How to send post-skype interview email?

[isilya]

Hi all! 

 

I recently had a skype interview with the admissions committee at a university and I wanted to send a little followup "thank you for your time"-type email. How should I go about doing this? Should I send it to all the members of the admissions committee at once or individually? What should I say?? I didn't anticipate this little email being so stressful...!

[kewz]

I had the same question and asked two current students about it when I visited. Turns out one didn't think of sending such emails at all and still got in; and one said 'Don't send it for the sake of sending it. Send it only if you felt a genuinely strong connection with the interviewer.' I liked the second grad student's advice. (I ended up not sending any email afterwards, even though I 'clicked' with one of my interviewers -- I just didn't know what to say and decided not to be awkward. Got in anyways. )

Edited January 18, 2015 by kewz

[laminator]

If you do it at all, do it individually.

Edited January 18, 2015 by laminator

[isilya]

Thanks for the suggestions! Maybe I won't email, then. Once I get official acceptance/rejection I can thank them for their time, etc.

[Chubberubber]

I had a Skype interview with just one professor (as opposed to a full group of people) so it might be a bit different, but I found it almost necessary to send a personal e-mail after the interview.

In that e-mail I thanked the professor for his/ her time and mentioned how much I enjoyed our conversation and that I learned a lot from it. I also adressed a couple of academic issues we talked about (something like: "I am looking forward to continue talking to you about your theory regarding ABC and it's practical implications on XYZ...") 

 

Don't know if it mattered at all, but I figured it can't hurt...

[gubidal092]

I thought it would be better to send an follow-up email than to send nothing; at worst the recipient will react ambivalently; at best they will appreciate the gesture. I agree that the thank you email is better if you have a stronger connection with the interviewer, but I don't think it's necessary. I had a skype interview with some members of the admissions committee (4 people), but only had prior email contact with the DGS, so he was the one I directed my email to. I wanted to refer to all of the professors I had met with by name ("Please extend my thanks to Dr. Blah, Dr. Blah, and Dr. Blah." etc.), but due to technical issues, I could not really hear the name of several professors who were there (Skype audio didn't work so I was listening to four people talk over a cell phone's speaker phone option and watching them via Skype -- not conducive to audio clarity). I was able to match the people I met to their faculty photo, but one person I just could not pick out. So I wound up saying something to the effect of "Please extend my thanks to the rest of the Admissions Committee." I think the thank you email post-interview can only help you (unless you really cannot write an email). 

[isilya]

Relevant update, I didn't send an email but I just got in

[Chubberubber]

Congratiolations!!