thank you letter vs thank you e-mail?

[Dr Lyss]

I'm sure this has been discussed somewhere else but I can't find it.

Is it okay to e-mail thank you letters to admissions/interviewers? or is it better form to mail a small card? I'm tempted to e-mail because I feel they would actually see it, possibly respond, but I feel like the card might be more professional. My premed office hasn't said much about this so any advice is appreciated.

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[funkydrmonkey]

I'm sure this has been discussed somewhere else but I can't find it.

Is it okay to e-mail thank you letters to admissions/interviewers? or is it better form to mail a small card? I'm tempted to e-mail because I feel they would actually see it, possibly respond, but I feel like the card might be more professional. My premed office hasn't said much about this so any advice is appreciated.

I send emails, and my interviews have responded back with an email of their own. I think it is appropriate.

 

[skiqueen]

I'm sure this has been discussed somewhere else but I can't find it.

Is it okay to e-mail thank you letters to admissions/interviewers? or is it better form to mail a small card? I'm tempted to e-mail because I feel they would actually see it, possibly respond, but I feel like the card might be more professional. My premed office hasn't said much about this so any advice is appreciated.

So my opinion is that if the interviewer gives you their email address (on a card or writes it down for you) that an email thank you is the way to go. I agree that you have no clue when/if a written card might get to them, and I think an email is entirely professional enough. Still, if they don't give me any contact info I send a card in the mail in care of the admissions office. I also think thank you cards aren't really necessary, but I feel it's the professional thing to do.

 

[skiqueen]

Also should mention that there are some schools that prohibit any additional contact between the interviewer and the interviewee, so they aren't supposed to respond to emails. In other words, don't worry if you don't hear back!

 

[Dr Lyss]

Interesting, I didn't realize interviewers give out e-mail addresses. One or two have given me their business card though (no e-mails on it though)

 

[Dr Lyss]

Also should mention that there are some schools that prohibit any additional contact between the interviewer and the interviewee, so they aren't supposed to respond to emails. In other words, don't worry if you don't hear back!

very true. I would never expect to hear back

 

[ami1983]

i always ask them for their email address/card at the end, and that way i can email them. i've gotten multiple responses back also.

 

[TheElement]

Also should mention that there are some schools that prohibit any additional contact between the interviewer and the interviewee, so they aren't supposed to respond to emails. In other words, don't worry if you don't hear back!

Hmm good to know.

 

[tabrazinski]

Hmm good to know.

i have only interviewed at two schools, but both said that they prefer you to send the e-mail/thank you card directly to admissions and then they will forward it on to your interviewer. both schools also said that either an e-mail or a small note was fine.

 

[Dr Lyss]

what do you guys write in your thank you? I know that we should keep it short but I'm not sure what the normal template is. I figured just two or three lines.

 

[Law2Doc]

If you want to know the actual rule of etiquette, it's that you should only use e-mail if the recipient has indicated that that is how they like to receive correspondence. While the current applicant generation is quite facile with e-mail, you really shouldn't assume members of the older generation are too.

 

[aznb0y129]

what do you guys write in your thank you? I know that we should keep it short but I'm not sure what the normal template is. I figured just two or three lines.

I sent my interviewer a thank you email and he responded, so I guess it depends on the place. As for content, I just said thank you for taking the time blah blah blah, added an item that we had talked about so he would remember me, then said I looked forward to hearing from him soon. Probably no more than 4 sentences.

 

[violet7]

I sent e-mails to two people in admissions (both of them gave out business cards and encouraged us to contact) and asked them to thank my interviewer (who didn't give me a business card). Both of them replied within 5-10 minutes.
The e-mail that i sent was kind of long...definitely more than 4 sentences, most probably around 10...I actually showed it to my professor and he said it was somewhat over the top and suggested I make it shorter. But I still sent it the way I felt is right

 

[Doctorverardoll]

My rule of thumb for last year:
Always ask for a business card. I would mail real cards to faculty and usually email students. I also got interviewed by some pretty old docs (one was talking about doing his residency in the late 40s) at one school. If I had a question though, I'd email.

 

[What up doc]

sorry 2 hijack the thread, but wat about LOR writers too...i just realized that i forgot to send a thankyou note to one of my writers...(probably because dude was friggin 3 months late in writing the damn thing)

 

[Dr Lyss]

I also sent them a thank you card and a little gift for their time (I bought them chocolates or something lil like that) but I knew my LOR writers very well. It's never too late to say thank you