Too late to email potential PhD advisers?

[slugsarecute]

I was traveling for most of August and September, and somehow time got away from me and it's already October. I'm planning to apply to PhD programs in biology this fall, but now I am suddenly super worried that it's too late for me to email potential PhD advisers. I have already identified a handful whose work I am interested in, but am worried about sending them an email now that it's October... 

When is it too late to reach out to a professor? 

[episome1996]

I don't think it's too late to reach out now, most deadlines are December 1st and reaching out is not a requirement. I usually do it just to make sure the PI's will have space in their lab if I get into the program. I know someone that waited to email POIs after he received interview invites so that he could ask to meet with them during the interview and it worked out pretty well. 

[BabyScientist]

Definitely not too late. I recommend emailing the people you're most interested in so you know they have room in their labs and you aren't wasting the application fee money. 

[DRMF]

As long as you're not in the subfields of biology where they do direct admits to specific labs (like ecology?), and the program page doesn't say things like "we strongly recommend that you contact potential PIs before applying", reaching out to specific people isn't usually necessary. I, for one, did not email anyone.

[jmillar]

On 10/2/2019 at 2:40 PM, slugsarecute said:

I was traveling for most of August and September, and somehow time got away from me and it's already October. I'm planning to apply to PhD programs in biology this fall, but now I am suddenly super worried that it's too late for me to email potential PhD advisers. I have already identified a handful whose work I am interested in, but am worried about sending them an email now that it's October... 

When is it too late to reach out to a professor? 

Right now is fine. Most of my conversations with PIs were in September and October. I did interview over Skype with one PI in early November, but the majority were in October. Only one of these was a direct admit to a particular lab, the rest required rotations.