Thank you note after Interview Forum

[intlbr]

Hey guys, I was hoping one of you might be able to help. This morning I was interviewed by a person from the Admissions Office of one of the schools I'm applying to (not an alum), and I think it went very well. As I was reading some posts here, I found a thread somewhere that said it would be a good idea to send her a "thank you" note. Do you guys know if this is common-practice? Should I do it? Thanks!

[k5220]

A thank you email couldn't hurt. (Just like, "Thank so much you for taking the time to meet with me today/yesterday. I really appreciated hearing about XYZ. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can provide any further information." -- nothing crazy)

[Dreadhead168]

Hey guys, I was hoping one of you might be able to help. This morning I was interviewed by a person from the Admissions Office of one of the schools I'm applying to (not an alum), and I think it went very well. As I was reading some posts here, I found a thread somewhere that said it would be a good idea to send her a "thank you" note. Do you guys know if this is common-practice? Should I do it? Thanks!

This is a common practice, but there is no answer to the "Should I do it?" question. The general consensus seems to be that it can't hurt to send one as long as it's free from typos and it's content is not superfluous. However, there is always the chance that you do one or the other of those two mistakes, so if you are going to write one, make sure it's damn perfect.

I highly doubt that admissions officers are scouring through the ranks of interviewees to see who has written thank-you emails and who has not. Put yourself in their shoes and think about what things they are most concerned about while juggling tons of applications and interviews. Ultimately, if you had a good interview and they liked you, it won't matter if you send one or not. The same goes for if you had a bad interview.

[intlbr]

A thank you email couldn't hurt. (Just like, "Thank so much you for taking the time to meet with me today/yesterday. I really appreciated hearing about XYZ. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can provide any further information." -- nothing crazy)

This is a common practice, but there is no answer to the "Should I do it?" question. The general consensus seems to be that it can't hurt to send one as long as it's free from typos and it's content is not superfluous. However, there is always the chance that you do one or the other of those two mistakes, so if you are going to write one, make sure it's damn perfect.

I highly doubt that admissions officers are scouring through the ranks of interviewees to see who has written thank-you emails and who has not. Put yourself in their shoes and think about what things they are most concerned about while juggling tons of applications and interviews. Ultimately, if you had a good interview and they liked you, it won't matter if you send one or not. The same goes for if you had a bad interview.

Thanks y'all! I wrote something simple and straightforward.

Dear X,

I would like to thank you for taking the time to interview me this morning and discuss my application to YYY. I enjoyed learning more about the [program] and about [location]. Our conversation further strengthened my interest in attending YYY. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can provide any further information. Thank you once again for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Eager Applicant

[Thomas Hagan, ESQ.]

It's a thank you note, not a thesis transcript. It's just good manners to send one, so I doubt there could be any downside to doing this. I can't think of anyone that would penalize you for showing courtesy. This happens every day in the workplace.

[cavalier1138]

I generally only favor thank you notes for interviews when the interviewer isn't actually paid to do this.

I sent a follow-up email after an interview with an alumnus. I didn't after interviewing with an admissions officer. One of those two people actually took time out of their day for something they didn't need to do, so I feel that warrants a thank you.

If you keep it simple, there can't really be negative ramifications, but a lot of people on here overdo the thank you note. The admissions office needs you just as much as you need them, so there's no need to be obsequious.

[Thomas Hagan, ESQ.]

I generally only favor thank you notes for interviews when the interviewer isn't actually paid to do this.

I sent a follow-up email after an interview with an alumnus. I didn't after interviewing with an admissions officer. One of those two people actually took time out of their day for something they didn't need to do, so I feel that warrants a thank you.

If you keep it simple, there can't really be negative ramifications, but a lot of people on here overdo the thank you note. The admissions office needs you just as much as you need them, so there's no need to be obsequious.

Why wouldn't you just write a thank you note to everyone? It defintely can't hurt. So you never write thank you emails at work to anyone?

I agree that it shouldn't be overdone, but a quick 3 sentence note to anyone in general would never count against you.

Edit: I also disagree with the bolded text. One of them won't influence your admission that much, if at all, while the other might be the person that vouches for you in front of the committee.

I only say this because I was accepted to a school at which I had waitlist numbers at best and think the only reason I was accepted was that the admissions officer remembered me. She even recognized me at the Admitted Students Day. It can never hurt to extend courtesy even when it's not expected.

[cavalier1138]

I generally only favor thank you notes for interviews when the interviewer isn't actually paid to do this.

I sent a follow-up email after an interview with an alumnus. I didn't after interviewing with an admissions officer. One of those two people actually took time out of their day for something they didn't need to do, so I feel that warrants a thank you.

If you keep it simple, there can't really be negative ramifications, but a lot of people on here overdo the thank you note. The admissions office needs you just as much as you need them, so there's no need to be obsequious.

Why wouldn't you just write a thank you note to everyone? It defintely can't hurt. So you never write thank you emails at work to anyone?

I agree that it shouldn't be overdone, but a quick 3 sentence note to anyone in general would never count against you.

Who the hell would I write a thank you note to at work? And for what? "Dear Betty, thanks for doing your job yesterday at the same time I was doing my job. It's great we didn't get fired. Have an awesome day!"

Don't worry, you're not the outlier here. I have the same issue with apologizing for things that aren't worth an apology. I loathe niceties for the sake of niceties.

[Thomas Hagan, ESQ.]

I generally only favor thank you notes for interviews when the interviewer isn't actually paid to do this.

I sent a follow-up email after an interview with an alumnus. I didn't after interviewing with an admissions officer. One of those two people actually took time out of their day for something they didn't need to do, so I feel that warrants a thank you.

If you keep it simple, there can't really be negative ramifications, but a lot of people on here overdo the thank you note. The admissions office needs you just as much as you need them, so there's no need to be obsequious.

Why wouldn't you just write a thank you note to everyone? It defintely can't hurt. So you never write thank you emails at work to anyone?

I agree that it shouldn't be overdone, but a quick 3 sentence note to anyone in general would never count against you.

Who the hell would I write a thank you note to at work? And for what? "Dear Betty, thanks for doing your job yesterday at the same time I was doing my job. It's great we didn't get fired. Have an awesome day!"

Don't worry, you're not the outlier here. I have the same issue with apologizing for things that aren't worth an apology. I loathe niceties for the sake of niceties.

Haha i was thinking more along the lines of:

"Dear Detective Kimball,

Thank you for all your hard work in this investigation and thorughout our trial. We really appreciate it and hope to work with you again.

Best,
ADA John Smith"

[BigZuck]

Friendly Daily Reminder: No thank you notes ever.

Thanks!