To UCSF interview 'vets'--to thank or not to thank?

[lady in red]

You probably can guess what I am talking about--you guys saw that blue piece of paper that said in bold letters that communications with interviewers is not appropriate. So, did you send a thank you (email, note) anyways? I remember BeckyG said she sent one to the whole group? Is it rude to send one if they say don't send it?

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[English Chick]

I sent my thank you notes straight to the UCSF office with a little note where I basically said I knew we weren't supposed to contact the interviewers with questions, but if it would be alright for them to recieve the notes, I hoped the office person or whoever would forward them to the right place. I figure that way, at least the notes will end up in my file. Mostly, I wanted the commitee to know UCSF is my complete and total first choice. I think I am going to go crazy with the waiting ... are they serious that we won't hear for eight weeks?

 

[brandonite]

Originally posted by English Chick:
•I sent my thank you notes straight to the UCSF office with a little note where I basically said I knew we weren't supposed to contact the interviewers with questions, but if it would be alright for them to recieve the notes, I hoped the office person or whoever would forward them to the right place. I figure that way, at least the notes will end up in my file. •••

That seems like a good compromise to me. But I don't suppose I'm allowed to post here, as I haven't even gotten a secondary from UCSF yet, let alone an interview. I'll retreat gracefully.

 

[YBee]

if they explicitly said to not send anything, I wouldn't bother. It's just more a** kissing. I guess maybe they like that though. Sigh...

 

[pillbug]

I sent in thank you notes. My friend who is going there this year also sent thank you notes. He just thought it was a good idea to send thank you notes to schools that you interview in general. I don't think it will hurt and it goes through the admissions office first anyways.

 

[nerfornothin]

"Although we appreciate your thoughtfulness in sending thank you notes after your interview day, please be advised that it really is not necessary."

So what's the question...

Didn't send them. I kinda liked the fact that they cut the bs. Sure I connected with my interviewers but if I really feel I need to talk to them again I can seek them out when the application process is over with.

 

[none]

I totally like that they said don't send them. I personally think thank you notes are somewhat of a silly idea. Do you send a thank you note after a job interview? Not usually, it would almost be somewhat unprofessional. I don't understand why this is different, although I certainly can agree that there are interviewers/schools out there that find them nice and there might be some that really expect them.

 

[sproggin]

i didnt see that sheet. I sent them in. BUt b4 i did I called to get addresses and asked Valerie how many people send in ty notes. She said 30-40%. BUt she was receptive to the idea. BUt of course she said "the're not necessary". Im sure she would of said something if there was a strong opposition to them.

 

[Jessica]

I left thank you notes when I was there, the admissions office told me that they just go in your file, not to the interviewers. Anyway, since when is thanking someone for taking time to interview you a** kissing? Most interviewers are busy faculty who volunteer a lot of their time to interview candidates, write evaluations, and attend ad comm meetings. I think that warrants a thank you note (not a novel- but a few simple lines thanking them for their time)... but that is just my opinion.

 

[Darwin]

Hey none -

"Thank You" letters are a definate after job interviews...and yes, people do send them. At that level it's seen as more of a "professional" courtesy, and believe me it goes a long way in speaking about your respect and professionalism. After interviewing 5,10, or 15 people for a job wouldn't you think twice about the one who took the time to thank you for the opportunity?

 

[BeckyG]

As Lady said, I did send in one letter thanking my interviewers, tour guides/students who talked with me, and the admissions staff. The directive they give you makes it obvious that the letter goes only in your file - but remember that your interviewers are the ones who do the review of your file - so if you do something nice and they see it, all the better. Thank you cards should never be done solely for butt kissing; that's a waste of time and it will show in the writing.

But, I will say this - I interview for my undergrad college and I always appreciate when the applicant sends me a thank you card. I never expect one, but it definitely makes me think well of them -- that they are courteous enough to take the time to write it. That effort definitely helps me write them a better letter for them to the Committee. Hope this helps,

Becky

 

[megkudos]

The way I figure it-- it's something my mother would tell me to so-- Moms are usually good when it comes to that kind of stuff.

Besides I talked to an admissions officer who mentioned that if he was choosing between 2 applicants with very similar credentials--one had written a thank you note and one hadn't--he would chose the one who wrote it. Wouldn't you? That's the world we live in I guess.

 

[megkudos]

P.S.- the admissions officer wasn't at UCSF but you guys get the idea