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Thank You notes


MD201988

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What is acceptable to include in a CaRMS 'Thank You' note? 

Is it OK to say that you are highly interested in the program? or say top choice? or say that you ranked them highly?

Is it OK to say that 'I hope to be part of you X program'?

To me, these statements are not suggestive or violate CaRMS guidelines, but I would like your thoughts on it. I maybe wrong.

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I wrote thank you e-mails to people I connected well with after my interviews. I don't think it's necessary, but I do think that reaching out to places where you really think it would be a good fit is worthwhile. I wouldn't be sending out a copy-and-paste thank you template e-mail to every program. I view that as disingenuous and maybe a little tacky. Politely thanking people and showing gratitude on the day is enough in that regard. And I certainly got replies that said more than "you're welcome". :)

Good luck with interviews this year! It's a super fun (and tiring) time. Try to enjoy it!

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  • 2 months later...

I think writing thank you notes is always a good idea. I don't think you necessarily have to reiterate your strong interest (which, i do agree is kind of cheesy), but adding something original or simply stating why you liked them in an indirect sort of way is always helpful. My thought process always is that even if they don't reply back, it just shows your tenacity and ambition. Hopefully, the receiving party (i.e., programs) value that and not simply your EE/NAC/QE1 score only. 

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Thank you notes are a nice gesture but I can't see them actually making much difference to your match result unless it was so close between you and another candidate and you were the only one who said thanks. And that's probably a very rare occurrence. I think it's still nice of people to send them but let's not fool ourselves thinking it'll make or break you.

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For the first iteration of CaRMS, it's rarely done and not necessary. Would have to be via email to be timely enough. Could be a nice gesture if the program went out of their way to accommodate you or something like that.

However, for other types of interviews (job and fellowships), I think thank you notes are a good idea.

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Personally, I sent thank-you notes to all the programs I interviewed at. To my number 1 program, I also told them that they were my number one (said more elegantly, of course), but only after the interview season was over so that it is more sincere (i.e. I had the chance to see all the programs and what they offer).

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They aren't expected or necessary. If you made a good impression, then you made a good impression, and they're probably going to rank you high. If you made a bad impression, then the thank you note won't help because they already don't like you anyways. This is Canada. This isn't like the U.S. where sending a thank you card plus $100 stapled to it might actually tip the scale in your favor.

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One of the biggest wastes of effort and time that I immensely regret about CaRMS is the Thank You notes. Coming from the world of lawyers, and my experience being job interviews in that former life, I spent inordinate amount of time on composing dozens of Thank You notes. 

I figured CaRMS is like a job interview. It is not, in so many ways, it is its own beast, far more black box than anything out there in the rest of the professional world.

Anyways, I later learned that Thank You cards basically mean nothing, because by the time they are recieved, the program's decision has already been made. Same with emails. In fact, most programs, especially competitive ones, already have their ranking solidified in advance of interviews, with little shuffle after the interviews.

A thank you note or email will probably less positively affect your matching outcomes than a call from your elderly grandmother to the program directors.

 

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