I was told that I should send thank you notes to colleges that I like after my visit/tour, to show the colleges that I’m seriously interested in them. Is this a good idea? Will this set me apart from other students when I apply, or will this just take up space in the inbox of the Admissions office? If I should write thank you notes, what should they say?
Additionally, I’ve procrastinated on writing them, and now it has been 6 weeks since my visits. Will sending thank you notes this long after the visits do more harm than help, because I’ve put it off for so long?
Thank you.
Check out the Common Data Set (google the school name and “Common Data Set”) to see if interest even matters. It’s one of the line items and will tell you if demonstrated interest is even considered in admissions.
I don’t know that a thank you for a tour is even necessary. Maybe if it was a very personalized tour or if you want to acknowledge a real good tour guide (and let their supervisor know). I think for an interview it is a nice touch since you have a one on one conversation.
That said, sending a note may not help you but I guess it couldn’t hurt. (When is showing appreciation and thoughtfulness a bad thing?)
It would be very odd to send a note to thank a college for a campus visit- anyone can sign up for a college visit, it would be hard to know who to direct this to, etc. But, if you interview, a thank you note is a MUST- it’s just manners. My method is to send a quick email the evening of the interview (like about 4-5 hours after) and thank the person, and send a handwritten note the next day so they receive it and can put it in my file.
Not sure if this issue is still relevant for OP, but for others reading:
My D did not send any thank you notes. She was accepted at four colleges with fabulous FinAid at two of them.
Myself, I find the idea of thank you notes for an interview a bit over the top. I certainly don’t think a lack of a thank you note is any kind of bad mark on your application. Before I get slammed by hordes of cc’ers, may I say that if the idea of a thank you note for an interview or after meeting someone comes naturally to you, then by all means do it.
You may find other ways to show interest that may feel more genuine to you or seem more timely. If you registered for the tour or signed a roster while there, you have already shown interest. One of the ways my D showed interest was by arranging for alumni interviews for colleges she could not visit.
I don’t think it would help at all. Just going to campus shoes mess interest as long as you sugned in at admissions.