Thank-You Notes After Your MBA Interview
Our clients often ask us if they should write thank-you notes to their MBA interviewers. A thank-you note shows appreciation for the interviewer’s time and consideration. It also lets them know you are grateful for the opportunity to discuss your qualifications and experience.
While handwritten messages will always be a classy move — and we encourage applicants to write such notes if they’re so inclined — an email is just as acceptable today. Plus, you know it will get to your interviewer instantly, perhaps before they need to turn in their notes or make a final decision about your candidacy (if they’re part of the AdCom).
The most important thing is to ensure you have your interviewer’s contact information. You’ll already have their email address if you’re interviewing with a local alum. But this is especially critical if your meeting is on campus, and you won’t know who your interviewer is until you arrive. Don’t forget to ask for that person’s business card when you’re wrapping up!
Stacy Blackman Consulting offers many services to help you shine during your interview, from our All-In package to strategic coaching for group interviews and video interviews/essays. Contact us today to learn more!
What is the Value of Post-Interview Thank-You Notes?
Well-written thank-you notes demonstrate professionalism and attention to detail. It shows that you take the business school application process seriously and that you can communicate effectively. As for the content of the message, you shouldn’t feel the need to go on and on.
There are only two must-includes:
- Thank the interviewer for their time, and
- Reiterate your interest in the program.
If you can throw in a sentence or two that references something you talked about, all the better. But thank-you notes are not the place to try and sell yourself any further or write another mini-essay. The point is to show that you’re excited about and thankful for the opportunity to be considered for a seat in Program X.
Some AdComs have to make admit and denial decisions very quickly. So don’t let more than 24 hours go by before you send your message. If you interviewed in the morning, send it before the business day ends. If your talk was in the late afternoon or evening, get your email out first thing the following day.
But what if you need to travel home right after the interview and only have time to send a quick message from your phone? In that case, make sure you read it over carefully before sending it to confirm that spellcheck or autocorrect didn’t do you wrong. You don’t want the last impression you leave to be a negative one.
Finally, don’t worry if you don’t get a response after you’ve sent your message. Some schools have strict policies regarding post-interview contact with applicants and don’t want to risk any communication misinterpretations.
Thank-You Notes are an Easy Lift
Sending a thank-you note after your MBA interview is a small but meaningful gesture that can make a difference in the impression you leave on the interviewer and the admissions committee. Have MBA hopefuls gotten into their dream programs without writing a thank-you note? Yes, of course.
Nonetheless, sending one can help you stand out from other candidates who may not have taken the time to do so. After all, showing that you have manners and are aware of the proper etiquette is never a wrong move — it’s just the right thing to do.
Remember:
The process of finding, applying for, and sorting out MBA financial aid opportunities can be tedious and confusing. If you have already received admission to your dream MBA program and would like help with applying for financial aid as a US or international candidate, we are here to help with SBC’s Financial Aid Advisory service. Please email info@stacyblackman.com to learn more.
Here’s a snapshot of the caliber of expertise on our SBC team.
Ashley
Ashley is a former MBA Admissions Board Member for Harvard Business School (HBS), where she interviewed and evaluated thousands of business school applicants for over a six year tenure. Ashley holds an MBA from HBS. During her HBS years, Ashley was the Sports Editor for the Harbus and a member of the B-School Blades Ice Hockey Team. After HBS, she worked in Marketing at the Gillette Company on Male and Female shaving ...
×Kerry
Kerry is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS). During her 5+ year tenure at HBS, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a wide range of backgrounds across the globe. She also led marketing and outreach efforts focused on increasing diversity and inclusion, ran the Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP), and launched the 2+2 Program during her time in Admissions. Kerry holds a B.A. from Bates College and ...
×Pauline
A former associate director of admissions at Harvard Business School, Pauline served on the HBS MBA Admissions Board full-time for four years. She evaluated and interviewed HBS applicants, both on-campus and globally. Pauline's career has included sales and marketing management roles with Coca-Cola, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, and IBM. For over 10 years, Pauline has expertly guided MBA applicants, and her clients h ...
×Geri
Geri is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS). In her 7 year tenure in HBS Admissions, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a diverse set of academic, geographic, and employment backgrounds. Geri also traveled globally representing the school at outreach events in order to raise awareness for women and international students. In additio ...
