Hi guys!
So glad to have found these forums, being an international student there's a dearth of support/info where I'm from when it comes to applying to US programs, so this is super helpful!
Just a quick question - I've had a thorough look around the forums but can't seem to get clear on this. When it comes to emailing potential advisors before applying for clinical psych programs, is this absolutely expected?
It's a totally novel concept to me as it's just not done here (except for pure research programs), so it feels very much like I'd just be being a huge pain in the whatsie by doing so (when I think about the amount of emails my current PI gets every day!!).
Also, as it is now late August, most of the schools I am interested in have already published a list of the advisor/s taking on students in Fall 2021, so it's not exactly like I can use that question as my premise for emailing. I have read a couple of people here have even set up interviews prior to applying - this is so unusual to me, here it would be seen as giving some applicants an unfair advantage over others. Is this common in the States?
Of course, I would love to email my POIs and discuss our mutual research interests. I suppose my question is, how does one approach this when you already know they're taking on students, and what sort of things should one say/include in the email?
Thanks so much!