Thank you letters

[OSU22]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I've read in a few places that suggest sending thank you letters to the interviewers. Does anyone actually do this?

 

[DenDDS]

I did, even for tours as well. Noticed the same cards in my applications files at some of my interviews I went to.

Just be sincere about what you write.

 

[sunsetpeach]

Personally I wouldn't do it cuz it'd make me look like an ass kisser ...but that might work. The art of ass kissing's been around a long time for a reason 😀

 

[peanutb123]

Personally I wouldn't do it cuz it'd make me look like an ass kisser ...but that might work. The art of ass kissing's been around a long time for a reason 😀

just imagine that if they conduct 20 interview per day that's 20 letters they get per day. 4 days a week so that's ~80 letters. I dont think they have time to read 80 letters a week. I mean they cant even read 20 apps every day how do you expect them to read 20 letters per day.

 

[dentalWorks]

the "ty" letter will NOT make a difference in the decision they wanna take. If they wanna reject/accept/waitlist you.. that little ty letter ain't gonna move a thing.

 

[Smiley25]

I don't think it changes anything about the admission process, but I do think it changes the way the deans/professors think of you once you are in the school. I write thank you notes for everything I am thankful for that someone has done for me or allowed me to do-why should an interview be any different? Writing thank you notes for the interview experience does not make you look like an ass-kisser; personally I would rather be in the group of considerate and thoughtful people than the other group.

 

[Danny289]

I don't think it changes anything about the admission process, but I do think it changes the way the deans/professors think of you once you are in the school. I write thank you notes for everything I am thankful for that someone has done for me or allowed me to do-why should an interview be any different? Writing thank you notes for the interview experience does not make you look like an ass-kisser; personally I would rather be in the group of considerate and thoughtful people than the other group.

👍

 

[hteteibo]

How would you go about giving them the thank you card? Would you give it to the people you check in with or send it before you go to interview for drop it off after the interview????

 

[Jenna2010]

How would you go about giving them the thank you card? Would you give it to the people you check in with or send it before you go to interview for drop it off after the interview????

When you are done with your interview, if you do not remember the names of your interviewers, ask the secretary to write them down for you. You should mail them in after your interview.

I don't think it is kissing-up as someone on here mentioned. It is being polite. People on the admissions committee often DO NOT want to be there. They have to as part of their job and that is why the committee goes through cycles. Someone mentioned that they do about eighty interviews and wouldn't care about a card, but if only ten people send one, it will stand out. Bottom line, writing a card is the polite thing to do, and if it will not help, it surely won't hurt you. BUT not writing one most def will NOT help you and MAY hurt you....

 

[dentalWorks]

I just don't understand why you would thank someone whos doing their job? Its the adcoms job to interview strong candidates to enter into thier curriculum. They are NOT doing you a favor by calling you in this interview, they believe you have strong credentials so they invited you, it has nothing to do with them being nice to you.

You don't send a Ty card to the grocery kid who bagged your items at Krogers, do you? Its their job, a simple "thank you sir" is more than enough. I used to do alot of interviews at my job, and everytime I got a ty note, It just looked so cheesy, its like... people mostly send you ty notes / cards ONLY when they need something important for you.

 

[jmt1984]

I've read in a few places that suggest sending thank you letters to the interviewers. Does anyone actually do this?

a fruit basket is nice too.

 

[aelian]

I just don't understand why you would thank someone whos doing their job? Its the adcoms job to interview strong candidates to enter into thier curriculum. They are NOT doing you a favor by calling you in this interview, they believe you have strong credentials so they invited you, it has nothing to do with them being nice to you.

You don't send a Ty card to the grocery kid who bagged your items at Krogers, do you? Its their job, a simple "thank you sir" is more than enough. I used to do alot of interviews at my job, and everytime I got a ty note, It just looked so cheesy, its like... people mostly send you ty notes / cards ONLY when they need something important for you.

