Sending Thank You Letter/Note???

[Guest InspectorKewl]

What do you guys think about sending thank you notes to the medical school after interviewing?

It's looked upon favourably in the U.S., but I'm not sure as

to the position of Canadian medical schools - should we do so or is it not so important? (Perhaps some may even regard this as annoying extra paperwork to deal with!?). Any thoughts?

[Guest spiritgirl]

there's a similar thread in the UT forum...

 

p084.ezboard.com/fpremed1...1004.topic

[Guest peachy]

p084.ezboard.com/fpremed1...=409.topic

[Guest TimmyMax]

Hey,

 

Don't bother. It's not expected in Canada and it won't win you any extra points. But then again, if you feel that you need to send one, then be my guest!

 

Best of luck!

Timmy

[Guest canmic]

Basically do it if you want, but don't expect anything out of it.

 

All depends on the school I guess, UBC for example has all volunteers who aren't associated with the med school doing the interviews. They might be happy to get a thank you card, but they've handed in their score and report weeks ago, so the people deciding the admissions won't even know you sent it (or care).

 

Of course, good Karma is never a bad thing, is it?

[Guest Lactic Folly]

Not necessary or expected - might be logistically difficult as well if you are not given your interviewers' names. Just thank them while you are there.

[Guest acropolistica]

In the US it seems almost required. In Canada, it seems to be a blatant suck up move(which it is), and this may work against you.

 

If I were an interviewer, and one of the interviewees mailed me a thank you note, I'd wonder why someone was thanking me for putting them on the spot for 30 minutes.

 

I'd say don't waste your time. Once the interview is done, put it out of your mind until you hear back. There's no sense worrying about things that are out of your control.

[Guest squeegy80]

If they actually had a major impact and you genuinely want to thank them, then by all means go ahead. I'm sure they will be grateful, AS LONG AS you stress in your letter than you understand it has no impact and you know it's not normally done in Canada but you had such a great experience that you wanted to personally thank them.

 

That way there's no weirdness and I'm sure they'll appreciate the gesture. Just make SURE you stress the point, or it's just cheesy.

[Guest kellyl20]

Our family is a great believer in sending a thank you note when we really meant it. It does no harm as far as we can tell. Got in x3 so I am guessing it was not considered cheesy or otherwise. I think most people would be pleased to know that they are appreciated........it is not normal to be suspicious of a thank you note.

[Guest mountainsbeyondmountains]

Just be careful . . . i know some schools prefer that you not contact interviewers following the interview (even if it is just to say thank you) . . . double check your interview letter to see if it says anything about this.

[Guest marbledust]

In the US it seems almost required. In Canada, it seems to be a blatant suck up move(which it is), and this may work against you.

 

Some people just consider it polite...it's too bad you see it as "sucking up." A simple plain card with a subtle note will not, I think, go against you.

 

I am sure there are some who do it thinking it will help their applications. But others do actually have pure motives...politeness, curtersy, etc...

[Guest acropolistica]

Marbledust just brought up a great point.

 

I would consider thank-you notes kind of smarmy, whereas marbledust would consider them genuine.

 

Point being it all depends on who's on the recieving end of these notes. You could have the greatest intentions in the world when it comes to writing one of these things, but how it affects you depends on the person getting it.

 

My logic is that if it was a good interview, you've already left on a high note anyway so the note isn't required. If it was a bad interview, the note will probably not sway your interviewers opinion in your direction, since being in your presence for 30 minutes didn't appear to. Plus, why thank someone for a bad interview?

[Guest marbledust]

Point being it all depends on who's on the recieving end of these notes. You could have the greatest intentions in the world when it comes to writing one of these things, but how it affects you depends on the person getting it.

 

I'm not really sure how it would "affect" a person in a negative way. Or in a positive way either, really.

 

If the interviewer recieving the thank you note has a negative or questionable impression of you, a thank you note is not going to harm you any further. I also don't think that if you are "on the bubble," a thank you note will be the thing that sways the decision in either a positive or negative direction.

 

If, however, you have made a favorable impression, surely a thank you note is not going to make anybody change their mind and strike you from the list, even if they consider it...what did you say? Swarmy?

 

Some people aren't going to like, some will appreciate the thought, and others aren't going to care one way or the other. So if somebody wants to send one, I don't see a problem.

 

I sent one thank you card after a medical school interview because the interviewer in question was very understanding and encouraging. I was extremely nervous and he took the time to try and calm me down. So I send a thank you card with a brief note in it to his office. Did it help me get in? No, I would think I had more going for me than a card. Did he appreciate it? Yes. When I later ran into him at the medical school nearly a year later, he not only remembered me but told me he didn't get many thank you cards from interviewees over his lengthy career, but always appreciated the ones he did recieve. I made an impression on him as a person, not as a medical school applicant....