<p>Hi! I’m a youngling unlearned in the ways of good manners, and I come to the parents’ forum for advice.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Should I send a letter to the colleges that accepted me, thanking them for their offer of admission and explaining why I chose not to go? I want to, but I feel like it would be superfluous and admissions offices would rather not process more mail than they have to.</p></li>
<li><p>How should I thank teachers who wrote recommendations? Is a card with a personal note sufficient, or should I also include a small gift? And if so, what? Baked gifts are out of the question.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>It’s probably not necessary to send a detailed letter explaining WHY you chose not to go to the respective school. But an email to the admissions office thanking them for the offer, and simply informing them that you will be attending elsewhere, is both the responsible and considerate thing to do. Many kids skip this step, but I’m sure admissions people appreciate the information.</p>
<p>If your teachers wrote an especially thoughtful letter, you might think about a small gift card ($5-$15) to a favorite coffee shop in your area. Our kids’ teachers seemed to enjoy them.</p>
<p>And after you’ve survived your first semester of college, drop those teachers a quick line to say how much you are enjoying your studies, how much you are learning, and how grateful you are that they helped you get into such a terrific institution! Even better if you end the semester with really good grades - they love that kind of news!</p>
<p>Our son sent a personal note and Panera gift card to the teachers who wrote recs. He also personally wrote the adcoms who he’d dealt with at the two schools he decided not to go to, as well as one of the coaches he’d been dealing with. They’re small colleges and we really had personal contact with these people. Very helpful and we thought it would be nice to thank them.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>No. (If they send a card or email with a questionnaire asking where you are going, how you decided, you can complete that).</p></li>
<li><p>A nice thank you note is more than sufficient and I agree with those who said that a note/card after you’ve been at school for a while would be extra nice.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>It is nice to drop adcom an email to thank them for their time and offer, especially if you´v had contact with a regional rep. D1 did that and received reply back from some of them. It is good to stay in good term because it is polite, also if you should change your mind later and want a transfer, it would be easier.</p>
<p>For your teachers, a small gift of chocolate, flowers, or a special book you know they would like(D2 just bought her english teacher a drink warmer from Brookstone), would be appropriate with a thank-you note. As others have suggested, a follow up email after you started college to let them know how you are doing would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>In at least a couple instances, my daughter received a nice reply from the university, thanking her for her initial interest in the school and letting her know that the offer of admission remained open should she change her mind at some point down the road. </p>
<ol>
<li> Yes</li>
</ol>
<p>A thank you note to a thank you note with gift card. Three kids and three different ways of handling the “thank you” - but all did express gratitude.</p>
<p>My parents are unfamiliar with the college application process, so thank you for the advice! Even though I didn’t personally chat with any admissions officers, and I applied to large schools, I will still send out a short email thanking them for accepting me. And I’ll go shopping for cards + gift this weekend.</p>