Well, I guess you can say it is their job, kinda. These admission committees are voluntary (at least, I'm assuming). I'm also assuming they don't get paid extra because they are on the committee. Regardless, these people are taking time out of their day, wanting to get to know you better. For those 30 minutes or that hour, that is your friend who will be vouching for you. The Kroger's bagger IS doing their job because they are getting paid, not because they want to, not out of free will. And they probably don't want to be your friend. And the beauty of a good thank you letter is that it should be succinct, genuine, and not cheesy. When you are interviewing for something of this caliber, thank you notes are professional. Sending a thank you note for a McDonald's interview would be creepy...🙁

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=759908

 

[dentalWorks]

Well, I guess you can say it is their job, kinda. These admission committees are voluntary (at least, I'm assuming). I'm also assuming they don't get paid extra because they are on the committee. Regardless, these people are taking time out of their day, wanting to get to know you better. For those 30 minutes or that hour, that is your friend who will be vouching for you. The Kroger's bagger IS doing their job because they are getting paid, not because they want to, not out of free will. And they probably don't want to be your friend. And the beauty of a good thank you letter is that it should be succinct, genuine, and not cheesy. When you are interviewing for something of this caliber, thank you notes are professional. Sending a thank you note for a McDonald's interview would be creepy...🙁

so... because they are "voluntarily" taking their time to interview me, this means its not exactly something they NEED to do? Every dental school has about 100 seats to fill up, if no one volunteers to do it, then they will hire someone to, the point being that it is the SCHOOL'S job to get these seats filled up. You can say that it is AN HONOR to be interviewed at your school, especially with today's competition, but no need to send ty cards/notes, its sooo cheesy and in my opinion, unprofessional.

and....Vouching for me??? No one needs to vouch for anyone, people are interviwed, and they are ranked amongst each other based on how well they were their interview skills were, "vouching" has no business being in the dental admission process. No one will vouch for you or fight for you to gain acceptance if you had a bad interview personality. They are not interviewing you to vouch for you, they are interviewing you TO SEE IF YOU ARE A GOOD FIT FOR THEIR PROGRAM.

 

[aelian]

so... because they are "voluntarily" taking their time to interview me, this means its not exactly something they NEED to do? Every dental school has about 100 seats to fill up, if no one volunteers to do it, then they will hire someone to, the point being that it is the SCHOOL'S job to get these seats filled up. You can say that it is AN HONOR to be interviewed at your school, especially with today's competition, but no need to send ty cards/notes, its sooo cheesy and in my opinion, unprofessional.

and....Vouching for me??? No one needs to vouch for anyone, people are interviwed, and they are ranked amongst each other based on how well they were their interview skills were, "vouching" has no business being in the dental admission process. No one will vouch for you or fight for you to gain acceptance if you had a bad interview personality. They are not interviewing you to vouch for you, they are interviewing you TO SEE IF YOU ARE A GOOD FIT FOR THEIR PROGRAM.

Well, let me put it like this, I'll take the word of professionals whos job it is to get students into dental school over your word. According to them, again, who's job is to get people into school and have successfully done it for years, sending a thank you note is not cheesy, but customary and professional. Even my advisor for when I was applying for undergrad made me send my interviewer a ty note...for an undergrad interview. I think the point you are trying to make is that ty notes are not necessary and I agree with you. If you feel the card is cheesy, don't send it. The thank you note is optional just like a lot of other business practices.
And come on man, I'm very confused by the bolded. Are you saying the interviewer does not at the very least want to determine that they aren't allowing a socially incompetent emo into their class. Forget the interview process, just allow the best numbers in?

 

[hausee]

so... because they are "voluntarily" taking their time to interview me, this means its not exactly something they NEED to do? Every dental school has about 100 seats to fill up, if no one volunteers to do it, then they will hire someone to, the point being that it is the SCHOOL'S job to get these seats filled up. You can say that it is AN HONOR to be interviewed at your school, especially with today's competition, but no need to send ty cards/notes, its sooo cheesy and in my opinion, unprofessional.

and....Vouching for me??? No one needs to vouch for anyone, people are interviwed, and they are ranked amongst each other based on how well they were their interview skills were, "vouching" has no business being in the dental admission process. No one will vouch for you or fight for you to gain acceptance if you had a bad interview personality. They are not interviewing you to vouch for you, they are interviewing you TO SEE IF YOU ARE A GOOD FIT FOR THEIR PROGRAM.

