Thank You EMAIL vs. NOTE

[4pf]

Hey guys, I was wondering if you all thought it was best to send a thank you email after interviewing, email a pdf of a handwritten thank you letter, or mail a handwritten letter this cycle.

I have created a poll, but please share your insight below.

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[gyngyn]

You have already been generous enough (with your secondary fee or FAP).
There is no need for a gratuitous thank you note!

 

[KnightDoc]

You have already been generous enough (with your secondary fee or FAP).
There is no need for a gratuitous thank you note!

Yeah, but my mom always taught me it's the polite thing to do. 🙂 For every person like you who has no time or interest, there might be some old stick in the mud who thinks the lack of a thank you is a sign of bad manners.

I agree that an actual handwritten note, or a .pdf of one, is probably a little over the top, but a simple e-mail takes a minute or two to write, and even less time for you to read. As an applicant, I'd much rather err on the side of caution and have you delete it without reading it than risk having someone else be annoyed I didn't take the time to acknowledge the time and effort they put into meeting with me.

JMHO, but I'll send e-mails when I am given the information to do so.

 

[gyngyn]

Yeah, but my mom always taught me it's the polite thing to do. 🙂 For every person like you who has no time or interest, there might be some old stick in the mud who thinks the lack of a thank you is a sign of bad manners.

I agree that an actual handwritten note, or a .pdf of one, is probably a little over the top, but a simple e-mail takes a minute or two to write, and even less time for you to read. As an applicant, I'd much rather err on the side of caution and have you delete it without reading it than risk having someone else be annoyed I didn't take the time to acknowledge the time and effort they put into meeting with me.

JMHO, but I'll send e-mails when I am given the information to do so.

Required "thanks" has nothing to do with politeness.
No reasonable interviewer expects a "note" of any kind.
It is an honor to participate in the admissions process as a faculty member or student interviewer.

 

[KnightDoc]

Required "thanks" has nothing to do with politeness.
No reasonable interviewer expects a "note" of any kind.
It is an honor to participate in the admissions process as a faculty member or student interviewer.

Same here, and I appreciate the uncompensated time and effort you guys invest in the process.

 

[Catalystik]

I was wondering if you all thought it was best to send a thank you email after interviewing, email a pdf of a handwritten thank you letter, or mail a handwritten letter this cycle.

please share your insight below.

School-specific FAQs or interview-day handouts may give specific guidelines. There is no one-answer-fits-all possibilities.

 

[brockhamptonfanacct]

I've gone two for two at the schools where I interviewed and sent thank you emails -- so it didn't hurt! Some of my interviewers were also very nice and conversational back and encouraged me to ask any more questions if I have some.

 

[KnightDoc]

I've gone two for two at the schools where I interviewed and sent thank you emails -- so it didn't hurt! Some of my interviewers were also very nice and conversational back and encouraged me to ask any more questions if I have some.

???? Two for two on what? Acceptances?

 

[brockhamptonfanacct]

???? Two for two on what? Acceptances?

DO acceptances hence how early they are 🙂

 

[KnightDoc]

DO acceptances hence how early they are 🙂

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Clearly, thank yous don't hurt, even if they don't always help!! 🙂

 

[brockhamptonfanacct]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Clearly, thank yous don't hurt, even if they don't always help!! 🙂

Thank you very much! Excited for you next!

 

[KnightDoc]

Thank you very much! Excited for you next!

It must be so awesome to know this early in the cycle that you are definitely going to med school next year!!

 

[Moko]

My thoughts:
- Sending a brief 'thank you' email is unlikely to hurt unless the school explicitly says not to send them.
- If post-interview correspondence is allowed, be sure to follow any instructions/protocols given by the school.
- Many applicants get dinged for their inability to follow simple instructions. These types of errors sadly happen every year.

 

[Goro]

Hey guys, I was wondering if you all thought it was best to send a thank you email after interviewing, email a pdf of a handwritten thank you letter, or mail a handwritten letter this cycle.

I have created a poll, but please share your insight below.

It doesn't matter. Do it by whatever means only if your momma taught you to be polite.

 

[Orims]

I wrote short thank you emails that would mention a thing or two of things we talked about during the interview in order to keep it more personal and less generic. I tried to send one to every interviewer, however for some schools I completely forgot and felt weird sending one days after my interview.

I ended up getting accepted to places where I forgot or sent thank you letters. I don't think it made a difference.

1 of my WLs I didn't send a thank you email and the other WL I did, goes to show that it probably doesn't make a difference.

 

[Talldoctor96]

The reality is and what I haven’t seen mentioned yet, I usually Submit my interview feedback immediately after the exam. Even if I wanted to add or subtract points for thank you letters, my score is already locked and loaded. I would imagine most interviewers do something similar.

 

[deleted1025488]

I personally know an admissions officer who vouches against those who do not send in a thank you note, preferably a 'written one' though the latter sounds pretty archaic and frankly dumb. He's pretty old though, who knows. I don't know who in their right mind would advise against sending a thank you note, something that takes probably 90 seconds and can only be beneficial or neutral at worst.

 

[mangowolf]

I personally know an admissions officer who vouches against those who do not send in a thank you note, preferably a 'written one' though the latter sounds pretty archaic and frankly dumb. He's pretty old though, who knows. I don't know who in their right mind would advise against sending a thank you note, something that takes probably 90 seconds and can only be beneficial or neutral at worst.

would this adcom happen to be at mayo by any chance because apparently you won't get an A to Mayo unless you send in a thank you letter?? (someone on this site posted it in the school-specific thread)

 

[deleted1025488]

would this adcom happen to be at mayo by any chance because apparently you won't get an A to Mayo unless you send in a thank you letter?? (someone on this site posted it in the school-specific thread)

Yes, actually!

 

[mangowolf]

Yes, actually!

oooh ok does this adcom require handwritten notes sent via snail mail? a handwritten note emailed as a PDF? lol asking for a friend

 

[deleted1025488]

oooh ok does this adcom require handwritten notes sent via snail mail? a handwritten note emailed as a PDF? lol asking for a friend

I don't know, he was pretty snarky about it. I doubt you will get docked points for not sending a straight-up handwritten note sent by carrier pigeon in this day and age...but I don't know. If it's any consolation this guy was like 100 years old so if you end up getting an II with him you'll know lol, then you can send a handwritten note

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

It’s so confusing because some schools explicitly say they don’t want letters while I’ve heard that at others like mayo it is an automatic rejection to not send one?