If we did not send a thank you note immediately after interviewing, is it seen in bad taste to send one now via email? Perhaps we could be creative in addressing the oversight and also indicate a different perspective now that all the applications are completed.
How bad is it to NOT have a thank you letter in the file?
I don’t think Not sending a thank you note will get you a rejection on March 10th. 
The child could write that finally the application was submitted and update what else has been going since the interview (awards, activities). In this forum a handwritten card seems to be preferred.
Honestly? I would absolutely send a hand-written thank you note to the interviewer. I wouldn’t explain or be apologetic-- just thank them and say what you liked about the school. It will go into the file, which won’t really get reviewed until February. But hand- written is more personal and shows more care (like hand-written thank yous for wedding presents, rather than email or form letters). I agree you could use it to update or say you’re doing it now that the application is complete. Would not sending one make it so you’re rejected if they otherwise love you? No, but of course you want the AO to think you have good manners and like their school when they start reviewing files. Email thank yous are fine to send the kids who toured you-- and, yes, those can still be sent as well. My DS does tours this year for his BS, and they are told to forward every thank you to the admissions office-- and, for the student tour guides, it’s actually easier to forward the ones sent by email.
One thing to add-- if you don’t still have the contact info for your guides, that’s less important than sending the note to the AO.
Personally, I’m not on the thank you note bandwagon. When my son applied several years ago, he didn’t send any (handwritten or by email). This time around with my daughter, she sent email thank yous to the AOs by her choice, I didn’t nag her to do it. I just really don’t see how it adds very much. I do a lot of interviewing of candidates for jobs at my company, and honestly, I almost always view thank you notes with some annoyance. It’s the very rare thank you note that makes me like the candidate better or says something meaningful enough to stick in my mind. Mostly they go straight in the circular file, and the only time they go in the real file is when they have a grammatical or other error in them (like getting the name of the company wrong, which happens probably in about 1 out of every 4).
Your perspective is very refreshing soxmom - I feel like gold leaf calligraphy on parchment paper is recommended in this forum. We ended up sending in the notes via email and expressing continued interest with a few lines for his top choice. I suggested the hand written route, but this is just not him and I feel like at least getting the belated thank you’s out was enough. For what it’s worth, he got some encouraging emails responses back that let him know that his application was remembered and the time to write the note was appreciated. One AO specifically stated that his continued interest was important to them. Not sure what to make of it, but I don’t think we misspelled any schools or names, so I don’t think the notes hurt.
No one is suggesting that a child use stationery purchased from Mrs. John L. Strong. And I seriously doubt that an AO would care if writing paper (from an 8th grader) had the right watermark or the right blind-stamping on the back of the envelope.
I think as long as a Thank You note isn’t written on a purple Post It and shoved into a white business envelope, you’re likely good to go. But then again- if an applicant is capable of that misstep, I’d probably recommend sending an email.
I’m very happy your son received a positive response for his effort!
I was just kidding about the calligraphy. Millennials are all about instant communication - I suspect that thank you cards may on the decline.
Not in my house.
Nor mine. Christmas thank-you notes were in the mail by the 27th.
She did not, however, hand write any to AOs although she emailed a note after our tour (interview was done earlier). We saw sending one a good idea… not as a strategy, but as a polite way to acknowledge the time spent with the applicant.
If your kid is not in the habit of writing thank you notes, it might be hard to have one come off as natural… no one way is the “right” way - you need to do what is best for your own family. @soxmom has a point - I doubt any admissions decision is based on a thank you note (or lack thereof).
At any rate: what’s done is done. It is January 20th. Most school deadlines are already passed, or will be here very soon. Just make sure the actual required items are on file.
FWIW, my kid had a job last summer that she really enjoyed. At the end of the summer, she wrote a letter to her employers, thanking them for the opportunity and saying that she would love to continue working for them in the future. They had a number of nice kids working there in the summer, and when it came time to hire someone during the holiday breaks, they offered it to my kid-- and told her it was because she was the only one who demonstrated maturity and thoughtfulness by writing that letter.
Thank you notes are always a big deal in our house, too!
Thank-you cards on the decline! I hope Miss Manners is not on CC.
I’m not advocating for it. Just pointing out that this generation would rather send a text than hand write a thank you card. Soon there will be an emoticon depicting the sentiment, replacing words altogether. Maybe a thumbs up and a smiley face.
I get the point, @heartburner, but as parents, our job is to ensure OUR children don’t become such heathens.
Last year before Commencement we took a group of my son’s friends out to a formal dinner and every single guest sent me a TY note- which was very warmly received. When my kids are guests at a formal dinner or a houseguest for a weekend or longer they always send notes as well. And- like London- my kids always send notes when they receive gifts.
Everyone in my house goes off to school with a box of very plain notecards (along with fun postage stamps like Jimi Hendrix ). Now that my kids are young adults- it’s up to them if and when they want to use them- and I trust that they will. My work here is done.
Recently, after my youngest son was accepted ED, he delivered a handwritten note to his CC’s mailbox on campus- which essentially said, Thank You - I couldn’t have done this without your guidance and support. ( I only know about it because the CC sent me an email that mentioned his note in a truly heartfelt way ). What parent (in this day and age ) wouldn’t like to hear that?
I guess my point is: There is never a downside to proper etiquette or going the extra mile to express gratitude - whether it’s for a gift you received, a special dinner or someone’s time. Boarding Schools value courtesy, effort and tradition. A Thank You note sent electronically is fine and certainly accomplishes the goal but I just happen to think a handwritten note shows a little more care.
Quick FWIW : At JBS- an email Thank You note is never an option. All JBS kids applying to SS send handwritten notes to AOs . I never heard one kid (or parent) complain and everyone enjoyed receiving handwritten responses in return.
Call me old- fashioned but I love walking out to the mailbox and finding a lovely note sitting on top of junk mail and bills. I could be completely wrong but I have to imagine most people feel the same way.
It’s always a nice feeling when you know someone (other than Verizon ) is thinking of you and took time out of their busy day to let you know.
I guess this is a matter of opinion. I’m an alumni interview for Duke. I always notice when a student doesn’t send a quick polite thank you note (via email). Although I don’t have any resentment towards students who fail to send a thankyou note, I definitely notice the ones who do.
Don’t let your child forget to write thank you notes to the faculty and admin staff at their current school who spent extra time writing recommendations, etc. For many this is above and beyond their normal responsibilities.
Also, better to send them in right away to thank them for their efforts rather than wait for outcome, IMHO.