I was told specifically by a dean that you need to send in thank you note if you love their school. I don't know why dentalWorks is so against it...😀

 

[UndergradGuy7]

I was told specifically by a dean that you need to send in thank you note if you love their school. I don't know why dentalWorks is so against it...😀

This, but don't over-do it/annoy them.

 

[dentalWorks]

Well, let me put it like this, I'll take the word of professionals whos job it is to get students into dental school over your word. According to them, again, who's job is to get people into school and have successfully done it for years, sending a thank you note is not cheesy, but customary and professional. Even my advisor for when I was applying for undergrad made me send my interviewer a ty note...for an undergrad interview. I think the point you are trying to make is that ty notes are not necessary and I agree with you. If you feel the card is cheesy, don't send it. The thank you note is optional just like a lot of other business practices.
And come on man, I'm very confused by the bolded. Are you saying the interviewer does not at the very least want to determine that they aren't allowing a socially incompetent emo into their class. Forget the interview process, just allow the best numbers in?

huh? my whole point is clearly stating that they are ranking the interviewees against each others personalities. Of course they don't want socially incompetent persons, its why the whole interview process was invented in the first place.

I was told specifically by a dean that you need to send in thank you note if you love their school. I don't know why dentalWorks is so against it...😀

Well, I am really not trying to prove whos right vs wrong. I am just stating my opinion. No one has to listen to me lol. Hausee, you shoulda asked the deal this "so those whom don't send the ty note, are at a disadvantage at you school?" *rhetorical question*

Do you guys even know why the ty note/card was invented in the first place? Have you ever been to a job interview, and totally fell in-love with the job? and then you left that day, and never heard back from the employer? Well, you send a ty note/card to the person who performed the interview just to let them know "hey, do you remember me from a few days back, you interviewed me, I hope you remember me still" ..... This type of mentality has no place in the dental application process (IN MY OPINION)... I am willing to bet, that by time you leave the dental school interview, they will make a choice between accepting you or not within 1 to 2 days afterward.

Anyways, you guys can do whatever you see fit, either way you go, it ain't gonna make a difference.

 

[aelian]

huh? my whole point is clearly stating that they are ranking the interviewees against each others personalities. Of course they don't want socially incompetent persons, its why the whole interview process was invented in the first place.


Well, I am really not trying to prove whos right vs wrong. I am just stating my opinion. No one has to listen to me lol. Hausee, you shoulda asked the deal this "so those whom don't send the ty note, are at a disadvantage at you school?" *rhetorical question*

Do you guys even know why the ty note/card was invented in the first place? Have you ever been to a job interview, and totally fell in-love with the job? and then you left that day, and never heard back from the employer? Well, you send a ty note/card to the person who performed the interview just to let them know "hey, do you remember me from a few days back, you interviewed me, I hope you remember me still" ..... This type of mentality has no place in the dental application process (IN MY OPINION)... I am willing to bet, that by time you leave the dental school interview, they will make a choice between accepting you or not within 1 to 2 days afterward.

Anyways, you guys can do whatever you see fit, either way you go, it ain't gonna make a difference.

Hausee and I are both telling you that professionals have told us ty letters are professional. I agree with what you say. Those people who don’t send a ty note are not at a disadvantage. Those who do send one don’t necessarily gain an advantage. What I’m saying is, if you don’t feel like sending a ty note, don’t force it. You send one because, like a suit and tie, it shows you are professional. A suit doesn’t make you a better candidate, does it? No, it makes you look more respective in front of someone who is 20 years your senior. And I like what you are saying dentalworks. I really hate it when people will send a letter because they feel they are obliged to in order to further their own cause. A ty note will most likely not do that. For me, I’m genuinely thankful for those people taking time out of their day to help me. And believe me, those guys did help me. A lot of people are nervous as hell and these guys do their best to put you at ease. These guys want to help you. And generally, a ty note should be sent within a day or two of the interview. And the decisions are not made that fast. Believe me. Ask anyone who was accepted into dental school a couple of weeks before classes started. And I wouldn’t say that ty notes make absolutely no difference. Face it, there are hundreds of very similar interviewees and at most a few dozen interviewers. Not often will one person interview every interviewee. No. So, the interview process is subjective, depending on how the interviewee paints the applicant. How one interviewee will judge you can be very different for another. So even a little boost could help a person because a lot of people are pretty darn similar. So a nice gesture can go a long way. I was surprised to find out that an interviewer from last year still remembers me.

