Thank you notes after interviews

[orthogenes]

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Did you write thank you notes after visits to schools? To those to interviewed you (some or all), or presenters, or anyone else? By email? By snail mail?
I'm trying to decide--right now I have sent an email to a student interviewer and a snail mail to a professor/MD... am I done?

 

[solitarius]

This is what I did:

• For MMI, I didn't send anything.
• For traditional interviews, I only sent an email if they gave me their business card or email address during the interview.

 

[masaraksh]

 

[orthogenes]

Yup. 1: I like new answers. 2: I know that most say "they just throw those things out" but I usually write thank you notes for EVERYTHING in life, so I hope this gets more answers from the "always write something" cohort vs. the "don't waste your/their time and your/my interwebs on it."
No harm to you in another thread. Gives you a chance to post a funny meme. Tell me you didn't like it.

 

[orthogenes]

This is what I did:

• For MMI, I didn't send anything.
• For traditional interviews, I only sent an email if they gave me their business card or email address during the interview.

Thank you. Do you usually prefer email over mail for non med school things, too?

 

[crimsonkid85]

Thank you. Do you usually prefer email over mail for non med school things, too?

don't bother w thank you notes, i throw them all away.

 

[solitarius]

Like most people, I rarely use regular mail.

A brief email thank you is more than enough. Most of my recipients replied back, implying that they both appreciated and expected it.

 

[orthogenes]

Like most people, I rarely use regular mail.

A brief email thank you is more than enough. Most of my recipients replied back, implying that they both appreciated and expected it.

That's neat. 🙂

I guess getting hand written notes gives me the warm fuzzies so I like the excuse to send some.

 

[pietachok]

Some schools specifically tell you not to send notes to your interviewers. Don't fail to follow instructions 🙂

 

[Patros]

I guarantee you a hand-written letter will not help your application, and none of the adcoms that prowl these forums never even hinted at that. As for the fuzzies, wouldn't a sincere email give you more warm fuzzies than an awfully formal mailed letter?

However when I had a particularly enjoyable interview, and if the interviewer said something like "Feel free to email me with questions," then I shot him/her a quick thank you email. Again, this is just a personal thing to let the interviewer know I'm grateful for the effort they volunteered. Sometimes they reply with a "You're welcome!"

If you care for my anecdotal evidence that thank-yous make no difference:
4 interviews where I sent a thank-you email: 2 acceptances, 1 rejection, 1 waitlist
2 interviews where I sent nothing: 1 acceptance, 1 rejection.

 

[masaraksh]

Yup. 1: I like new answers. 2: I know that most say "they just throw those things out" but I usually write thank you notes for EVERYTHING in life, so I hope this gets more answers from the "always write something" cohort vs. the "don't waste your/their time and your/my interwebs on it."
No harm to you in another thread. Gives you a chance to post a funny meme. Tell me you didn't like it.

I'm not buying it.

 

[crimsonkid85]

I guarantee you a hand-written letter will not help your application, and none of the adcoms that prowl these forums never even hinted at that. As for the fuzzies, wouldn't a sincere email give you more warm fuzzies than an awfully formal mailed letter?

However when I had a particularly enjoyable interview, and if the interviewer said something like "Feel free to email me with questions," then I shot him/her a quick thank you email. Again, this is just a personal thing to let the interviewer know I'm grateful for the effort they volunteered. Sometimes they reply with a "You're welcome!"

If you care for my anecdotal evidence that thank-yous make no difference:
4 interviews where I sent a thank-you email: 2 acceptances, 1 rejection, 1 waitlist
2 interviews where I sent nothing: 1 acceptance, 1 rejection.

please note that I did in fact tell everyone that I throw notes -- unopened -- into the trash. course nobody listens.

 

[OneDayDoctor]

This is what I did:

• For MMI, I didn't send anything.
• For traditional interviews, I only sent an email if they gave me their business card or email address during the interview.

This is also based off the business card thread earlier. Definitely will ask for the interviewer's business card for a follow up thank you. Now, I do have my business cards as I am an employed graduate. Would it be a bad idea to give them mine? Something tells me they don't want to contact me nearly as much as I want to contact them hahaha... But you never know?

 

[Marine to MD]

11 interviews, 7 acceptances, 3 waitlists, 1 no reply....

Not a single thank you note/letter.

