<p>I had my interview yesterday it went of well. It was friendly chat. Hope everything goes well.</p>
<ol>
<li>Send a nice thank you note.</li>
<li>Keep your grades up.</li>
<li>Wait for April.</li>
<li>Celebrate or slash wrists.</li>
</ol>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Can I ask, what is the point of a thank you note? It doesn’t seem neccessary to me, it really doesn’t.</p>
<p>If you don’t like step #1, skip it and move on to step #4 and choose the latter option :)…</p>
<p>@ ripemango - Maybe because a civil society functions best when it’s members behave thoughtfully and respectfully toward each other. Similar to, Why shouldn’t I urinate in the dining room?</p>
<p>Or if you’d rather look at it selfishly…</p>
<p>Because when the interviewer writes their report on you, it might be better that they consider you pleasant and polite rather than rude and boorish.</p>
<p>As an attorney might say, “Govern yourself accordingly.”</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>I didn’t send a thank you note because I didn’t have an address for the interviewer and I think email thank you notes are impersonal. The interview was very pleasant, though, and for that I don’t see him suddenly thinking I’m rude two weeks down the line-- my personality has already made the (positive) impact.</p>
<p>I don’t want to sound like Miss Manners here, but an email thankyou note is surely less impersonal than no thankyou note at all.</p>
<p>@Keellota</p>
<p>The thank you note is not about being personal and making a “positive impact.” The thank you note will not play any role in your admission in any way. People write thank you notes because its common courtesy, because human beings deserve to be thanked.</p>
<p>It’s sad how often people write about thank-you notes having no purpose. There is more to life than your application. There are people, and relationships. Sigh.</p>
<p>^ Keep in mind what kind of students gravitate toward this forum. </p>
<p>Anyways OP, send an e-mail thank you note. I’ve done it for all my interviews and it certainly beats not sending anything at all.</p>
<p>I agree it is basic manners to send a thank u note immaterial whether i get in to Princeton or not.</p>
<p>"Can I ask, what is the point of a thank you note? It doesn’t seem neccessary to me, it really doesn’t. "</p>
<p>The interviewer took an hour out of his/her time away from family/chores/work in order to meet with you. He or she will take another hour to compose the write up and submit it. </p>
<p>Does this drive you to being grateful? if yes, then act as such. If not, then don’t. The interviewer’s selflessness is evident. Whether yours will be or not is determined by you.</p>
<p>^According to my 16 year old son, who developed this theory in his younger days when we “forced” him to send out thank you cards for birthday presents, a thank you note is simply a reflection of which child, or in this case, student has a parent nagging him. It is not in any way a reflection of how “Thankful” someone is. :)</p>
<p>^Or, it could be a reflection of whether someone has internalized the concept of politeness and gratitude.</p>
<p>At the beginning of this whole apply-for-college process, my D asked “why” as well. Why should I thank my teachers and counselor for LORs? Isn’t that what they are supposed to do? Why should I thank the interviewer? It isn’t my fault he/she volunteered to interview me, etc.</p>
<p>But, she doesn’t ask anymore. Not because I “force” her or nag her, but because she has finally come to understand the time and effort these people have put into helping her achieve her goals – all at no apparent benefit to themselves.</p>
<p>^Still waiting for my son to internalize this. I’m still nagging.</p>
<p>As an interviewer, my suggestion would be to send a thank you note. E-mail (to me) is totally fine these days (although some might disagree with me), and three or four sentences would be more than sufficient. But send the note. It costs you 5 minutes of your life and may help you–why would you not do it? </p>
<p>PS–this doesn’t just apply to Princeton. I would argue that you should send thank you note to any interviewer who’s evaluating you for something that you want. College interview? Job? Graduate school interview? PhD job talk? Send the note–no reason not to.</p>
<p>I sent my thank you email about 6 hours after the interview. I’d much rather send a personal handwritten one, but I can understand why addresses are no longer given out.</p>
<p>I, as well, am an alumni interviewer. I cannot stress enough the importance of sending a thank you note in a timely fashion. Maybe I grew up in a different era (though I graduated from Princeton in 2009) but I have always sent thank you notes/emails to college interviewers, graduate school interviewers, and job interviewers. </p>
<p>I wait one week before writing my review of the interviewee. One week is enough time to write a short thank you note/email. And let me tell you, a thank you note would make a HUGE difference in the amount of enthusiasm I put into my letter - it shows you are considerate, kind, and interested in Princeton. Sadly, in my 2 years on interviewing, I have never once received a thank you note/email from an applicant.</p>
<p>If you dont know your interviewer’s address, ask for an email address - they will be more than happy to give you theirs.</p>
<p>Also of note, DO NOT CALL YOUR INTERVIEWER WITHIN ONE HOUR OF THE INTERVIEW AND CANCEL (unless there exist horribly extenuating circumstances). This is completely unprofessional, disrespectful, and immature. Your interviewer SHOULD NOT work around your schedule - you work around your interviewer’s schedule.</p>
<p>I have had issues with a few applicants this year, and I can assure you that they will not be receiving positive reviews from me (and while an extremely positive interview report may not help an applicant receive admission, a negative interview report definitely hurts even the best applicant’s chances at admission).</p>
<p>So to sum this all up: Use common sense. Be polite. Be thankful. Be respectful.</p>
<p>the most fun part of the whole college process: just waiting</p>