 

[dentalWorks]

Hausee and I are both telling you that professionals have told us ty letters are professional. I agree with what you say. Those people who don’t send a ty note are not at a disadvantage. Those who do send one don’t necessarily gain an advantage. What I’m saying is, if you don’t feel like sending a ty note, don’t force it. You send one because, like a suit and tie, it shows you are professional. A suit doesn’t make you a better candidate, does it? No, it makes you look more respective in front of someone who is 20 years your senior. And I like what you are saying dentalworks. I really hate it when people will send a letter because they feel they are obliged to in order to further their own cause. A ty note will most likely not do that. For me, I’m genuinely thankful for those people taking time out of their day to help me. And believe me, those guys did help me. A lot of people are nervous as hell and these guys do their best to put you at ease. These guys want to help you. And generally, a ty note should be sent within a day or two of the interview. And the decisions are not made that fast. Believe me. Ask anyone who was accepted into dental school a couple of weeks before classes started. And I wouldn’t say that ty notes make absolutely no difference. Face it, there are hundreds of very similar interviewees and at most a few dozen interviewers. Not often will one person interview every interviewee. No. So, the interview process is subjective, depending on how the interviewee paints the applicant. How one interviewee will judge you can be very different for another. So even a little boost could help a person because a lot of people are pretty darn similar. So a nice gesture can go a long way. I was surprised to find out that an interviewer from last year still remembers me.

bold statement: that isn't true. For example, last Friday when I left from my buffalo interview, they told me, once we leave, the interviewers will meet with the adcoms about an hour after, and today, the fates of the 12 of us will be decided, but we can't let you guys know anything until December 1st. I have heard the same thing from a few other schools, obviously, there are 58 D-schools nation wide, so I don't know how every single one of them does it, but the ones I spoke with do it very quickly after the interviews are done.

And in regards the suit and tie, I wear it cause it makes me look more hansom than a T-shirt and jeans.... It allows my looks to dictate how much they listen to the merits of my conversation instead of having them constantly pay attention to how ugly my jeans look on this important day. A suit and tie is necessary, a ty note is not.

aelian, and everyone reading this thread, this isn't a debate/argument. Its just opinions being stated.

 

[aelian]

bold statement: that isn't true. For example, last Friday when I left from my buffalo interview, they told me, once we leave, the interviewers will meet with the adcoms about an hour after, and today, the fates of the 12 of us will be decided, but we can't let you guys know anything until December 1st. I have heard the same thing from a few other schools, obviously, there are 58 D-schools nation wide, so I don't know how every single one of them does it, but the ones I spoke with do it very quickly after the interviews are done.

And in regards the suit and tie, I wear it cause it makes me look more hansom than a T-shirt and jeans.... It allows my looks to dictate how much they listen to the merits of my conversation instead of having them constantly pay attention to how ugly my jeans look on this important day. A suit and tie is necessary, a ty note is not.

aelian, and everyone reading this thread, this isn't a debate/argument. Its just opinions being stated.

So you are saying they won't revisit the applicant's profile after that day? They know everyone who they will be sending acceptances to on the exact day they are interviewed, and they won't have to decide between two applicants come a later date? I find that a little hard to believe.
If people dressed according to what made them look the most pleasant, I assure you most people wouldn't wear a suit. People wear a suit because it makes them look professional in front of another professional. People write thank you notes because that is what a professional adult applying for a position like this does. Once again, a ty note is not necessary but it is professional. And I understand, I am not trying to make this a debate although it seems like that. The OP asked a question: are ty necessary? And I've answered it to the best of my knowledge.

