Thanking Professors

[coffeeplease]

I've reached a point in the application process where things are starting to wind down and deadlines are approaching. I really want to thank the professors who wrote my letters of rec.

My question is, what is appropriate? I was going to find some nice cards and hand write the thank yous. Is that enough? Should I include a gift of some kind? (I am living out of the country, so logistics are an issue)

These profs did a lot for me when I was in college so I don't want to seem ungrateful.

Thanks!

[contretemps]

Maybe you should include a gift. It's christmas anyway!

[emmm]

Gifts are not necessary, but notes of appreciation and updates when your results come in (especially when there's good news) are.

If you want to give gifts, you may. Some profs feel awkward accepting gifts, so it might be better to avoid unless you know your recommenders well. I could tell one of my writers felt uncomfortable accepting a gift.

[tendaysleft]

I have actually had a Professor tell me that it is inappropriate to give a gift to a prof as a thank-you for writing a recommendation, although I'm not sure why--maybe it could be misconstrued as a weird attempt at bribery? At any rate, given the chance that a gift might cause awkwardness, I agree with emmm. A heartfelt note is probably best.

[PhDreams]

I had this come up in a senior capstone class and the professor teaching the class suggested a nice thank you note and a small gift... Like something for their office. small and inexpensive. I'm only spending about $20 per letter writer. I'm giving one of my profs a small basket of cookies, if that helps. It felt appropriate considering that it's also the holidays.

[finknottle]

You can probably wait till you get your admits. That way, the thank you note and/or the gift would come across as your expression of gratitude to the professor for mentoring you through the undergraduate years. Grad school would mark an important milestone in your life. It closes the loop in some sense. If you send it right away, there might be a small risk of it coming across as just a token of gratitude for writing the letters, which sort of trivializes the professor's contributions to your success. And even if you choose to do it now, you will, in all likelihood, end up writing another note later to tell them about the school you would be attending, your plans etc. So might as well wait till that stage and express all the gratitude at one time.

[emmm]

I actually did communicate with my letter writers several times. I thanked them shortly after the applications were all in -- precisely for writing the letters. It is not a trivial task. In fact, I think it's probably a pain in the neck, and I was grateful I had professors willing to go through the trouble for me. I also wanted them to know that I appreciated their support, advice, and encouragement no matter what the outcome of my applications was. Then, when I had good news to report, of course I let them know! I doubt any of them minded being thanked more than once :- )

I also let my recommenders know when I had not-so-good news, but I was actually pretty close to all my LOR writers, so it felt natural to keep them updated. IF I'd had more formal relationships with them, I probably would have only sent notes in January and updates (probably just by email) around March/April.

[coffeeplease]

Thanks everyone! I didn't even think about waiting for admits....I think I'll send some notes now (I would feel too guilty about waiting until the spring to send anything) and then revisit it the gift issue when the decisions are in.

[taybaxter]

I'm sending each of my LOR writers a small gift and a letter for the Holidays.

[mj53]

I'm planning on giving a small gift and a letter during admits for one of mine. I work with the other two who wrote me letters and will take them out to lunch whenever we get the chance.

But yeah for those who don't see theirs every day a letter is sufficient during admits I would think. A small gift is optional and if not too over the too, appropriate as well.

[SNPCracklePop]

Gave my recommenders book store gift cards. Profs have busy lives (research, grading, class organization, conferences, committee meetings, family life), and they deserve something for their time and assistance. If money is tight, a thank you card is fine, but definitely keep them posted on the results and keep in touch. I'm looking forward to sending them my first author paper upon acceptance with a note.