of the time they aren't even read,

I doubt this is true. Why do you think so?

 

[Catalystik]

Because they're superfluous and interviewers are busy people, who don't have much time for this sort of thing, especially if it's used as a way to get an extra word in or try and affect your application.

Skipping thank you notes won't affect your application, especially when you can give just as much of an authentic thank you in person. I've talked to a few adcoms about this and have personal experience writing thank you notes to med interviewers.

they don't matter and placing extra value/thinking too much on them just hurts you.

I agree that one shouldn't think they make a difference in one's application, but if you're polite enough to compose and send a Thank You note, it WILL be read and appreciated.

 

[Hospitalized]

The way I see it is you might as well give yourself a chance with the whole subconscious bias thing.

 

[Lost in Translation]

it WILL be read and appreciated.

I don't want appreciation I want an acceptance!

:^)

 

[Winged Scapula]

Every year we go through this: there appears to be a misunderstanding of the purpose and utility of thank you notes.

They won't turn a rejection into an acceptance regardless of how witty or well composed your note is. But they are appreciated and they are read. I actually have a corkboard where I save mine.

The purpose of these thank you notes is that it is a time honored expected social nIcety. Interviews take considerable time and effort to put together. I'm sure most of you had parents who insisted that you write thank you notes for gifts. Why would this occasion be any different?

Perhaps I and other faculty think about these things differently but please understand that for anyone over the age of 35 or so, we were raised that this is the niceand appropriate thing to do.

 

[Catalystik]

I actually have a corkboard where I save mine.

I save mine, too, but in a file drawer sorted by year.

 

[pageantry]

I save mine, too, but in a file drawer sorted by year.

I got home from a marathon road trip through three countries and four interviews and immediately had to pack up and move to a new apartment. It's been a busy, tiring time and some things have had to be deprioritized.

Two schools have thank you's sent already. The other two don't.

I'm of half a mind to let the other two go, because it's been about three weeks. Emailed notes would arrive before decisions (maybe). Snail mail would not. I'm already being rude by general standards of thank you notes. What do you think? When am I too late? When is it just silly?

 

[Catalystik]

I got home from a marathon road trip through three countries and four interviews and immediately had to pack up and move to a new apartment. It's been a busy, tiring time and some things have had to be deprioritized.

Two schools have thank you's sent already. The other two don't.

I'm of half a mind to let the other two go, because it's been about three weeks. Emailed notes would arrive before decisions (maybe). Snail mail would not. I'm already being rude by general standards of thank you notes. What do you think? When am I too late? When is it just silly?

Since it's been three weeks, I suggest you let it go for the two remaining schools.

 

[pageantry]

Since it's been three weeks, I suggest you let it go for the two remaining schools.

Sad. What If you actually really really want to send a note because one of your interviewers was totally dreamy?

It still ends up looking ostentatiously late and weird? Right?

I'm half joking. :/

 

[Catalystik]

Sad. What If you actually really really want to send a note because one of your interviewers was totally dreamy?

It still ends up looking ostentatiously late and weird? Right?

I'm half joking. :/

Dreamy interviewer: not a good excuse.

Belated question the interviewer might help you with by email response: go for it.

 

[pageantry]

Off to cook up a good excuse!

 

[lizlemon123]

Dreamy interviewer: not a good excuse.

Belated question the interviewer might help you with by email response: go for it.

Regarding the timing: how late is too late?
I was about to send one 1.5 weeks after the interview and thought that would be fine?

 

[Dohnut]

Just send it strait to the interviewer. They'll appreciate that you went out of your way and it will set you apart from other applicants.

Privacy mi amigo, even physicians need privacy.

 

[Dohnut]

I'm 35 and I find thank you notes impossible to send if a school does 8 MMI's, with each interviewer having a difficult last name and the admissions staff unable or unwilling to provide a list of the interviewers.

In the end, I was like, screw it, lol. But if I were to do thank you notes, I'd email the faculty and handwrite it on nice cards n send to the oldschool physician interviewers.

Every year we go through this: there appears to be a misunderstanding of the purpose and utility of thank you notes.

They won't turn a rejection into an acceptance regardless of how witty or well composed your note is. But they are appreciated and they are read. I actually have a corkboard where I save mine.

The purpose of these thank you notes is that it is a time honored expected social nIcety. Interviews take considerable time and effort to put together. I'm sure most of you had parents who insisted that you write thank you notes for gifts. Why would this occasion be any different?

Perhaps I and other faculty think about these things differently but please understand that for anyone over the age of 35 or so, we were raised that this is the niceand appropriate thing to do.

Winged Scapula, post: 16986089, member: 4288"]Every year we go through this: there appears to be a misunderstanding of the purpose and utility of thank you notes.

They won't turn a rejection into an acceptance regardless of how witty or well composed your note is. But they are appreciated and they are read. I actually have a corkboard where I save mine.

The purpose of these thank you notes is that it is a time honored expected social nIcety. Interviews take considerable time and effort to put together. I'm sure most of you had parents who insisted that you write thank you notes for gifts. Why would this occasion be any different?

Perhaps I and other faculty think about these things differently but please understand that for anyone over the age of 35 or so, we were raised that this is the niceand appropriate thing to do.[/QUOTE]


While

 

[Catalystik]

Regarding the timing: how late is too late?
I was about to send one 1.5 weeks after the interview and thought that would be fine?

1.5 weeks later is fine, but a busy interviewer might have trouble bringing you to mind by this time based only on your name. Better if you can include a reference that might recall your specific conversation to the interviewer or ask a question related to an interview topic.