How to thank my recommenders

[econstudent18]

Hi guys,

I am writing to ask for help with how to thank my recommenders for their letters. I know this might seem like a no-brainer, but I am kinda dwelling on the details. So here are the facts: I am an international student applying to PhD program and Master's program in Economics last year. I got admitted into only one PhD program (around 15th in US News ranking) and all the master's programs. However since I only applied to econ MA/MS in Duke, UWM and Columbia, as well as PhD programs in these schools, my recommenders only needed to submit letters for all the PhD programs. So I am afraid that maybe my result let them down since there is only one PhD offer. Two of my recommenders are profs who were my course instructor for one semester during the time I was a visiting student in their school. I am now considering sending them a thank-you note to express my gratitude thus I wonder:

1. Should I mention all my acceptance results in the thank-you note or just where I will be attending this fall?
2. Since both these two recommenders are Chinese, would it be appropriate for me to send thank-you presents like Chines tea of good quality along with the card? There are several categories of Chinese tea and people tend to have their own preferences, so if there are any other ideas about an appropriate thank-you gift, they will be greatly appreciated. In addition, should I mention the gift in the note or just sent it along with the note?
3. My former email address I used to communicate with them is now invalid although I did set up an auto-reply to inform about my present email address. However should I mention my email address change in the card?

I know these questions may seem too detailed and kinda absurd. I have strong OCD so I really would like to ask your opinions about the questions above to make my decision. Thank you all in advance.

Edited May 4, 2016 by econstudent18

[sjoh197]

I think just mentioning where you will be attending is appropriate, as it is the most important part of your thank you speech

Also, I would tell them your new email and say that you hope to keep in touch throughout your career. 

There are lots of threads about the acceptability of gifts, and I really can't help you there. 

[drivingthoughts]

@econstudent18  So, in my case (and I've needed to do this a couple of times), I've done a few things things: after all decisions are made, I sent a personal e-mail to each of them thanking them for everything they've done for me and telling them where I decided to go, what program, etc. They can do the math from there. These I sent using my personal e-mail address, not my school one. I also offered to meet with each of them before I left town (some took me up on this, and we had fun conversations about life and their grad. days). When I arrived in my new town, I sent each of them a postcard from my new school, telling them how the summer went, thanking them again for their help, and inviting them to stay in touch. My advisor got a bottle of wine and I took him out to dinner. 

As to cultural questions, these were all North American professors in US schools, so your mileage may vary. 

[asurachm]

@econstudent18 I gave each referee a bottle of wine and a thank you note written in a note with the university name that I am heading to on it. I put both the wine and the note on a bag with a logo of the university that I am heading to on it.  

[kwils76]

After all  my applications were finished/letters sent around Christmas time I sent each a basket of cookies to their preferred address.

I live abroad so couldn't do much in person.
My letter writer in the country where I currently live I took out to lunch.

I kept all in the loop as I was deciding/hearing back and then let them know by email as soon as I made my decision.
I am meeting my advisor in my current city for coffee/lunch before I leave town and taking my advisor from home out for drinks while I'm in town for the summer.

I really like the postcard idea - will definitely use that when I get to campus!

[Levon3]

I also sent a bottle of wine to each recommender (in the US) with a personal note of thanks. It seems like a good quality tea would also be appropriate. Just sending the note with the gift is fine. It also seems fine to mention that you have a new email address and you hope to stay in touch.

[econstudent18]

17 hours ago, drivingthoughts said:

@econstudent18  So, in my case (and I've needed to do this a couple of times), I've done a few things things: after all decisions are made, I sent a personal e-mail to each of them thanking them for everything they've done for me and telling them where I decided to go, what program, etc. They can do the math from there. These I sent using my personal e-mail address, not my school one. I also offered to meet with each of them before I left town (some took me up on this, and we had fun conversations about life and their grad. days). When I arrived in my new town, I sent each of them a postcard from my new school, telling them how the summer went, thanking them again for their help, and inviting them to stay in touch. My advisor got a bottle of wine and I took him out to dinner. 

As to cultural questions, these were all North American professors in US schools, so your mileage may vary. 

Love the postcard idea. Too bad I live abroad at the moment so unable to meet them in person. 

[econstudent18]

16 hours ago, asurachm said:

@econstudent18 I gave each referee a bottle of wine and a thank you note written in a note with the university name that I am heading to on it. I put both the wine and the note on a bag with a logo of the university that I am heading to on it.  

I think a bottle of wine is a really nice gift. May I ask which exact kind of wine you selected? Thanks.

[asurachm]

@econstudent18 I picked wines with the price range between $20-$30, I think those are decent wines. Also, I knew from previous conversations that all my referees like red wine. 

[zipykido]

I have a pretty strong relationship with my referees so I personalized their gifts a bit. It was mostly alcohol related paraphernalia (decent glasses, etc). At minimum I would say a handwritten note is required to thank them for the time they put in. If you're not sure about personal preferences I would say that a gift card is acceptable. Most cards will read:

Thank you so and so for the time you put in...etc. Definitely include the school you decide to attend if you got accepted and a phone number or email where they can reach you in the future since you are now a positive example for them and they may want to refer to your experience later.

[spectastic]

Past card. Good one. I'm doing that

[Aminoacidalanine]

First of all thanks for creating this thread! My question is, I've already thanked and gave gifts to my recommenders after the recommendations were submitted. But I'm wondering if I should thank them again now that I have decided to go to a specific program. What should I say besides thank you and the name of the program I chose?

[TakeruK]

14 hours ago, Aminoacidalanine said:

First of all thanks for creating this thread! My question is, I've already thanked and gave gifts to my recommenders after the recommendations were submitted. But I'm wondering if I should thank them again now that I have decided to go to a specific program. What should I say besides thank you and the name of the program I chose?

If you already thanked them with personal notes (and maybe even a gift) earlier with the recommendation submissions, I don't think there is a need to do anything elaborate again. You can simply email them (or call, or a write a letter, or drop in their office, whatever your normal way of communicating with these professors is) to say something like "Hi! Thanks again for submitting those reference letters. I just thought you might want to know that I've decided to attend University's XYZ program in ABC field this fall. I'm excited for ___(whatever you are most excited about in this place, could be academic or personal [e.g. California Sun])______." If you know the prof well, you could add another sentence or two to personalize the communication (e.g. if they did school there in the past, maybe ask about their favourite restaurant, coffee place, tips for living there etc.) or if you want to stay in touch or keep a collaboration going, then mention that.