Is it okay (in today’s day and age) to send an interview thank you letter via e-mail?
Yes, in my opinion, it’s okay. While email encourages briefness, a good thank you letter needs to be deeper than a simple thank you. Recall some aspect of the discussion that stood out, or some opinion regarding the college (academic or social) that genuinely struck a chord with you.
I am not disagreeing with fogcity, but I would be delighted with even just a simple thank you. I get so few from the applicants I have interviewed. It is also interesting that I have received only 1 thank you from a male. The few that I get are from females. In case you think that I get few because I am a bad interviewer, that probably (hopefully) is not the case. I think I have a good rep with the Admissions Office and most applicants seem to enjoy the interview.
I close the interview with a open ended question that requires a tiny bit of research. It is a test. In the 400 or so interviews only one female followed through with finding the info I had asked for and then emailing the info in a thank you email. What a treat.
FYI: the interview takes a bit of time for the interviewer - 1 hr. or so for the actual interview, 1 hour or so to write the interview report, and about 1/2 hour - 1 hour for commuting to the interview, checking out the school (if a new one to the interviewer), spot checking the applicant’s assertions, etc. Quite a bit of time, so yes, a thank you in really appreciated.
Yes, an email thank you has replaced the old hand-written note. And yes, you should always send one. Courtesy never goes out of fashion, even when the means of expressing it have changed.
Thanks, guys! Really helpful!
And also, @amanivy does writing a thank you note give students a better chance of actually getting accepted? Of course, I know it is always proper etiquette to write a thank you note but considering so few students actually write them, do those who do have a better chance? Thanks!
None is typical.
Email is good.
Snail mail is better, especially if the interviewer is 45+. They are so rare that that they will stand out. It might be a bit difficult if you do not have the interviewer’s address.
blouring:
For me, the interview is a series of pluses and minuses. Simply, if the pluses far outweigh the minuses, I probably will write a favorable report. Will a thank you wash away rudeness, lying, and bad behavior - NO!
Each school weighs the report differently. So, I really cannot answer your question.
And doing the right thing is its own reward,
TooOld4School:
Some 45+ people were in the computer industry when computers first became available commercially in the 60s. And before CS became a major in most colleges. I had email in the 60-70’s (ARPANET). That was before the current applicants were born! lol So, applicants: this 45+ prefers emails!
My D felt email was preferable. In almost every case the interviewer sent a quick reply to her email saying how much they enjoyed meeting her etc. which was nice. That would not happen with snail mail.