Professional correspondence

[akraticfanatic]

I thought it would be useful to have a thread about professional correspondence, since this is something that a lot of people in the group chat have had questions about, especially those coming straight from undergrad. I'm currently finishing an MA and starting a PhD program this fall. I have some advice below (but keep in mind that I have no particular expertise other than my own experience). My advice is specifically for corresponding with academic philosophers and phil departments in the U.S.

General stylistic advice:
- The standard greeting is "Dear [Name]." (I am not sure why as this has always sounded informal to me, but it seems to be pretty universal.)
- If you're writing to a professor whom you do not know personally, use the title "Professor [Lastname]." DO NOT use "Ms./Mrs./Miss/Mr." (This should go without saying, but do not address female professors differently than male professors-- Luckily the title "Professor" is gender-neutral in English!) If and only if they tell you to call them by their first name, do so in subsequent correspondence. 
- If you're writing to a staff member or current grad student (as opposed to a faculty member), I think it's okay to use their first name. 
- If you are writing to a general department email with a question about a program, application status, etc., you can use the greeting "To whom it may concern." 
- The standard signoff is "Best," or if you're feeling fancy, "All the best."
- Start the email with an introduction: "My name is [Firstname Lastname] and I'm a student at [X University]" or "I'm an applicant to [Y Program]." Then state the reason for your correspondence. 
- Be clear about the reason for correspondence early on in the email (and, if possible, in the subject line). Avoid wishy-washy language like "I just wanted to ask..."
- Specify either early on in the email or in the subject line if the matter is time-sensitive or urgent. 
- Err on the side of formality, but you don't need to be overly formal-- for instance, it's okay to use contractions. (Personally, I think calling someone "ma'am/sir" is overkill and in some contexts might even be taken as offensive-- Again, when in doubt, use "Professor," as this is their earned professional title.) Avoid exclamation points, as they can be read as immature or insufficiently serious. 
- Err on the side of deference-- for instance, thank them for taking the time to read your email-- without sounding overtly like a kiss-ass. 
- Don't be disingenuous-- for instance, don't say you're familiar with someone's work if you're not, and don't say a program is your first choice if it's not. 

On contacting your own current profs/advisors (or TAs):
- Use the name or title that you would use with them in person. (Use first names for TAs, since they are not professors.) 
- Be assertive (but obviously not aggressive) if you need help with something. It's their job to help you. Follow up if they don't respond in a reasonable amount of time (my rule of thumb is a week, but it depends on how urgent the matter is). 
- Office hours are drop-in hours. You don't need to make an appointment. Just go talk to them. 
- Asking for letters of rec: This is best to do in person, but that's not always an option. Make sure you have taken at least one class with them and have written a substantive term paper. Ask them specifically if they can write you a STRONG letter. 

On contacting profs at other schools:
- If you're contacting them about their work, make sure you're not asking questions or making points that they have already addressed in the text you're referencing. 
- Make sure your questions and points are clear and coherent. 
- Again, err on the side of deference, but this doesn't mean you have to agree with them about everything. 
- Don't send them an essay, literally or figuratively. Keep it concise. If you do want them to look at your work, ask first, and be respectful of them and their time. 

On soliciting your app status:
- This is also something that came up a lot in the chat. Personally, I think it's definitely okay to solicit after about a week if acceptances, waitlists, and rejections have all gone out and you haven't heard anything. It's also okay if it's particularly late in the season and/or you need a decision ASAP in order to make decisions about other schools. Here's the template I used for such emails: 
"My name is [Firstname Lastname] and I'm a philosophy PhD applicant. I've heard from other applicants that some decisions have been released, and I'm hoping you can give me an update on my status or when I can expect to receive a decision. Thanks in advance for your time."
- Include your application number if you were assigned one-- Some schools do this, and that info would be found in your app portal. Including it in the email will help them find your app and keep your materials organized. 
- If you're waitlisted at a program you really want to go to, keep in touch and reiterate your interest throughout the season, visit if that's an option, and BE IN TOUCH on the morning of April 15th. 

[Nothingtown]

31 minutes ago, akraticfanatic said:

If you're waitlisted at a program you really want to go to, keep in touch and reiterate your interest throughout the season, visit if that's an option, and BE IN TOUCH on the morning of April 15th

I wish we could pin this whole thread to the top of the forum, but especially this part. 