×Laura
Laura comes from the MBA Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS) and is an HBS MBA alumnus. In her HBS Admissions role, she evaluated and interviewed hundreds of business school candidates, including internationals, women, military and other applicant pools, for five years. Prior to her time as a student at HBS, Laura began her career in advertising and marketing in Chicago at Leo Burnett where she worked on th ...
×Andrea
Andrea served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at Harvard Business School (HBS) for over five years. In this role, she provided strategic direction for student yield-management activities and also served as a full member of the admissions committee. In 2007, Andrea launched the new 2+2 Program at Harvard Business School – a program targeted at college junior applicants to Harvard Business School. Andrea has also served as a Career Coach for Harvard Business School for both cu ...
×Jennifer
Jennifer served as Admissions Officer at the Stanford (GSB) for five years. She holds an MBA from Stanford (GSB) and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Jennifer has over 15 years experience in guiding applicants through the increasingly competitive admissions process into top MBA programs. Having read thousands and thousands of essays and applications while at Stanford (GSB) Admiss ...
×Erin K.
Erin served in key roles in MBA Admissions--as Director at Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and Assistant Director at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB). Erin served on the admissions committee at each school and has read thousands of applications in her career. At Haas, she served for seven years in roles that encompassed evaluation, outreach, and diversity and inclusion. During her tenure in Admissions at GSB, she was responsible for candidate evaluation, applicant outreach, ...
×Susie
Susie comes from the Admissions Office of the Stanford Graduate School of Business where she reviewed and evaluated hundreds of prospective students’ applications. She holds an MBA from Stanford’s GSB and a BA from Stanford in Economics. Prior to advising MBA applicants, Susie held a variety of roles over a 15-year period in capital markets, finance, and real estate, including as partner in one of the nation’s most innovative finance and real estate investment organizations. In that r ...
×Dione
Dione holds an MBA degree from Stanford Business School (GSB) and a BA degree from Stanford University, where she double majored in Economics and Communication with concentrations in journalism and sociology. Dione has served as an Admissions reader and member of the Minority Admissions Advisory Committee at Stanford. Dione is an accomplished and respected advocate and thought leader on education and diversity. She is ...
×Anthony
Anthony served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he dedicated over 10 years of expertise. During his time as a Wharton Admissions Officer, he read and reviewed thousands of applications and helped bring in a class of 800+ students a year. Anthony has traveled both domestically and internationally to recruit a ...
×Meghan
Meghan served as the Associate Director of Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute, a joint degree program combining the Wharton MBA with an MA in International Studies. In her role on the Wharton MBA admissions committee, Meghan advised domestic and international applicants; conducted interviews and information sessions domestically and overseas in Asia, Central and South America, and Europe; and evaluated applicants for admission to the program. Meghan also managed ...
×Amy
Amy comes from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she was Associate Director. Amy devoted 12 years at the Wharton School, working closely with MBA students and supporting the admissions team. During her tenure at Wharton, Amy served as a trusted adviser to prospective applicants as well as admitted and matriculated students. She conducted admissions chats with applicants early in the admissions ...
×Ally
Ally brings six years of admissions experience to the SBC team, most recently as an Assistant Director of Admission for the full-time MBA program at Columbia Business School (CBS). During her time at Columbia, Ally was responsible for reviewing applications, planning recruitment events, and interviewing candidates for both the full-time MBA program and the Executive MBA program. She traveled both internationally and dome ...
×Erin B.
Erin has over seven years of experience working across major institutions, including University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Business School, and NYU's Stern School of Business. At Columbia Business School, Erin was an Assistant Director of Admissions where she evaluated applications for both the full time and executive MBA programs, sat on the admissions and merit scholarship committees and advised applicants on which program might be the best fit for them based on their work experience and pro ...
×Emma
Emma comes from the MBA Admissions Office at Columbia Business School (CBS), where she was Associate Director. Emma conducted dozens of interviews each cycle for the MBA and EMBA programs, as well as coordinating the alumni ambassador interview program. She read and evaluated hundreds of applications each cycle, delivered information sessions to audiences across the globe, and advised countless waitlisted applicants. ×
