Emailing profs/advisors when you already know they're taking students

[recollections]

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!

[PsycUndergrad]

You can definitely still send an email just to express interest in their work/working with them. Write a few sentences describing your interests and past experiences, etc. 
 

Since you’re an international student, you could also ask if they’re planning or able to consider international applicants. This might actually be an important question since international students are more expensive to fund and COVID has affected university funds and grant competitions. 

[t_ruth]

Agree that asking about international students in particular is a good idea.

You might also say something like: Dear Professor <last name>, I was excited to see you are taking graduate students for next year. I am extremely interested in your research, especially <detail here>. In particular, I am interested in <some extension of their work or something related to their work that you would like to pursue>. Does this seem a good fit for your lab?
Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you, <your name>

[PokePsych]

Another thing to ask is maybe about 'current research directions' the lab is taking. Since there's usually a 2 -3 year delay in research being preformed + published. Maybe there has been a recent grant, a new interest, etc.

[recollections]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply you guys! That is actually very helpful, as I didn't know it costs more for them to fund an international student. Not good news for me, but definitely good to know.