How to Write a Medical School Interview Thank You Letter or Email
Let’s talk about how to write a medical school thank you letter or email
Do I need to write thank you letters or emails after my medical school interviews, Lisa? And if do, what should my thank you notes say?
Medical school interviews can be exhausting! Probing questions, behavioral “what-ifs”, inscrutable interviewers, … even in the best of circumstances, you’re probably going to be absolutely drained by the end of the day.
But before you collapse onto your bed, there’s one more thing to get done!
Don’t forget to write thank you notes to your interviewers!
Should I Write a Thank You Letter or Email after My Medical School Interview?
Now, there’s plenty of writing out there that questions whether you even need to write a thank you note after your medical school interviews anymore.
Look… not every medical school interviewer is going to care whether you send them a thank you note or email. Some just don’t read them. Other interviewers will write their report and/or rate you immediately after the interview so your thank you won’t have a chance to make an impact on that report at all.
But some interviewers do make note of your thank you, and it becomes part of your file, so it’s definitely better to take the time to write and send your thank you to each interviewer than not.
And in ALL cases, these are people who have taken time to get to know you and introduced you to their school, so writing them a thank you is the right thing to do!
No, generally, you do not need to send a thank you letter or email after an MMI.
Do I Need to Send a Thank You Email after an MMI Interview?
Multiple Mini-Interviews (MMIs) are the exception to the “Write Thank You Letters/Emails to All Your Medical School Interviewers” rule. Generally, medical schools keep your MMI interviewers anonymous so there’s no need to send thank you notes to your interviewers in that case, although you may want to send a general thank you email to the admissions office.
When Should I Send a Thank You Email After My Medical School Interview?
You should send your thank you note as soon as reasonably possible after your medical school interview, and always within 24 hours.
(Yes, this does mean that in almost all cases, you’ll be sending your thank you notes by email instead of an old-fashioned, snail mail letter, and that’s totally fine!)
Interviewers usually try to write their reports and/or rate candidates shortly after the interview while it’s still free in their minds, so your best bet to make a positive impact with your thank you is to get it in as soon as possible.
Obviously, don’t try to send in incoherent chicken scratch, but when you have had a minute to sit down, get a drink of water, and collect your thoughts, get them done and send them off!
Medical School Interview Pro Tip: Because you’re inevitably going to be really tired after your interviews, it’s a good idea to get a framework for your thank you emails ready before you ever walk into your interview. That way, after the interview, instead of starting from scratch when you’re really tired, you can just tailor those emails to your interviewers and get them send off before you go to bed!
What if I Don’t Hear from My Interviewer Afterwards
If you don’t hear from your interviewer afterwards, there is NO reason to panic!
Many schools have protocols that preclude contact between interviewers and candidates after the interview has concluded. If you do not get a response to your email, it’s almost certainly because they’re following their school’s protocols.
It’s still a good idea to send a thank you note!
Your medical school interview thank you email should have 4 core parts.
What Should I Say in My Medical School Interview Thank You Email?
Thank you emails should be short and sweet!
Anyone who will be interviewing you for medical school is going to be a very busy person, and the last thing that they are going to want to do is to read through an email which is several paragraphs long.
The 4 Parts of a Medical School Thank You Email
Thank you emails have 4 major sections:
Sincerely Thank Your Medical School Interviewer for Their Time
Sincerely thank the interviewer for taking the time to interview you and speak to you about their medical school. Again, your interviewers are busy people so it’s only appropriate that you express gratitude for the meeting.
Personalize your medical school interview thank you email to your interviewer.
2. Reference Something Specific from Your Interview
The body of your thank you should include one or two references to something you discussed during the interview. This is for two reasons.
First, this is to help jog your interviewers memory about who you are and your conversation. If they’re juggling multiple interviews in a day, it’s easy for candidates to blur together, so reminding them of something you were particularly excited about or something funny that you exchanged can help you stand out again.
Also, it’s an easy way to let them know that you were genuinely interested in the conversation you were having and it made an impression on you. It helps to show that you were engaged and conveys your sincere interest in the medical school. And of course, it never hurts to show that you’re a good listener!
3. Connect Your Interests and Experience to the School
In a couple of sentences, connect who you are, your interests, and experiences to the medical school in a way that shows you are a good fit.
With so much stiff competition for each medical school slot, this is one more opportunity to highlight what unique qualities and experiences you would bring to the medical school. What’s that extra something that you’re going to add to the school that the next candidate won’t?
Your medical school interview thank you email should express your strong interest in the medical school.
4. Express Your Strong Interest in the Medical School
As you close out your thank you email, make sure to express your strong interest in the medical school.
This is important! But it’s easy to overlook. After all, “Isn’t it obvious that I really want to go to this medical school?”
Not necessarily, and medical schools want to admit students who really want to go there. First of all, of course, they want energetic, enthusiastic students who are excited about attending, but also, they don’t want to admit a bunch of students who don’t enroll.
If that happens, the school has to keep admitting students which is not a position they want to be in. Also, their “yield” goes down which is not good for their overall statistics.
So, if you are interested in the school, state it clearly as you close out your thank you email.
Remember, everyone wants to be wanted!
What does this all look like when you put it together?
A Sample Thank You Email for a Medical School Interview
Here is a sample thank you email to help you along:
Dear Dr. [NAME],
Thank you for taking the time to interview me today. I really enjoyed learning about your work in remote cardiac surgery. I hope that the trials go well!
I found our conversation extremely enlightening, and especially enjoyed discussing [MEDICAL SCHOOL’S] plans to establish mobile clinics in medically undeserved areas. Having spent my last two summers helping to establish medical clinics in rural parts of India, I understand the critical need for medical care in these undeserved places and have seen firsthand the difference a clinic can make.
I deeply admire [MEDICAL SCHOOL’S] commitment to serving all communities, and would love to be a part of this program as it moves forward!
It’s initiatives like this which make [MEDICAL SCHOOL] my top choice of all the schools that I applied to.
If admitted, I would be honored to attend [MEDICAL SCHOOL]. Please let me know if there is anything else out there need to evaluate my candidacy.
Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
That’s it!
Some last words on medical school interview thank you emails…
Last Words on Medical School Interview Thank You Emails
So what’s the bottom line on medical school thank you emails?
Personalize your thank you email based on your conversation with your interviewer. Tailor to the medical school in question and your interests and experiences. Close it out by emphasizing your strong interest in the school!
And make sure you have the framework of your thank you emails ready to go before you ever step into the interview room.
By setting up as much as you can, you’ll be making it easy for yourself to finish and send your thank you emails before some well-deserved rest!
Need help with your medical school interviews?
Check out my medical school interview coaching!
And for additional help with your medical school essays and applications, check out my college essay coaching.
I also have blogs on popular college admissions topics like:
How to Write a College Essay About Leadership (with Examples!)
How to Write the Perfect Hook for Your College Essay
9 Good Questions to Ask During Your College Interview
What Not to Write About in Your College Essay
How to Write the NYU Supplemental Essay (with Examples!) [UPDATED FOR 2024-2025]
How to Write the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (UNC) Supplemental Essays (with Examples!)
