The MBA Interview Thank-You Letter

Sending an MBA interview thank-you letter is a necessary follow-up to an informational interview, phone screening, campus interview or on-site interview. While people debate about whether a thank-you letter can increase your chances of getting in, it can be the first step in building an ongoing relationship.

Email or Snail Mail

One of the first things you need to do is decide whether to send your thank-you letter through email or snail mail, just like you would with a job interview thank-you letter. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, but email may be the best choice given how much time interviewers have to report on the interview.

Pressed for time? Email is the obvious choice since your letter will get to the interviewer faster. Speed can be a very important factor, since some MBA interviewers only have 24 hours to give their feedback about the interview. Make sure you use a clear subject line, such as "Thank You", so that your email doesn't get deleted by accident.

If emailing, make sure you send your message directly to your interviewer and not the general Admissions Committee email address. Make sure you get a business card before the end of the interview. If you don't have this information, however, a Google search can help you find it or at least the format a particular institution uses for their email addresses.

Have more time? A hand-written MBA interview thank-you letter can set you apart from your competition, depending on the school. Check out MBA forums to see what schools have interviewers that respond well to handwritten thank-you notes.

Regardless of the option you chose, your letter should be sent as soon as possible and no more than 24 hours after your interview.

How to Write a Thank-You Letter

Short, simple and customized is the best approach to an MBA interview thank-you letter:

• Start with reflecting upon what happened during the interview. Go over your notes. Recall anything that made a good impression on you, so you can mention one memorable part of your conversation in your MBA interview thank-you letter. One of the best ways to do this is to go over the questions you asked the reviewer, since the things you asked about are probably the things you are most excited about.

• Begin your letter by thanking the interviewer. Americans in particular prefer this more direct communication style. Avoid starting your thank-you statement with "I" (as in "I would just like to thank you..."), since that could make the letter seem that it's more about you than the interviewer.

• Mention why you enjoyed your conversation with the interviewer. This is the part where your notes and memories of the interview will come in handy. Do not send the same cookie-cutter thank-you letter to all interviewers.

• Incorporate your accomplishments into the note. This needs to be done in a subtle way, such as through your writing style. Make sure the accomplishments you choose to emphasize are consistent with those you've been highlighting throughout the admissions process.

• Close your MBA interview thank-you letter with a statement about how much you excited you are at the prospect of attending that business school.

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