[NeilM]

I’m not in a philosophy program but this advice is excellent, thank you!

[Warelin]

4 hours ago, Nothingtown said:

I wish we could pin this whole thread to the top of the forum, but especially this part. 

Consider your wish granted.

[akraticfanatic]

31 minutes ago, Warelin said:

Consider your wish granted.

This is truly an honor. I have arrived

[Coconuts&Chloroform]

I emailed a POI at one of my top choices a few weeks ago on a whim, asking him if he'd like to look over a term paper I had written that responded to his most recent paper. I had an idea for an argument in support of his view. I sent him a kind of abstract of the argument in the thought that it might pique his interest, hoping that he might say he'd read the paper. To my astonishment, he actually responded a couple of days ago. Quite substantively, too - he said that the argument was interesting but that he wasn't yet convinced, and sketched a couple of different possible ways that someone might respond to my argument. He told me I could send the paper along, but that he couldn't promise he'd have time to get me comments.

This was quite a shock - I won't give out any details, but suffice it to say that this person is probably one of the ten most well-known philosophers working today - I thought I had maybe a 10% chance of getting a reply, and that of that 10% there was a 50% chance of hearing 'sorry, I don't have time to look at student work'.

Now at the time I was not thinking about my admissions chances at all. Just wondering what he thought, really, and frankly I'm delighted to have heard his reply. But I stumbled across some people who have said that emailing people at school's you've applied to is a bad idea. Schwitzgebel says this, and others. That it comes across as disingenuous, and that even if you make a good impression, people might be biased against you for fear of showing favor to applicants who they've been in touch with. So now I'm wondering whether I've shot myself in the foot by being too forward. I'm also hesitant to send the paper itself, since it's still pretty rough. So I just replied to his reply with a couple of arguments that I think might work against his objections (I spent about 8 hours drafting this reply, lol). 

I'm wondering what you guys think of this situation. I really wasn't expecting any reply at all, and I wasn't thinking about how this could help or hamper my chances at the relevant program. But maybe I should have, because it seems like a thing like this can stand a non-negligible chance of hurting one's application. On the other hand, just philosophically, I'm immensely glad that I did it, since his reply was very substantive and thought-provoking. And it's also just cool to be in a serious philosophical dialogue with one of the people responsible for your interest in philosophy in the first place. So what do you think: was this a good idea? A bad idea? Am I overthinking it?

Edited February 8, 2020 by Coconuts&Chloroform

[akraticfanatic]

9 hours ago, Coconuts&Chloroform said:

I'm wondering what you guys think of this situation. I really wasn't expecting any reply at all, and I wasn't thinking about how this could help or hamper my chances at the relevant program. But maybe I should have, because it seems like a thing like this can stand a non-negligible chance of hurting one's application. On the other hand, just philosophically, I'm immensely glad that I did it, since his reply was very substantive and thought-provoking. And it's also just cool to be in a serious philosophical dialogue with one of the people responsible for your interest in philosophy in the first place. So what do you think: was this a good idea? A bad idea? Am I overthinking it?

First off, it's great that he responded and was interested! I think Schwitzgebel et al are probably advocating against emailing profs for the SOLE purpose of helping you with admissions, because that's just disingenuous. The fact that this prof wrote a substantive response shows that he's taking you and your ideas seriously, so I would absolutely continue the conversation and send the draft if he's willing to look at it. I doubt it will affect admissions either way. That's just my two cents as a grad student-- It's also a good idea to get advice from your advisor/PI/favorite prof at current institution about this. 

[Coconuts&Chloroform]

49 minutes ago, akraticfanatic said:

First off, it's great that he responded and was interested! I think Schwitzgebel et al are probably advocating against emailing profs for the SOLE purpose of helping you with admissions, because that's just disingenuous. 

I wonder what such an email would even look like. 

[musicdegree4me]

On 2/7/2020 at 9:56 PM, Coconuts&Chloroform said:

I emailed a POI at one of my top choices a few weeks ago on a whim, asking him if he'd like to look over a term paper I had written that responded to his most recent paper. I had an idea for an argument in support of his view. I sent him a kind of abstract of the argument in the thought that it might pique his interest, hoping that he might say he'd read the paper. To my astonishment, he actually responded a couple of days ago. Quite substantively, too - he said that the argument was interesting but that he wasn't yet convinced, and sketched a couple of different possible ways that someone might respond to my argument. He told me I could send the paper along, but that he couldn't promise he'd have time to get me comments.

