Thank you letters?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

hedge0hog

Membership Revoked
Removed
10+ Year Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2008
Messages
48
Reaction score
0
should i bother with those? i think i did poorly on the interview (even though the interviewers were nice, but they are that way to everyone at that school) and i think this is the only school that i had an interview at and at the same time i really loved it. i cant easily find their emails using google. but i guess i could send cards(i wonder what kind i would pick?) so what do i write?

Members don't see this ad.
 
You could simply say something like...

"Dear Super Awesome Interviewer,

I hope this card finds you doing well. I wanted to write and express my thanks for the opportunity to visit [insert super awesome SOM here] on [insert date here] and speak with you about my plans for studying medicine. It was a pleasure meeting with you and I hope to see you around campus in the fall!


Love,
hedge0hog"
 
You could simply say something like...

"Dear Super Awesome Interviewer,

I hope this card finds you doing well. I wanted to write and express my thanks for the opportunity to visit [insert super awesome SOM here] on [insert date here] and speak with you about my plans for studying medicine. It was a pleasure meeting with you and I hope to see you around campus in the fall!


Love,
hedge0hog"

Thanks! But afraid they wouldnt like plagiarism. And also wouldnt it be bad to send 2 identical cards to different interviewers to the main admissions office?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Thanks! But afraid they wouldnt like plagiarism. And also wouldnt it be bad to send 2 identical cards to different interviewers to the main admissions office?

Then don't ask what you should write. If you address them to the interviewers by name, the admissions office won't open them. If you address them to "Committee on Admissions", then they will.
 
Then don't ask what you should write. If you address them to the interviewers by name, the admissions office won't open them. If you address them to "Committee on Admissions", then they will.
oh. so a "card" is not a postcard but a printed letter in an envelope?
 
oh. so a "card" is not a postcard but a printed letter in an envelope?
A card is typically a notecard mailed in its sealed envelope. They're available online or in stationery stores.

See www.jackcards.com for some examples.

It's up to you whether you want to send one or not. People show different feelings toward sending cards; some see it as professional courtesy, others see it as pandering and want nothing to do with them.

Personally, I think it'd be nice to be on the receiving end of a card so I sent them to my interviewers.
 
I didnt' send any thank yous out, because I dont believe any adcom is stupid enough to be influenced by them. So far, I was accepted at UMN and Case without thank yous, and waitlisted at Mt. Sinai and Brown with no thank yous. So who knows? Maybe it helps, maybe it doesn't
 
I didnt' send any thank yous out, because I dont believe any adcom is stupid enough to be influenced by them. So far, I was accepted at UMN and Case without thank yous, and waitlisted at Mt. Sinai and Brown with no thank yous. So who knows? Maybe it helps, maybe it doesn't

You should send them to be professional, not because you hope they're "stupid enough to be influenced by them". You should probably do the same after residency interviews.
 
So I am plowing through interviews, and after the 3rd interview I stopped sending letters...

interview 1 - Thank you Mr. Interviewer - no news for the past 4 months
interview 2 - Thank you Mr. Interviewer - acceptepted in 2 weeks

interview 3 - top choice - THANK YOU! - waitlisted
interview 4 - top choice - 4 interviewers...hell no - waitlisted

interview 5 - top choice - were told at one of the information sessions - "please don't send thank you letters to your interviewers, they won't make much of a difference"

A) I honestly think it makes no difference
B) I am pretty sure the interviewers know you are sucking up...they probably did the same thing.
 
You should send them to be professional, not because you hope they're "stupid enough to be influenced by them". You should probably do the same after residency interviews.

This. ^^

Interviewers are often volunteers who take time out of their day to review your file. As an interviewee, I felt that the least I could do was thank them for this.
 
B) I am pretty sure the interviewers know you are sucking up...they probably did the same thing.
but if you dont send a thank you and are not "sucking up", what will the interviewers think of you then? that you didnt like them..

anyway, thank you all for the wonderful advice!
 
but if you dont send a thank you and are not "sucking up", what will the interviewers think of you then? that you didnt like them..

anyway, thank you all for the wonderful advice!

Well, first of all only one of the 6 schools I have visited gave out the information of the interviewers, which means I had to go fish out myself, which is kind of stalkerish. Second of all, sincerely nice behavior during the interview will tell them that you "liked" them. Anyone can send an E-mail...whether he/she loved or hated the interviewer.

In some cases the interviewer gave me his card, that I took as "please contact me", so I e-mailed those professors. And I just remembered I didn't E-mail one of them, whoops.
 
You should send them to be professional, not because you hope they're "stupid enough to be influenced by them". You should probably do the same after residency interviews.

Not to mention to be both polite and grateful that someone took the time out of their busy day to interview you. Are we so far gone in this country that it is no longer common sense and common courtesy to thank someone who did something for you? Perhaps so; I noticed that hardly anyone thanks the person who enters a door before them and holds it open for them, as well.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Well, first of all only one of the 6 schools I have visited gave out the information of the interviewers, which means I had to go fish out myself, which is kind of stalkerish. Second of all, sincerely nice behavior during the interview will tell them that you "liked" them. Anyone can send an E-mail...whether he/she loved or hated the interviewer.

In some cases the interviewer gave me his card, that I took as "please contact me", so I e-mailed those professors. And I just remembered I didn't E-mail one of them, whoops.

but you did fish out the info yourself, didnt you? also as someone else wrote, you can send the note to the admissions office and they will forward it to the interviewer, which would not be stalking, right?
 
my dad interviewed med school applicants at a top school for many years, and he told me that thank you notes mostly serve as a reminder to the interviewer of who you are. if you felt like you had a good interview and you send a thank you note, the interviewer might think "ohh yeah this kid. yeah he seemed like a nice young man, let me pull out his file again".

any interviewer who thinks "ohh what a suck up, DENIED" is probably just a bitter human being.
 
oh. so a "card" is not a postcard but a printed letter in an envelope?

