Flickr user Stephanie Flores
You might already send thank you notes after your birthday, Christmas, and other special occasions, but you may have never realized it’s a good idea for after scholarship interviews as well. It’s actually a good habit to get into, as it can also be helpful for college and job interviews later on. These are just a few reasons why you should do send a Thank You note and some tips for writing them.
Helps Them Remember You
The scholarship representatives are interviewing a lot of students. They’re not going to remember each and every student, even the ones who stand out academically or in other ways. A thank you note following the interview can help them remember you after the meeting and also when it comes time to decide the winners.
Very few students are going to send thank you notes, so it’s definitely another way to stand out among the crowd and the competition.
Gives Them a Favorable Opinion
The scholarship interview gives the representative a chance to get to know you better, but it’s also your opportunity to give a shining impression. After all, you’re going to be thinking carefully about your answers and showing your passion both for your potential major and the award itself. You want stick out among your peers to better your chances of winning the scholarship. Your academics, extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and other achievements will help you to be remembered, but there’s always more you can do.
The thank you note is another way of giving them a better opinion of yourself. You’ll be seen as polite, courteous, and well-mannered.
Tips for Writing a Thank You Note
There are a few things you should be keeping in mind for writing your thank you note after a scholarship interview.
Keep it Short
You don’t want to send your interviewer an essay. They may have already had to read a few of those, but you also don’t want to waste their time with a lengthy letter. Try not to rehash everything you said in the interview either, but you can definitely display your passion for the subject and scholarship as long. Thank them for their time, the impression they made upon you, how the award may help you in your future education, and thank them again for the opportunity.
Use the Correct Formatting
You may not want to use a thank you card for this as you would for your birthday. You probably want to make it a bit more professional. Use business like formatting and also consider using resume style paper for printing. Or if you prefer to use email, ensure that you’re sending a message from a professional address and don’t have anything embarrassing in the signature.
Read it Over
Just like an essay or another assignment, read it over. You don’t want to send it in full of grammatical or spelling errors. You also don’t want it to be too lengthy. Try cutting a few things out here and there to make it more concise.
A thank you note is definitely a great habit to get into if you haven’t already! It creates a favorable and lasting impression among your peers, interviewers, and other people in your life. They can be a great tool for potentially boosting your chances of winning a scholarship when approached correctly.
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