Matsci: emailing profs before you get an admissions decision?

[ScienceLion]

So I've only heard back from about half the schools I applied to, and I know that they've sent decisions to their "first choice" applicants already. (i.e. the guy in my class with a 4.0 heard from all the schools I applied to already). Would it be appropriate to email professors at schools I haven't heard back from to express interest in their groups? I guess I'd be hoping to get them to nudge my application to the "yes" pile, but it is also genuine interest. There's just a lot of really awesome research happening at these places I haven't heard back from yet.

 

Or I guess is it too late to hear a "yes" from anywhere...

[killerbunny]

Expressing interest in professors' work is a pre-application step. I would avoid contacting them after applying, especially ones with whom you have had no prior communication. 

[mmsseeff]

8 minutes ago, killerbunny said:

Expressing interest in professors' work is a pre-application step. I would avoid contacting them after applying, especially ones with whom you have had no prior communication. 

Oddly enough, I just sat in on a group meeting with a director of graduate studies who told interviewees to go contact any PIs they were interested in ASAP because it would be helpful to know how interested somebody really is when they sit down as a committee to finalize acceptances.

At this point, there's nothing to lose by contacting them. It might have been better to do it before, but you can't change that now so do what you can control.

[ScienceLion]

Ok thanks everyone. I didn't realize you were supposed to email profs before you even applied. Ah well. I've gotten into two nice schools so no real harm done. And I did read another post that said if you don't have a denial you're still on a waitlist, so that's nice.