:smack:

The thank you notes should just be common courtesy. They have nothing to do with you getting in or your interviewer's evaluation. If the interviewer disliked you or didn't think you'd make a good doctor face to face then a card certainly isn't going to erase that.

i would also suggest going out of your way to make it look like you aren't just sending the card to boost your chance of getting in. one way to do this is to send the card directly to the interviewer or to email them directly and not go through the admissions office.
 
:smack:

The thank you notes should just be common courtesy. They have nothing to do with you getting in or your interviewer's evaluation. If the interviewer disliked you or didn't think you'd make a good doctor face to face then a card certainly isn't going to erase that.

i would also suggest going out of your way to make it look like you aren't just sending the card to boost your chance of getting in. one way to do this is to send the card directly to the interviewer or to email them directly and not go through the admissions office.

For this school no email is given. And if you google their name you will not find their contact info on the first page. And as someone suggested, the admissions office would only transmit the sealed envelope. Also one of the 2 interviewers is on the adcom (but they don't say which one). And yeah, even if they give me terrible reviews and feel that im not fit to be a dr or whatever, i can tell they had nothing against me. I mean that school has non-stress interviews and that means that they really do volunteer their time and aren't there just to go on some power trip.
 
but you did fish out the info yourself, didnt you? also as someone else wrote, you can send the note to the admissions office and they will forward it to the interviewer, which would not be stalking, right?

I always tried to find directly. I googled and found the E-mail addresses for 3 physicians. The last one I could not find, so I sent the letter to the admissions committee.

Part of the reason why I started not to send letters was also the fact that I was traveling from one school to another and didn't feel like I had much time. Its really a personal choice. Plus I was under the impression that the interviewers fill out the paperwork and send it to the admissions committee and then are excluded form the process (although I heard in some schools the interviewers part part of the committee)...so again, its murky. If you feel like you should send a letter do it, don't be discouraged by my cynical posts :)
 
Every time I sent a thank you note, I've been accepted. Every time I don't, I get waitlisted.
 
Every time I sent a thank you note, I've been accepted. Every time I don't, I get waitlisted.

either coincidence or you (consciously or subconsciously) sent thank you notes only for interviews where you feel you did well and enjoyed your time with the interviewer
 
Considering you have been waitlisted from John Hopkins, I am going to assume not writing a thank you letter did not play a role on their decision.
 
Considering you have been waitlisted from John Hopkins, I am going to assume not writing a thank you letter did not play a role on their decision.
Fair enough, but what about Sinai?
 
either coincidence or you (consciously or subconsciously) sent thank you notes only for interviews where you feel you did well and enjoyed your time with the interviewer
Every interview I've had felt the exact same. So most likely coincidence. I like how you guys are taking the time to shoot down my post, like I actually meant it. I was seriously just throwing it out there cause I thought it was funny.
 
I agree that they are common courtesy.

I was accepted at two schools I didn't send thank you letters too, but I still sent them post-accept. It just a way to show a sincere thank you and professional courtesy, IMHO.
 
Does it look really bad to send late thank you cards? I realized that I have forgotten to send 1 thank you card to an interviewer who met with me mid-November. She was great, and the interview went smoothly. However, it just occurred to me that I never sent her a follow up card. I want to send one now, but feel shy sending one in 7 weeks later. (By the way, I plan to send the card directly to her office address, and not to admissions.) Any thoughts on how to phrase things in the card? Should I apologize... like "sorry to get back to you so late..." or just keep things positive and pretend not to notice the time lapse?
 
Does it look really bad to send late thank you cards? I realized that I have forgotten to send 1 thank you card to an interviewer who met with me mid-November. She was great, and the interview went smoothly. However, it just occurred to me that I never sent her a follow up card. I want to send one now, but feel shy sending one in 7 weeks later. (By the way, I plan to send the card directly to her office address, and not to admissions.)

I sent one, month late, no reply, lol.
 
Exactly. By withdrawing, I showed them that I was indeed overqualified :cool:.

Even though you REALLY liked the school?

See my friend, medical schools are like women (I AM NOT A SEXIST!!). Those deemed worthy always reject you at first, and if you really like the woman you don't reject her because she rejected you.
 
I sent one, month late, no reply, lol.

Oh, I never expect a reply, and I'm not expecting one from her either.

It's just that when I write the card, I will say something like "Thanks so much for our interview back on Nov 19th" etc (of course I will mention the date, so she remembers who I am). I just feel silly to be writing someone 7 weeks later.

I am assuming that thank you letters don't play a role in admissions. I hope not, as this school is my top choice, and I can't believe I made an oversight of a thank you letter (although I did send thank you letters to my other interviewers).
 
Just got a reply, lol. Is it a good thing when they say

"Good luck with your application" And thats it?
 
Does it look really bad to send late thank you cards? I realized that I have forgotten to send 1 thank you card to an interviewer who met with me mid-November. She was great, and the interview went smoothly. However, it just occurred to me that I never sent her a follow up card. I want to send one now, but feel shy sending one in 7 weeks later. (By the way, I plan to send the card directly to her office address, and not to admissions.) Any thoughts on how to phrase things in the card? Should I apologize... like "sorry to get back to you so late..." or just keep things positive and pretend not to notice the time lapse?

anyone?
 
Top