thank you notes for interviewers after the decisions were made

Prep School Admissions
1

<p>Is it a no-no? I sent thank you notes to all of my interviewers after I interviewed, but what about now, after I have made my decision?</p>

<p>Each interview went differently.. who should I send a letter to?</p>

<p>Choate - (alumnus) the interviewer was very nice and gushed about what a great fit I was.. i mean, she GUSHED. she was very impressed and </p>

<p>Tabor - (officer) same as above, but held more authority in admissions decisions.. knew my family members, bent over backwards to help me get my application in after it was 5 weeks late, etc.. but i feel bad that i didn't choose her school. really bad. :(</p>

<p>SPS - (officer) phone... went horribly. i just woke up, ran outside to help my brother, missed call. 10 minutes later calls back and i was tired and groggy and braindead. alarm clock went off in middle of interview (3 hour time difference, wasn't used to getting up so early). spaced out a few times. she was obviously unimpressed. probably shredded by application while I was on the phone. seriously. total mess.</p>

<p>Andover - (alumnus) nice guy. first interview. we talked alot. stern man; didn't gush, but said he would really like to see me at his school. recommended other schools for me to apply to (including exeter) because at that time i didn't want to apply anywhere else. but i did not end up applying to andover.. it really was my favorite in the beginning</p>

<p>taft - (alumnus) very short interview (was on her lunch break..eh). she was nice and said i would do great at taft but was sort of unengaging.. she literally read questions from a list (she was a lawyer). was like 30 minutes long. didn't feel a connection of any sort.</p>

<p>Exeter - really helpful. wasn't afraid to tell me a few dirty secrets about her experience. very casual interview; she was really laid-back and put me at ease. she helped me see exeter as a less intense, humane place. she also used to ride, and we talked about that and my equestrian therapy volunteering... i have a feeling this was a tip factor in my admissions. the acceptance letter talked about my horseback riding passion, which i did not emphasize anywhere on my application (except list it 4th in ec's), so i think she talked about it in her letter.. i just have a feeling.</p>

<p>Do I mention where I'm headed off to school? I don't know how to go about doing this without:
A) bragging, sounding snobby
B) sounding vindictive (at schools I was rejected from)
C) seeming like a liar for expressing interest in a school and then not applying (andover)/enrolling (tabor)</p>

<p>Any tips? Or is this a no-no in the first place? Who should I send it to?</p>

2

<p>You wrote them thank-you notes shortly after your interviews, right?</p>

<p>And you want to re-thank them? Give total strangers an update on your life since you interviewed with them? I'm not getting it....</p>

<p>I think I'd save your time for more productive things of which -- on a continuum of various activities rated for productivity value -- posting on this forum (as unproductive as it is) surpasses writing thank-you-redux notes.</p>

3

<p>You already sent your thank you notes, so I think that is sufficient. It would be a nice gesture to send a note to the Exeter alum to let her know how excited you are about attending Exeter. My husband does alum interviews, and his university lets him know who was accepted or rejected.</p>

4

<p>Okay, so the Exeter alum, but what about Tabor? Since I was accepted, but declined? She bent overbackwards to accomodate me, and then I just didn't enroll. And I have family there and everything.</p>

5

<p>Yeah, follow up with the Exeter alum. That's potentially an on-going relationship. </p>

<p>As for the other interviewers, they can live with rejection. These other schools just sent hundreds of rejection letters out to kids from across the country and beyond. They understand better than most that once that decision is made, everyone just needs to move on. A Tabor admission officer is not looking for a note from you to follow-up on your decision to reject them.</p>

<p>Think about it. Did any school that didn't accept you on March 10 send you a post-morten letter explaining how things went for them on April 10 and what their yields were? Are you disappointed that they didn't follow up in that way?</p>

<p>Focus your energy on this current school year, spending time with family, preparing for Exeter, your equestrian therapy...and any number of things that should be much higher priorities than writing re-thank you notes to people who, as part of a well-established process, are in a universe that you or they (or by mutual assent) are now disconnected from.</p>

6

<p>If it bothers you, then you can send her another note to thank her again, but you don't have to do this. You could mention how impressed you are with Tabor, and let her know that you will encourage people to look into it if they are considering boarding school and seem appropriate for Tabor.</p>