Thank you letters?

[DrOops]

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I've had several people tell me that after an interview, it's always customary to send a thank you letter to your interviewer. Did any of you guys do this? Is this something that's conventional in our field?

 

[dr bojangles]

it's not necessary, but its a nice gesture.

 

[onelove4uk]

yea it's conventional. I'd strongly recommend doing it and you have nothing to lose

 

[TeamGuo]

I didn't even receive their contact info..

 

[Andrew324]

eh, I was thinking about it, I would think it would be odd though. If it was for a job it would seem better but for dental school it just seems odd to me. How many people have done it?

 

[DrOops]

eh, I was thinking about it, I would think it would be odd though. If it was for a job it would seem better but for dental school it just seems odd to me. How many people have done it?

I haven't sent out any. I felt odd about it too.

 

[somethinpositiv]

eh, I was thinking about it, I would think it would be odd though. If it was for a job it would seem better but for dental school it just seems odd to me. How many people have done it?

My female pre-dental friends do this after every interview. Perhaps gender does have some influence on this? Women are more considerate 🙂

I didn't do this for Michigan (I would have to send out 10+ thank you notes lol), nor do I intend to for my future interviews but who knows, I might change my mind.

If anything, it can help you, and certainly can't hurt.

 

[DDSAg09]

I got my interviewers' cards and sent them. Figured it couldn't hurt. Our Pre-Dent advisor recommended doing it.

 

[haisha ni narou]

I wouldn't consider it a deal breaker.

 

[SugarNaCl]

Yes, unlike some others, I think it has potential to be a deal breaker if you are a borderline candidate especially (in undergrad). I was told my stats were fine at VCU... and though interviewed first round at a couple schools, I still made sure to send out thank you letters to the asst. dean or dean of admissions, each interviewer and the person who contacted me about the interview and set up the day. I was accepted Dec 1, so speaking strictly from my experience, I wouldn't take my chances. As another said, it can only help.

 

[Sophlu]

I think anything that will make you more noticed is important to do. So I sent UNLV a thank you letter after my interview.

 

[swartz23]

Do it.
Why wouldn't you?

 

[mep771]

I've been doing it. I've also enclosed in each card 50 bucks.

 

[Chesnok]

To the above poster : you know what it is called ............ gift cards , some may think 🙂

 

[BalooTheBear]

i'm going to my first interview this monday...
do the interviewers give you a business card with a direct address to them? or are you sending the thank you cards to the admissions office with ATTN: [whoever youre sending it to]?

also, i dont have any personalized thank you cards like my girlfriend and grandma do...so a question to other guys, do you get personal thank you cards? or do you buy some generic hallmark cards?

thanks!

 

[rewJW]

I sent a card. Plain card with a painting on the front (I bought a ton of these to write thank you letters to professors after graduation), hand wrote a little memo, sent it to the address on the card I picked up in the interviewer's office. I felt it was a nice gesture and customary, and it only took a few harmless minutes and a little over 40 cents 😎

 

[aquafreshlovin]

hmm...this might be a dumb q but what addresses did you guys send the cards to? did the interviewers give u guys his/her contact info? 😕

 

[TeamGuo]

I sent a card. Plain card with a painting on the front (I bought a ton of these to write thank you letters to professors after graduation), hand wrote a little memo, sent it to the address on the card I picked up in the interviewer's office. I felt it was a nice gesture and customary, and it only took a few harmless minutes and a little over 40 cents 😎

did you ask for their card? or they just gave it to you.

I think you should send in a letter if they provided their info to you but if you did not receive any contact info it's fine not to send anything. No biggie.

 

[DiscoBalls]

I would recommend sending out fruit baskets

 

[rewJW]

did you ask for their card? or they just gave it to you..

The interview was conducted in the interviewer's office. I was going to take a card when it was over, but before I even got a chance to do so, the interviewer said, "My cards are right there, go ahead and take one" -- so I guess that counts as it being given to me? LOL.

 

[DiNoZeRo2o9]

I think it is better when you send a thank you card when they don't give you a card. That shows you really took initiative.

Also after my NYU interview, our student tour guide "hinted" that we send the people who interviewed us a thank you card. With that being said, a ton of the other interviewees rushed up to admissions and asked for the names of the people who interviewed them. The lady at the desk seemed prepared for this and handed out pieces of paper with the contact information of the interviewers.

Therefore, I think it must be common practice as the admissions office was prepared for us to ask for their contact info.

 

[onelove4uk]

There is no reason to feel odd about it! I personally think it might be a little overboard to send a thank you card. Just send a quick thank you email. During the interview, you will definitely get business cards. If you don't get one from your interviewer, then either ask them directly "how can I get in contact with you if I have any questions for you? or you could look them up in the school website. My school pre-health advisor worked with many med school admissions people at Emory University and she said it MAY be considered rude if you don't send a thank you email for taking time out of their busy day to interview you. They are doing you a favor!!! Just thank them! And btw I only thanked 3 people max (the two interviewers and maybe the main person giving info about the school...any more and it's going overboard

 

[rewJW]

I think it is better when you send a thank you card when they don't give you a card. That shows you really took initiative.

That makes no sense. So when they hand you their card, you're supposed to not send them a thank you card? Or somehow dissuade them from handing you their card? I think it shows appreciation regardless of whether or not the interviewer directly handed you their card.

 

[SugarNaCl]

hmm...this might be a dumb q but what addresses did you guys send the cards to? did the interviewers give u guys his/her contact info? 😕

So many people ask this question and use it as an excuse for not sending thank yous (I know that isn't your intent personally). Think for just a minute about it. If you put the persons name on it, and send it to the dental school... it will get to them! That's what I did. Sending it to a home address would be inappropriate and seem rather... stalkerish 😉