This was quite a shock - I won't give out any details, but suffice it to say that this person is probably one of the ten most well-known philosophers working today - I thought I had maybe a 10% chance of getting a reply, and that of that 10% there was a 50% chance of hearing 'sorry, I don't have time to look at student work'.

Now at the time I was not thinking about my admissions chances at all. Just wondering what he thought, really, and frankly I'm delighted to have heard his reply. But I stumbled across some people who have said that emailing people at school's you've applied to is a bad idea. Schwitzgebel says this, and others. That it comes across as disingenuous, and that even if you make a good impression, people might be biased against you for fear of showing favor to applicants who they've been in touch with. So now I'm wondering whether I've shot myself in the foot by being too forward. I'm also hesitant to send the paper itself, since it's still pretty rough. So I just replied to his reply with a couple of arguments that I think might work against his objections (I spent about 8 hours drafting this reply, lol). 

I'm wondering what you guys think of this situation. I really wasn't expecting any reply at all, and I wasn't thinking about how this could help or hamper my chances at the relevant program. But maybe I should have, because it seems like a thing like this can stand a non-negligible chance of hurting one's application. On the other hand, just philosophically, I'm immensely glad that I did it, since his reply was very substantive and thought-provoking. And it's also just cool to be in a serious philosophical dialogue with one of the people responsible for your interest in philosophy in the first place. So what do you think: was this a good idea? A bad idea? Am I overthinking it?

If you said you had a paper, and then didn’t send me the paper, that would come across as pretty disingenuous to me.

[HopOnMyCrates]

On 2/8/2020 at 10:26 AM, akraticfanatic said:

I think Schwitzgebel et al are probably advocating against emailing profs for the SOLE purpose of helping you with admissions, because that's just disingenuous.

I'm sympathetic to this interpretation. The Philosopher's Cocoon recently touched on the subject with this post, although the cases in question vary from yours (and each other). Personally, C&C, I think you're overthinking it. This seems to be a fortunate gesture by the prof in question, and I doubt it will have any significant impact against your admission chances. Best of luck with the paper, regardless!

[sisyphushappy]

On 5/8/2019 at 11:25 AM, akraticfanatic said:

If you're waitlisted at a program you really want to go to, keep in touch and reiterate your interest throughout the season, visit if that's an option, and BE IN TOUCH on the morning of April 15th. 

I’m in this position at the moment with my top choice. I reached out about two weeks after hearing about being waitlisted with updates on what I’m doing this semester academically to make myself a stronger candidate.

But what am I supposed to say throughout the next few months to stay in touch? Just “I’m still interested,” or should I have something more substantive each time? (I know I should send ~250 words at most.) How often should I be in touch?

I have an enormous fear of being an email pest.

[Glasperlenspieler]

8 hours ago, sisyphushappy said:

I’m in this position at the moment with my top choice. I reached out about two weeks after hearing about being waitlisted with updates on what I’m doing this semester academically to make myself a stronger candidate.

But what am I supposed to say throughout the next few months to stay in touch? Just “I’m still interested,” or should I have something more substantive each time? (I know I should send ~250 words at most.) How often should I be in touch?

I have an enormous fear of being an email pest.

At the point, the best thing for you to do is gather as much information about the program as possible so that if you are eventually offered a spot (which may happen at the last moment), you will be prepared to give an informed answer.

Asking questions about the program will also demonstrate your interest, which could help you, though I think at this point there's not much you can do to improve your chances of admission. They obviously like you, otherwise they wouldn't have put you on the waitlist. What you need to happen now is for enough people to reject their offer (and depending on how they manage waitlists, people in your field). But you demonstrating your further accomplishments won't help that happen.

[akraticfanatic]

On 2/23/2020 at 11:46 PM, sisyphushappy said:

I’m in this position at the moment with my top choice. I reached out about two weeks after hearing about being waitlisted with updates on what I’m doing this semester academically to make myself a stronger candidate.

But what am I supposed to say throughout the next few months to stay in touch? Just “I’m still interested,” or should I have something more substantive each time? (I know I should send ~250 words at most.) How often should I be in touch?

By staying in touch, I also had in mind things like attending prospective student visits if applicable, contacting faculty members you might like to work with, contacting grad students to ask questions about the department, and so on.