thank you etiquette

[YoungPsychDoc]

So far I've written to the PDs only. Should I write to each and every person who interviewed me? Is email or handwritten better? Thanks!

 

[michaelrack]

So far I've written to the PDs only. Should I write to each and every person who interviewed me? Is email or handwritten better? Thanks!

A brief handwritten letter to the PD only is fine. If possible, mention the other interviewers in the letter.

 

[MDchouette]

I would at least email everyone, especially if you really liked the program. Definitely don't do handwritten notes for residents. Handwritten notes will take longer to get to us, and email gives you a way of getting back in touch later in the season with any questions.

 

[mass1]

I emailed (or hand wrote) thank you's to all my interviewers last year including residents.

 

[notdeadyet]

I would at least email everyone, especially if you really liked the program. Definitely don't do handwritten notes for residents. Handwritten notes will take longer to get to us, and email gives you a way of getting back in touch later in the season with any questions.

Ditto this. It doesn't take much effort for residents and faculty to send a polite response back to your thank you email, if they are so inclined. A handwritten note is nice, but not really necessary, not really convenient for anyone involved.

And remember to send a thank you to the program coordinator. He or she likely put a lot more effort into your getting interviewed than anyone else at the program.

 

[happyoolongtea]

Ditto this. It doesn't take much effort for residents and faculty to send a polite response back to your thank you email, if they are so inclined. A handwritten note is nice, but not really necessary, not really convenient for anyone involved.

And remember to send a thank you to the program coordinator. He or she likely put a lot more effort into your getting interviewed than anyone else at the program.

great advice 🙂

 

[psychattending]

So far I've written to the PDs only. Should I write to each and every person who interviewed me? Is email or handwritten better? Thanks!

Writing to just the PD is more than enough (even not writing is fine). In MHO people take letter writing way too far.

 

[notdeadyet]

Writing to just the PD is more than enough (even not writing is fine). In MHO people take letter writing way too far.

I think this depends a lot on whether or not you approach writing thank you letters as a strategy to somehow improve your odds of the mission, or just as a common courtesy.

I think applicants probably way overestimate what sort of impact a thank you letter will have on their chances. I just think it's polite to write a thank you letter when people interview you or help you out with the process.

 

[mkeguy]

i hand wrote thank you letters to everyone that interviewed me. i got my top choice so i'm glad i did it.

 

[VMSmith]

I think this depends a lot on whether or not you approach writing thank you letters as a strategy to somehow improve your odds of the mission, or just as a common courtesy.

I think applicants probably way overestimate what sort of impact a thank you letter will have on their chances. I just think it's polite to write a thank you letter when people interview you or help you out with the process.

Definitely. It's just a nice thing to do, but it's not going to impact your chances of matching, unless you do something bizarre, like cut out letters from magazines and paste them into a thank you note (apparently has happened). You DON'T want your thank you note to stand out in any way.

So, just send a short and to the point thank you e-mail.