Thank You Notes After Interview

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SavoirFaire

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I was wondering what the word is on sending thank you notes after interviews. I have heard of people sending them, and I have also read that they have little to no effect on the admissions decision.

Do you recommend sending a thank you note after your interview? If so, what should you talk about in the note?
 
Stopped sending them. If they want to hold it against me, so be it.
 
They don't really have much effect, if any at all. However, it's a nice thing to do, especially if you enjoyed the school/interviewer.

In terms of content, I wouldn't make it super long. Thank them, say something about the interview or school that you enjoyed. That's about it.
 
SavoirFaire said:
I was wondering what the word is on sending thank you notes after interviews. I have heard of people sending them, and I have also read that they have little to no effect on the admissions decision.

Do you recommend sending a thank you note after your interview? If so, what should you talk about in the note?
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A thank you note is more for appreciation to the interviewer meeting with you than helping you getting an acceptance....

What does a "thank you note" define in your cranium?
 
I heard that by the time your thank you note gets to that person most likely he/she already turned in your evaluation so it won't help you get in. If the interviewer is nice and you want to thank them then go ahead.
 
I was wondering mostly if it would be considered rude to NOT send a thank you note. Meaning if most students send thank you notes, then it becomes the norm, the common and polite thing to do. But I have no idea how common it is for applicants to send thank you notes.

Yes, I am thinking about it in terms of admissions decisions. I did have a nice interviewer and a good experience at the school.
 
SavoirFaire said:
I was wondering mostly if it would be considered rude to NOT send a thank you note. Meaning if most students send thank you notes, then it becomes the norm, the common and polite thing to do. But I have no idea how common it is for applicants to send thank you notes.

Yes, I am thinking about it in terms of admissions decisions. I did have a nice interviewer and a good experience at the school.
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40 to 60% send or don't send.
 
If you do send, then where do you send it to?
The admissions office?
 
Another question somewhat related that I had is if you decide after an interview that a particular school is your top choice (or it already was going into the interview), to whom do you email your letter of intent?
 
You could also ask in the admissions office before you leave the interview. One school I asked preferred that you send them to the interviewer C/O the admissions office, one said straight to the interviewer, and another school said that their faculty did not want them to encourage thank-you notes, because "their time is limited and they would rather spend it interviewing than answering mail."
 
Write extremely general thank you letters ahead of time, then hand them over at the end of each interview. Problem solved
 
Do it if your interviewer was a cool guy who cared about you.

What's the point of thanking an apathic guy who treated you like crap?
 
Last edited:
GS Mikami said:
haha.. you're always nitpicking things like this.

I have to get in the habit of proofreading the stuff I post.... or just use firefox to proofread it for me.
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Not my fault I have astute observational skills when it comes to things like this... I mean I am practically Jewish by association...

So that term stands out to me...hahaha
 
RockyMTdreamer said:
Write extremely general thank you letters ahead of time, then hand them over at the end of each interview. Problem solved
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I highly advise against doing this. It comes off as disingenuous.
 
LizzyM said:
If you think it is the polite thing to do and you want to be polite, then do it.

If you are doing it because you think it will give you a let up in the admissions game, then don't waste your time.
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If they don't provide you with exact email addresses (just the general admissions email), upon being asked, is a thank you appropriate?
 
ppfizenm said:
If they don't provide you with exact email addresses (just the general admissions email), upon being asked, is a thank you appropriate?
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If you're adamant about sending a note, send the thank you to the e-mail address with a note that says who you'd like it delivered to.
 
NickNaylor said:
If you're adamant about sending a note, send the thank you to the e-mail address with a note that says who you'd like it delivered to.
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I decided against it in this case. Was just curious.
 
Everybody has a mailbox. Just send it to the school or admissions office, saying "To Dr. Interviewer." I got them all the time in various ways.

No, it didn't affect your chances of admission, but yes, I was donating my time when I did them, so it was nice.
 
TheProwler said:
Everybody has a mailbox. Just send it to the school or admissions office, saying "To Dr. Interviewer." I got them all the time in various ways.

No, it didn't affect your chances of admission, but yes, I was donating my time when I did them, so it was nice.
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Aren't you further donating your time to read them? They better be good.
 
SavoirFaire said:
I was wondering what the word is on sending thank you notes after interviews. I have heard of people sending them, and I have also read that they have little to no effect on the admissions decision.

Do you recommend sending a thank you note after your interview? If so, what should you talk about in the note?
Click to expand...

The only time I haven't done it is for MMI. 10 thank you cards? 😕 I think they understand. 😉
 
I never sent them. Not that I was unappreciative. I just figured, they got so many already that they get the message--we, the applicants, appreciate your time.

This is also why I don't argue unfair test questions. Someone else will probably do it for me.
 
Oh by the way, DO send thank you notes or gift cards to student hosts. That's just nice.
 
I email thank you notes the evening after the interview
1) to remind them of a few things we talked about in case they haven't written the evaluation yet
2) to be nice / appreciative
3) to have a record in my own email that can remind me of what my interview was like in case I ever want to jog my memory of an interview day, especially because you do learn stuff about the school from the interviewer, and I make a passing mention of those points in my thank you note.
4) because it's more convenient and faster than mailing written notes; also my handwriting is not that pretty. I think it's the thought that counts, so emails are just as good in my book.
 
LizzyM said:
If you think it is the polite thing to do and you want to be polite, then do it.

If you are doing it because you think it will give you a let up in the admissions game, then don't waste your time.
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Good point, and nice photo!
 
Am I sending mixed messages?? It can have an effect with some interviewers who may be called up on later to speak on behalf of your application BUT if they cite your thank you letter as a reason why you should be admitted, it won't help because the decision makers discount that as a factor in deciding on admission. With some other interviewers, it won't influence their future communications with the adcom or they won't ever have an opportunity to speak to the adcom on your behalf.
 
This is definitely true.

FattySlug said:
I heard that by the time your thank you note gets to that person most likely he/she already turned in your evaluation so it won't help you get in. If the interviewer is nice and you want to thank them then go ahead.
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