<p>I'm in the process of applying to grad school. As I get my LORs, I kinda feel that an email saying "thank you" is too... impersonal. Do you guys think it's too much if I mail an actual letter or "Thank you" card to my recommenders?? Some of them are in the admissions committee, so I don't want it to seem like I'm just trying to look good b/c that's not it, I really appreciate their help. I thought of doing the same thing with the writing specialist (helped me edit my statement), grad adviser, etc.
What's your experience with this?</p>
<p>It is definitely <em>not</em> too much to send a thank you card or letter. In fact, that's about the bare minimum, even in situations like yours where the prof is on the adcomm. It is also very common to give a small gift. I gave mugs that I filled with chocolates, tea/hot cocoa mixes, and a candy cane. If you bake, a tin of cookies is a great idea: putting some time into it shows that you care. It would be a bright idea not to forget the secretaries, who probably organized more of the process than you think.</p>
<p>I said thanks when I saw them after they submitted their letters and when they agreed to do it. Its part of their job. But I will give them gifts after decisions come in so its more genuine.</p>
<p>So will just sending a thank you card seem like too much of a formality and make it look like you're just being polite and unwilling to do more than what is expected?</p>
<p>mavsin:
Oh, I didn't mean it like that. I don't think it's too much of a formality, I really do appreciate their work and time, I just didn't know if the "thank you" card would make it seem as if I was kissing a** (excuse my language) since they are in the admissions committee. Now after reading snowcapk answer I feel it would be too little. I don't bake, I was thinking maybe chocolates or something??? Geez, I'm back to clueless :S</p>
<p>And thank you guys for your input :)</p>
<p>Hi dsl and mavsin,
I apologize, "bare minimum" was probably the wrong choice of words on my part. I think that there's no question you should send a paper thank-you, but you're certainly not expected to give a gift. I decided to send gifts because I put my recommenders through Hell (and back) - 9 schools, 2 fellowships, and scholarships the previous spring that I didn't give them thank-you gifts for because i thought they'd believe i was buttering them up for grad school letters ^_^ As Blah says, writing rec letters is part of their job, but my situation was a bit of a stretch.</p>
<p>Yeah, I think chocolates are a good idea, but this time of year you may have trouble finding any reasonably-priced chocolates that don't have hearts and cupids all over them. The chocolates I used were individually-wrapped Hershey's candies, but that only worked because I was providing a vessel to contain them.</p>
<p>Another option is to give essentials that you know they'll use (besides chocolate). For example, if the prof always brings bottled water to class, you could buy a 24-pack of bottled water and hall it up the stairs to his office. Water/Soda is cheap when bought in bulk that way, but you could save him $30-40 and/or a hassle (depending on how he's buying it), which is a nice gift. Other things profs can't get enough of: red pens, chalk/expo markers, thermoses, laser pointers, newton's cradles, wonky neckties, fleece pullovers.</p>
<p>I decided to weigh in here because at many universities, it is NOT the norm to give a gift to a professor who has written LORs for you.</p>
<p>The absolute BEST way to say thank you is to write a thank-you note, outlining all the ways in which that professor has been of help to you, and perhaps even addressing things that professor taught you. THEN, send a copy to the department chair, or Dean.</p>
<p>Same thing for a staff member -- send the copy of the note to his/her boss.</p>
<p>A copy sent to a chair, Dean, or other supervisor is worth a thousand laser pointers. </p>
<p>Got it?</p>
<p>Definitely make your mother look good- write thank you notes. Though it's part of their job description, they have to take up some of their free time to do them. Just kind of figure out what kind of life your professor(s) was/were leading while doing them for you. For example, I had a thesis advisor who was running two senior seminars (very rare) and upper level class, publish a book, and keeping up with her little kids and so writing my LORs took up some precious free time that she had. So I wrote her a really, really nice thank you note along with some homemade cookies. On the other hand, I had another professor who didn't have a crazy life as this other person so I just sent an e-mail thanking her (But I'm sure I will eventually handwrite one later once I find out about everything). But try to make an extra effort for your professor who helped you the most with a handwritten thank you note and maybe a little something but nothing extragavant.</p>
<p>by the way... though it's already a little late.. if your professors are slacking on the LORs before the deadline, giving them a thank you note beforehand works like a charm in getting them to remember their jobs :)</p>
<p>What if I see my recommendation providers on a daily basis? Wouldn't it be kind of weird to send a thank you note to them, especially since your relationship with them is so close that it could even be considered informal?</p>
<p>cblinks,</p>
<p>No.</p>