 

[hteteibo]

I completely agree. It is professional and its in good intentions.

 

[DATlongshui]

I wrote thank you emails after interviews, as I think thank you letter might be too overwhelming to adcom ppl.

Do you guys think a real thank you note other than the email is necessary to show the love you have to school/ppl there?

 

[aelian]

I wrote thank you emails after interviews, as I think thank you letter might be too overwhelming to adcom ppl.

Do you guys think a real thank you note other than the email is necessary to show the love you have to school/ppl there?

I think e-mail is fine. It's more casual than a note would be. But I think it's okay. I think a thank you note is more appropriate if you understand what I mean. I know e-mail is pretty easy but a thank you note shouldn't be too difficult. At the end of the interview, always ask for the interviewers business card. They usually have their physical adress on the card. If not, ask the secretary or even better write the letters that day and give them to the secretary later. Remember, simple but genuine.

 

[dentalWorks]

So you are saying they won't revisit the applicant's profile after that day? They know everyone who they will be sending acceptances to on the exact day they are interviewed, and they won't have to decide between two applicants come a later date? I find that a little hard to believe.
If people dressed according to what made them look the most pleasant, I assure you most people wouldn't wear a suit. People wear a suit because it makes them look professional in front of another professional. People write thank you notes because that is what a professional adult applying for a position like this does. Once again, a ty note is not necessary but it is professional. And I understand, I am not trying to make this a debate although it seems like that. The OP asked a question: are ty necessary? And I've answered it to the best of my knowledge.

Why is it hard to believe what a "professional" from a dental school told me (and mind you, there were 12 of us, anyone care to dispute what they told us towards the end of the lunch) but its not so hard for you to believe when they tell you to write them ty letters? You don't get to pick and choose what you hear from these "professionals" and decide which one makes you act accordingly.

And another thing, please enlighten us with some fashion advice on what would make a man, in an important interview, look more hansom than a suit and tie..... Trust me, if we were dressing "professionally" to meet the same professional standard as the person interviewing us, we would all wear a normal shirt and pants (no tie) cause thats what those "professionals" were wearing when they interviewed us.

Professionals DON'T ALWAYS WEAR suit and tie, they don't expect a ty note after an interview, they do however expect a strong hand shake, a tone of being honored for being choosen over a thousand others, and finally, another strong hand shake to end the meeting. Anything more is just over-doing it. I am stating my opinion based on what I used to think when I interviewed hundreds of professionals in my previous career (software engineer), so maybe, my opinion is just words on an internet page, but I do have real world experience.

 

[peanutb123]

Why is it hard to believe what a "professional" from a dental school told me (and mind you, there were 12 of us, anyone care to dispute what they told us towards the end of the lunch) but its not so hard for you to believe when they tell you to write them ty letters? You don't get to pick and choose what you hear from these "professionals" and decide which one makes you act accordingly.

And another thing, please enlighten us with some fashion advice on what would make a man, in an important interview, look more hansom than a suit and tie..... Trust me, if we were dressing "professionally" to meet the same professional standard as the person interviewing us, we would all wear a normal shirt and pants (no tie) cause thats what those "professionals" were wearing when they interviewed us.

Professionals DON'T ALWAYS WEAR suit and tie, they don't expect a ty note after an interview, they do however expect a strong hand shake, a tone of being honored for being choosen over a thousand others, and finally, another strong hand shake to end the meeting. Anything more is just over-doing it. I am stating my opinion based on what I used to think when I interviewed hundreds of professionals in my previous career (software engineer), so maybe, my opinion is just words on an internet page, but I do have real world experience.

I agree with dentalworks...

Usually for the couple of deans that i have met so far within a month when i asked them for contact information they said, i will give it you but do not send thank you letter... So i just told them how thankful i was... in one sentence.

PS... dentalworks would know all about professionalism, b/c heshe had plenty of real life experience than most of us... may be same as me lol... we old

 

[dentalWorks]

haha peanutb123. Yeh me and peanut are a bunch of has-been I.T folks.