I Like You

It's an awkward thing to say in a relationship, and the same goes for expressing interest to medical schools (this is in response to a comment from November 28.) I have several thoughts on this issue.

- It's late enough (now) in the interview season that you are likely starting to have a sense for which medical schools will be your top choices. You see, at the beginning of interview season, when an applicant says, "I like you," I think to myself, "I don't believe you." How could you know?! There are too many fish in the sea. But by now, you've sewn some oats; expressing sincere interest means something. So, one potential thing is to overtly express interest when you send your thank you notes. Something like...

"I have nearly completed my interviews, and I anticipate that ___ with be one of my very top choices. I would be absolutely delighted to become a medical student at ___."

- That said, saying it in a thank you note is not enough. I HIGHLY recommend sending a letter of interest to your top choice. But, be cautious. You should not be sending multiple letters of interest. Your word means something. While the above comment could be sent in thank yous to, say, your top three choices, a letter of interest should be sent to just one. I would send it electronically so that it can easily be forwarded (if necessary) and so that it makes it into your electronic file. Be brief, personal, and sincere. Say why you think the school is a good fit (as opposed to just saying that it is a good fit).

Just yesterday, I was chatting with a current first year at my school who says that this time last year she knew my school was her first choice. She sent an email to one of her interviewers because she had been waitlisted, and he recommended that she write a letter to the admissions committee expressing her sincere interest in attending. Although a waitlist is a slightly different scenario, she was delighted to report she got in shortly thereafter. Admissions committees often look kindly upon these communications. You have nothing to lose, so go for it! If you message me, I will happily review yours.

Comment Follow Up - Thinking of Thanking

Last week, I emphasized the importance of thanking interviewers, and I received a Comment today that I feel merits further discussion.  Don't loose sleep over this issue, but here are my thoughts:

Writing thank you notes will not get you into medical school, and choosing not to write them will not keep you out.  Writing thank yous isn't about good karma, or paying it forward, or hoping for more points on your interviewers' evaluations.  It's simply the right thing to do. 

For one thing, you will be a student at one of the schools at which you're interviewing in less than a year (!!).  While you may never see your interviewers from the other schools again, your interviewers from the school you will attend are likely to be lecturers, attendings, and even mentors in your very near future.  Thanking them is the courteous and professional thing to do.  Some of these interviewers may one day be your colleagues.

Additionally, writing thank you notes is also about creating allies who can help you with your decision making process.  Come spring, you may be making some difficult decisions, and it's nice to have established rapport with some of the very people who can help clarify questions for you. 

Finally, it's just nice.  People like nice people, and it's nice to be a nice person.  This season, I have received multiple thank you notes, and on every occasion except one, I had already completed my evaluation of the applicant by the time the thank you arrived.  But, the fact that they wrote notes to thank me for my time was very meaningful and makes me think highly of applicants I had already decided I really liked.

Certainly, if you have been told not to thank your interviewers (maybe Stanford does this?), it would be inappropriate to do so.  (As an aside, learning to properly follow instructions, even silly ones, is an important part of the medical school process.  Earlier this year, I had a Residency Program Director tell me that applicants who did not follow the instructions to list prior education in reverse chronological order were not invited for interview regardless of how qualified they were!)  However, it's hard for me to imagine a school specifically instructing you not to thank someone.  Do you really want to go to that school?  And, if your thank you note borders on coercion, I suggest you tone down the language. 

I love reader Comments.  Keep commenting.

Danke Schoen

I really cannot emphasize enough how much Thank You notes after interviews matter. Previously, I've mentioned Thank Yous here and here. I have actually been quite surprised how few Thank You notes I have received this season. Perhaps this is in part due to the fact that I'm a student conducting interviews, but given that I have equal weight on the committee as my more senior colleagues, I think this is a mistake.

Although I'm editing to ensure anonymity (both for me and the applicant), I received a Thank You note via email this evening very similar to the one below, and it blew me away. I found the applicant to be appropriately gracious while continuing to sell herself as an applicant and also mentioning specific details of things we discussed during the interview. Kudos to this applicant! I thought she was terrific when I interviewed her, and this just confirms what I already knew.