 

[starkidbee]

2 of the schools I interviewed at specifically told us to email the admissions office (to be forwarded) while the 3rd had a list of personal email addresses they handed out at the end of the day. Point being - I'd follow the advice/instructions you're given on interview day. If it's not specifically said, go ahead with either form you like better, but imo it's easier to glance through an email than to rip open an envelope and decipher premed handwriting.

 

[BamaNicole]

I've always sent thank you cards. IMO its more personal.

 

[thisisansley]

I sent thank you notes for some and didn't for others (depending on time, whether I actually had something to say, etc) and I was accepted to all but one of the schools I interviewed for.
Doesn't seem to make a difference.

 

[orthogenes]

I'm not buying it.

Good thing I'm not selling it.

don't bother w thank you notes, i throw them all away.

That's a bummer. I guess they get old when you get 758 of them.

I guarantee you a hand-written letter will not help your application, and none of the adcoms that prowl these forums never even hinted at that. As for the fuzzies, wouldn't a sincere email give you more warm fuzzies than an awfully formal mailed letter?

However when I had a particularly enjoyable interview, and if the interviewer said something like "Feel free to email me with questions," then I shot him/her a quick thank you email. Again, this is just a personal thing to let the interviewer know I'm grateful for the effort they volunteered. Sometimes they reply with a "You're welcome!"

If you care for my anecdotal evidence that thank-yous make no difference:
4 interviews where I sent a thank-you email: 2 acceptances, 1 rejection, 1 waitlist
2 interviews where I sent nothing: 1 acceptance, 1 rejection.

Congrats on the acceptances!
I guess my warm fuzzies do come from "awfully" formal notes.

So although everyone else feels differently, you have all helped me see that I will write thank you notes as I feel appropriate and if they throw them out, I still get the satisfaction of writing them.

 

[T3ckFr3s]

It's really a professional courtesy. Unless they specifically tell you not to send them a note, go ahead and send one. It won't hurt your application to be courteous.

 

[Stabley17]

It's a good idea to send them, if you can and aren't told not to. It's not because they will have an effect on your application (they probably won't), but it's a matter of professional courtesy. With that said, I've received acceptances regardless.

For MMI's, there's less convention, but I would still recommend sending a note to the admissions office thanking those responsible for organizing and participating in the day (e.g. the director, raters, students, etc...). One place responded by thanking me and saying they had added it to my file.

 

[NickNaylor]

I never sent any - I don't feel particularly compelled to send a note in that situation. That said, many of my colleagues did when they were applying, so it's definitely not unusual. Most schools would probably prefer an e-mail note (if anything at all), but there's variation here.

Don't overthink it. Send one if you want, don't if you don't. Just do whatever you think is best and use your brain. At the end of the day, it just doesn't matter all that much.

 

[ThrombinHood]

I only ever sent thank you notes to those interviewers whose conversations really piqued my interest. I don't think there is ever a need to send one--in fact schools like NYU and Emory explicitly state not to send thank you notes. The idea of sending a thank you note is extremely old fashioned and I wouldn't be surprised if this trend of asking applicants to stop wasting their time writing letters starts catching on across the nation.

 

[moisne]

I guarantee you a hand-written letter will not help your application, and none of the adcoms that prowl these forums never even hinted at that. As for the fuzzies, wouldn't a sincere email give you more warm fuzzies than an awfully formal mailed letter?

However when I had a particularly enjoyable interview, and if the interviewer said something like "Feel free to email me with questions," then I shot him/her a quick thank you email. Again, this is just a personal thing to let the interviewer know I'm grateful for the effort they volunteered. Sometimes they reply with a "You're welcome!"

If you care for my anecdotal evidence that thank-yous make no difference:
4 interviews where I sent a thank-you email: 2 acceptances, 1 rejection, 1 waitlist
2 interviews where I sent nothing: 1 acceptance, 1 rejection.

I like to make cards as a hobby. I brought in 3 thank you cards, filled them out during lunch, asked the coordinator to give them to my interviewer (after they leave they interview feedback- I said this specifically so it wouldn't be viewed as a bribe but a notion of gratitude).

My interview was probably the reason I got in since I am sub par in all the other areas. I didn't even think I did that well at the interview So maybe it was the cute cards? Haha

 

[T3ckFr3s]

Can't see how it's your cards if you gave it to them after their interview feedbacks

 

[moisne]

Can't see how it's your cards if you gave it to them after their interview feedbacks

They knew I was doing it. The director told them about me during lunch - but did not give it to them under afterwards

Edit - not director. The coordinator.