<p>If you've asked a professor to write a letter of recommendation for grad school--does a nice thank you note suffice or would a gift card also be in order? I've read on other sites that some professors will not accept any type of gift, but it almost seems like a thank you note isn't enough. What does everyone think?</p>
<p>Well, a gift card is different than a gift…though people don’t seem to think so. It is very different to give someone a box of nice chocolates than a gift card to purchase chocolates, imho. </p>
<p>If you feel moved to give a gift? I’d make it an actual gift, something with some personal meaning; otherwise, just a note is appropriate.</p>
<p>YMMV</p>
<p>My kids wrote thank you notes but did not give gifts. When they graduated, both had favorite professors who we did take out for lunch or coffee after the graduation weekend…and one very favorite got a gift…but NOT until after graduation. Didn’t want any appearance of “favoritism” to be there and didn’t want to put the teacher in an awkward position.</p>
<p>Poetgrl and thumper1—thanks for the replies. Think I will just go with the thank you notes for now. I was concerned about the “awkward position” also.</p>
<p>Yeah, I think that’s a good choice…:)</p>
<p>Today I was given a thank you card with a bookstore gift card. I think completely unnecessary but it was an extremely nice gesture nonetheless. </p>
<p>Usually a hand written thank you card is appreciated. Moreover, I would REALLY like to know the outcome! I don’t personally need a thank you but I really dislike no follow up. They want me to care…but then act like I don’t care. Of course I care! I want to know what happened! Even if they didn’t get into grad school the first time around it is nice to be informed of how it all turned out and what the student is planning to do next.</p>
<p>I gave professors a small plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies (my mom’s recipe- highly delicious) and a thank you note. If you have a special thing you like to bake, I think something homemade is a thoughtful gesture that isn’t likely to be something that puts them in an awkward position.</p>
<p>My son wrote a thank you note to each early last spring after all the applications were finished (and gave the results of EA). Today he is delivering pens from his first-choice school to each teacher who wrote a rec. No conflict of interest because he’s gone, and they weren’t too expensive (although far more than they are worth, of course), and they get to know the final status.</p>