Snail-mail may be less often used by the students and faculty of the Best Business Schools, but any intelligent MBA applicant knows that a thoughtful thank-you letter can lead to favorably impressions from admission counselors, financial aid advisors, and recommendation-letter writers. Since most MBA students aren’t writing them, it’s all the more reason you should! E-mail is definitely a useful tool, but a well-timed thank-you letter can increase your chances of graduate school success, even if your GMAT score isn’t the best.
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1. Keep it short and sweet. Don’t yammer on – 3-4 sentences are always fine. The people you need to stay in contact with are busy. Just let them know you appreciate their time, and you’d like to keep them posted on your MBA progress and your entry into the business world.
2. Make it personal. Buy stationary and cards that reflect your personality. It doesn’t have to be the fanciest embossed letter-head. A casual, colorful card is fine. “Hello Kitty” might be a little too informal, but calligraphy on paper that looks like polished china isn’t necessary either. Strike a balance, but have fun with your choice!
3. Use them judiciously. There’s etiquette to snail mail. Just as you wouldn’t post on someone’s Facebook wall four times a day, so you shouldn’t send thank-you letters out randomly. Only send a thank-you letter when you legitimately have something to say – after an initial meeting or interview, thanking someone for a referral, a class, a workshop, etc. If you want to make a connection with a faculty member, a fellow student, or a business contact it’s better to send an email or make a telephone call initially, then follow-up with a hand-written note. For periodic updates, once every six weeks is fine, but more often than that and you risk becoming a nuisance.
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