Advice on Thank-you for meeting a Prof

November 25, 2012 11:43 AM

I just met with a grad prof and want to send her a note to thank her. I am not sure how long it should be or how much detail to go into. I really want to impress her so that I can get an assistantship with her.
posted by TRUELOTUS to education (3 answers total)

One thing I've learned about job interview thank-you notes is that it's not really a "thank you" as much as a "follow up." Ask A Manager has some good thoughts on this.
posted by radioamy at 11:46 AM on November 25, 2012

My recommendation is short and to the point. The thank you is mostly just an acknowledgement of her time and an indication that this opportunity is important and meaningful to you. There is really nothing you can do in the letter to dramatically improve your case beyond what you were able to do in the discussion with her or with any other material you have submitted. The thank you just serves as an indication that you have good professional instincts.
posted by Tallguy at 12:25 PM on November 25, 2012

radioamy is correct, especially when working with someone like grad faculty who are likely very into their work. If making a good impression and impressing a prof is what you want to do, then showing interest in their work (what they value) is going to get you a lot farther than a thank you. Ask a followup. Send some questions asking for more detail about her work or the job. If something came up in the interview that you raised your curiosity, definitely ask about that. And you can include a thank you as part of that note.
posted by yeolcoatl at 1:42 PM on November 25, 2012 [1 favorite]