Dear ______,

Thank you so much for the opportunity to interview at *** Medical School on Tuesday. I was really impressed by ***'s top-notch facilities; I was especially amazed that ***. I was also impressed with the innovative PBL curriculum, which seems to be an excellent match with my experience working in small groups as an undergraduate and in my current job. I loved the location and would love to be in *** near my family during medical school.

Thank you again for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet with me. *** is on the top of my list of medical schools. I really appreciate your consideration for entrance into the Class of 2016. Good luck with your residency interviews!

Sincerely,
_____

Couch Surfing

Continuing from yesterday, more cost saving strategies:

Where to Stay

If you want to stay in hotels while traveling for interviews and have the means to do so, that’s fantastic.  For most applicants, however, such an endeavor is prohibitive.

--Their Network

Most schools will help you to find a current student with whom to stay on the night preceding your interview.  Some schools widely advertise this opportunity in their interview invitations and confirmations.  However, most schools will help you find housing if you just ask.  The trick is knowing to ask!  If you don’t find information about housing opportunities in the interview materials, I suggest calling the Admissions Office and simply asking.   

Although it may sound awkward to stay in the same room as a complete stranger, this is an incredible “insider” view into the lives of medical students at each institution, and you will find the information you gather by observing and chatting with your host (and often his or her friends) to be extraordinarily beneficial when you begin to decide where to attend.

--Your Network

If you strike out with the Admissions Office, look at your network!  Search Facebook for friends in the city to which you’ll be traveling.  Ask your parents whether they have friends in the neighborhood (you’ll be shocked to find how willing people are to support your endeavor to become a physician).  Finally, consider contacting your alma mater to see whether alums who might be willing to host you attend the school you’ll be visiting.

--Say Thank You

A sincere, handwritten note is a “must.”  Keep blank cards with you so that you can jot down a few brief thoughts before rushing out the door en route to your interview.  If you’re feeling particularly generous, you can never go wrong leaving a small gift card ($5-$10 for Starbucks, Dunkin, etc.) or an item from your home state (a small container of maple syrup if you’re from Vermont, for example).  But regardless, leave a Thank You note!

Full Disclosure: "Couch surfing" the night before your interview is a little risky.  You want a good night of sleep and a shower!

Put a Stamp on It

For applicants to the current cycle, letters of recommendation are a thing of the past, and Secondaries are the current focus, right? 

Maybe.

Have you sent Thank You notes to your letter writers?  If not, you should consider.

1.  Thanking your recommenders is the right thing to do.  Period.  Etiquette experts agree that writing a handwritten thank you note (yes, handwritten) is never inappropriate.

2.  It’s not just about the letter.  Even if you no longer anticipate frequent interactions with a writer of one of your letters (because you completed his or her course, are no longer working in his or her lab, or ended your commitment to the his or her volunteer organization, etc.), letter writers' names and contact information remain a very active part of your application.  Not infrequently, Admissions Committees call recommenders of applicants.  Whether it is because the Admissions Committee has further questions about you, is unsure whether to interview you, or is considering adding you to the waitlist, you want your writer to go to bat for you!  For this reason, you want them to know how much you appreciate the incredible effort they put into your letters.

3.  Did I mention it’s the right thing to do?  If you absolutely dread the thought of a handwritten note, then sending an email is better than nothing at all.  That said, imagine how much you will stand out when all your peers send emails and you send a old-fashioned note. 

Here’s a template to get you started.

Dear Dr./Professor Miller,

Thank you for taking the time to write a letter in support of my application to medical school.  I know that recommendation letters require significant time and finesse, and I truly appreciate your willingness to write on my behalf.  I anticipate that interviews will begin soon, and I will continue to update you on my progress and final plans.  Thank you again for your support.

Warmest regards,

Corey Medical Student

Wasn't that easy?