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thank you letter
Started by afgdoll15
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No one I've met has done this. I think it makes you look desperate to send one.
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I could not disagree more. Any sign of appreciation--a small card, an e-mail, a phone call--is always welcome in a professional setting. I think it would make you look mature. Plus, since the practice does not seem to be the norm, you'd certainly stand out as an applicant.
I mailed thank you cards to my interviewers along with the admin staff who helped me at suny. I was provisionally accepted without OAT scores about a week later. I'm not sure if the thank you cards helped but I agree that it doesn't hurt to try. I think it's good practice to send thank you notes in general after the interview.
I don't think it's necessary for optometry interviews... Unless you failed to mention something during your interview and kind of want to stick it in email as you thank (i.e. Thank you for your time... I can see give my experience with X Y X would make me a great fit for the school, etc)
No...not sending a note says you are immature, and taking a lot for granted.
Conversely, judging an applicant by whether he/she sends a "thank you" note is foolish, at best. As an entering student, it reeks of an ass-kisser. Is it a nice gesture? In a personal setting, in which nothing is meant to be gained from it, sure. In a professional setting, in which hundreds of applicants are interviewed, a "thank you" note should not distinguish you from anybody else. Of course, some professionals love empty gestures and are rather fond of having their asses kissed, so don't let my opinion stop you from sending one.
I think that it is fine. I have always sent thank you notes to Optometrists who let me shadow, and there are other people that send them to the school as well. I did not send thank you notes to the school, but I received all acceptances within a few days, and I made sure to express my gratitude over the phone or email for the initial opportunity to interview.
The difference between an optometrist and a school is the optometrist did you a favor by letting you shadow, whereas a school presumably gives you an interview and ultimately decides on your acceptance based on your credentials (grades, scores, letters, extracurriculars), not because you asked them nicely and feel grateful for the opportunity.
I got accepted to SUNY, ICO, and SCCO. I did not send any email or thank you letter to my interviewers. My interviewers at SCCO, however, sent me a thank you letter in the mail a few days after I got my acceptance letter. I don't think it would hurt to send them an email or letter, but I guess you have to ask yourself why you're doing it--you're genuinely appreciating their efforts for interviewing you, you're thinking this gesture will make them select your for their program, etc.
I sent thank you letters and a box of nice chocolates to the three professors and optometrist who wrote me letters of recommendation.
You're forgetting a very important quality the schools are looking for and it's the reason you have interviews. They want students with good interpersonal skills.
If you don't have the common sense to say thanks for someone's valuable time, don't ever come looking for a job in my practice.
What I did was I visited my professor in my undergrad and shared a hug with her that I got into SUNY and thanked her for writing my recommendation. For one of my OD references I thanked him on the phone and for the other I visited him in person and thanked him. As for the schools I did not do anything.
What makes you think I forgot about that? You're right, interpersonal skills are crucial, which is exactly why it's better to say thank you during the actual interview. Because, as you said, that's why they have interviews. And for your information, the interviewee's time is just as valuable as the interviewer's time.
i hate to agree with a Steelers fan.. but ur right..
it definitely doesn't make u look desperate..
So sad the most people today have lost the simple aspect of common courtesy..
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Yes, you get in by your credentials, and not by sending a thank you note. However, you should still be appreciative that they took the time to review your file, extend the invitation, and interview you. No matter what your profile, they are still doing you and a favor in a sense by interviewing you, so I don't see the difference. You should express some gratitude in either situation.
Admissions committees get paid to review your file and interview you. It's their job. They are required to do it. In fact, if they don't interview you, they'll interview someone else. The rare optometrist who lets you shadow has no duty to do so, isn't getting paid for it, and if anything, only has something to lose by having you there. If you don't see this obvious difference, I can't help you. Reply back when the admissions committees work for free. Maybe then you'll have a case.
I think sending a note is a polite, professional gesture and certainly woud not hurt your chances. That said, I did not send notes and this did not hinder my acceptances. (I had scheduled my interviews so close together that by the time I got home, I had received letters from the schools.) Yes, I know they're paid, but it's always nice to feel appreciated.
Great attitude...
The faculty who interview you, which is who I was referring to, have got a lot better things to do than interviews. They deserve a thank you.
Having worked at admissions for a while now, these thank you cards are definitely appreciated
I completely agree. While not required it really shows that you care. I worked in admissions before optometry school and I am involved in admissions now and I really appreciate it.
Plus I sent one to everyone that interviewed me and gave me a tour on my interview day. I brought stamped envelopes, wrote them out, and mailed them that night from my hotel. When I got to school I even saw one of mine in my Admission Councilor's office.
You never know what a little gesture can mean to someone.
At the schools I interviewed at, the interviewers are not even in the admissions committee...so whatever they wrote about you during the interview is what the admissions committee will read...not anything you say in a letter/email they'll get a week later after the committee already made a decision. So yes it is nice, but don't think it's going to give you some kind of boost.
Are you really that naive? You think admissions is completely objective?
The point is, they get like 1000 emails every week, by the time they read yours, the admissions committee already made a decision.
Yeah, I doubt that it will give you a leg up on the competition, but if you're writing a thank you from a sincere place, then of course it's a nice gesture. A thank you letter is tactful and mature.
