contacting PhD Professors

[Jack Silverz]

Dear All,

I have heard that applying to PhD programs has got a lot dependent on winning the confidence of one's future mentor, one's guide through your PhD. So is it necessary that I contact these professors and try to have a conversation with them a few months prior to application? If yes, how do get in touch? Because I once tried Lund university in Sweden but never got any replies from the professors whom I understand would have been too busy to answer. But the students were kind enough to guide me when I emailed them. Now I am trying programs in the USA? How is it done? Are there chat rooms? or by email? Or is there like a separate person for answering queries?

Regards,

Jack Silverz

[lily_]

Frankly I think that contacting your hopeful professor (and others in the department) is essential to this entire process. This person will be of the utmost importance, way after you have been accepted, they will be someone you will be working closely with for over 5 years and likely be a part of the rest of your career. You want to know that you will get along with this person, whether your intellectual interests truly mesh, and that this person has the time to properly mentor you as well as the desire to do so. You can find professor's contact information on faculty web pages for most departments. A simple e-mail, giving a brief description of yourself, and a request for a meeting would suffice. I met with many professors this way. When you go, it's good to have a few questions prepared that are specific to the program and their research. Another plus to meeting with them is it places a face on your application. It is not necessary, as there are many applicants who receive acceptances without doing this, but I think it's certainly a good idea. You might find that you don't want to work with a certain person, or that they are not accepting students that year, or other things that might dissuade you from applying. Plus it's good practice for the networking you will inevitably have to do for your career, whether you choose to stay in academia or not.

If the professor does not reply, you can e-mail most department secretaries with questions. Their e-mail addresses are either explicitly listed on faculty webpages or a general department@university.edu type address. They usually can answer general questions about the department and application process, and sometimes can arrange a meeting with the professor for you. Of course, professors are very busy individuals and a lack of response simply might mean that they are too busy to speak with a potential applicant, but nothing ventured nothing gained.

Best of luck!

[Strong Flat White]

Frankly I think that contacting your hopeful professor (and others in the department) is essential to this entire process. This person will be of the utmost importance, way after you have been accepted, they will be someone you will be working closely with for over 5 years and likely be a part of the rest of your career. You want to know that you will get along with this person, whether your intellectual interests truly mesh, and that this person has the time to properly mentor you as well as the desire to do so. You can find professor's contact information on faculty web pages for most departments. A simple e-mail, giving a brief description of yourself, and a request for a meeting would suffice. I met with many professors this way. When you go, it's good to have a few questions prepared that are specific to the program and their research. Another plus to meeting with them is it places a face on your application. It is not necessary, as there are many applicants who receive acceptances without doing this, but I think it's certainly a good idea. You might find that you don't want to work with a certain person, or that they are not accepting students that year, or other things that might dissuade you from applying. Plus it's good practice for the networking you will inevitably have to do for your career, whether you choose to stay in academia or not.

If the professor does not reply, you can e-mail most department secretaries with questions. Their e-mail addresses are either explicitly listed on faculty webpages or a general department@university.edu type address. They usually can answer general questions about the department and application process, and sometimes can arrange a meeting with the professor for you. Of course, professors are very busy individuals and a lack of response simply might mean that they are too busy to speak with a potential applicant, but nothing ventured nothing gained.

Best of luck!

I would second all of Lily's comments and add that I've been told point-blank by graduate chairs and faculty that a stellar application will be rejected in favor of a lesser application if the lesser application is a better fit for the department. Meaning that if the department is headed in x-direction, and you're brilliant, but you're headed in y-direction, you should find a department that's headed in that same direction as you. The faculty come into play big-time here. I've been told by a trusted recommender of mine that in approaching faculty and "proposing" to them that they (in theory, upon acceptance, of course) be your supervisor, or joint-supervisor, or whatever, you should just come out and tell them if you feel confident about it. I recently did this to a faculty member and was very well received, although she did warn me that as an untenured faculty, my proposal was risky for me - she's looking out for me because she's acknowledging that she can't make any promises about remaining at that department... Lastly, I have found that this sort of directness and connection to faculty is necessary, as we've been discussing, but so is flexibility - what a crazy balancing act: SoP - here's exactly what I'd like to do w/ so-and-so faculty, but if you have other places where I can fit in and want to fund me, then yes! I'm flexible! I don't know what to say about that, it seems that on the one hand, you're encouraged to put all your eggs in one basket and go for the bull's eye, on the other hand, you want to demonstrate versatility, diversity, and coachability. It's a mixed message for sure.

On an accessibility note, I've found that emailing professors and asking if I may please visit them during their office hours works really well. Nobody has ever said no before, and in recent months, I've done this with about half a dozen faculty between multiple departments on this campus. All of them really fun conversations. I come away from each session with good insight to chew on. It hammers home the lesson for me that you can never know too much - don't discount the value of faculty, even if only for a peripheral opinion on some minor matter. Make contact and listen, early and often!!!

I only speak with confidence on this issue because it's advice that I've gleaned from this forum and other academic experts, and also because I've been putting into practice and hammering hard the last few weeks/months. I can't say it works, because I've yet to be accepted. But I can say that after each conversation I have w/ a faculty member, I come away wondering what I would ever do without having had that conversation. Scary, almost. And I don't necessarily feel like that impressionable of a guy, but anyway, that's how it's felt for me: totally necessary.

[Jack Silverz]

Thanks for the input Lily and Strong Flat white. Meeting in person with the professors in the USA would not be possible for me since I am all the way in the east from India! But I'll try to catch them through emails or skype maybe. Atleast now I know where I should be heading now.