Should I contact professors I will likely be interviewing with?

[closetgeek]

Hi all,

I have been invited to a recruiting weekend at the end of this month, though it will also involve four 1-1s with professors. They ask us to list 4 professors that we are interested in meeting (ie, interviewing with?). Should I email (all 4) professors I listed? If so, what should I say..? Should I ask them about their research, even though I will be meeting them in a couple of weeks? The grad student I was in contact with advised me to email them if I had questions about their research..but I still really don't know what I would say.

[Bukharan]

I don't think it would hurt your choices no matter what you decided. I mean... if you are going to meet them in person anyway, there is no much point in e-mailing them. You will have more to discuss in person if you don't spill it in an e-mail to them, right?

[Purled]

Though I think it would probably be a good idea to send an email mentioning that you're looking forward to meeting with them one-on-one, and briefly mention some topic or area of shared interest that you look forward to discussing with them. As long as you keep it short, polite, and informed, it can't hurt at all, and they may appreciate the time and thought you've put into the e-mail. At the very least, it'll bring your name to the front of their minds, and they may review/re-familiarize themselves with your app/statement.

[closetgeek]

Okay, I'll do that. Thanks for the input guys!