in the app process, when did you first contact profs?

[We regret to inform you]

As an applicant for the fall 2012 season i figured it would make more sense to ask this question here among those of you who have been accepted already, rather than post the question among those who are currently in the same stage in the app process as myself.

So, at what point during the application process did you first contact professors whose research interested you?

[robot_hamster]

Before I applied, I was contacting people. I continued to contact people after I applied as well. They wouldn't officially admit me until I had myself an adviser.

[newms]

As an applicant for the fall 2012 season i figured it would make more sense to ask this question here among those of you who have been accepted already, rather than post the question among those who are currently in the same stage in the app process as myself.

So, at what point during the application process did you first contact professors whose research interested you?

I first contacted profs around this time last year and continued until September of last year. I would guess that the summer is probably the best time to contact profs since they won't be as busy with class related stuff.

[ajumpingpenguin]

While I was trying to decide which to schools to apply to I contacted people I was interested in having as my supervisor to introduce myself and see if they were taking on new students. Probably around October.

[neuropsych76]

I started contacting profs in late August and until late October. Most of my deadlines were in December/January so I had to find a good balance of not contacting them too early when they don't know if they are taking a student and not contacting them too late! It worked out for me though

[ogopo]

I think I contacted my advisor in June of last year and we kept in touch over the summer as well as during the application process.

[Bukharan]

I was advised by one of my professors to contact professors shortly before I submit my applications as then my name would still be vaguely familiar to them a couple of months later when they get to look at applications.

I contacted all professors in late November/ early December.

[ktel]

I contacted some professors before I applied, and several contacted me after I applied.

I first e-mailed the supervisor I eventually chose in November and met with him in December. While I was in Toronto I also randomly showed up at another university and luckily got to meet with their grad advisor and another potential supervisor. Also while I was there I managed to arrange a last minute meeting with another professor, who liked me enough to tell the department to fly me out for the open house, where I met several other professors.

I know a few people who applied without first contacting supervisors, and big shock, they didn't get in. All of the universities I applied to require you to have a supervisor agree to take you before you can be accepted.

[kyjin]

I contacted a few professors in October, though I wish I had done this a little sooner so I could contact more potential advisors at other universities. I'd recommend September to November.

[adinutzyc]

I seem to be the only person around that just applied to schools without contacting people. By the time I realized I should have contacted them (December/January), I had already received an acceptance and an interview request (the interview request actually came from the school I decided to attend). I ended up being accepted by half of my schools and rejected by the other half. I don't think having contacted potential advisers would have changed anything for me. Many of the rejects were actually caused, in part, by my transcript not reaching the school in time. I am really happy with the results, considering that I applied to many schools and actually put a great amount of effort into adapting the SOP for each and every one of them.

Edited July 10, 2011 by adinutzyc

[natsteel]

I began contacting them around the second week of September and continued on throughout the rest of the month. After receiving their responses, I ended up scrubbing 2-3 from the list and contacted 2-3 more at different schools in the first week of October. I exchanged a few emails with some of them through October and then sent them all an email after the deadlines in December to tell them I had submitted my application and thank them for their assistance.

[awvish]

I started contacting potential PIs the February before applications were due (and continued until the end of March). That helped me narrow it down from people I wanted to work with to people who had space and/or were interested enough in me to respond.

I kept in fairly loose touch with the people I was most interested in through the fall, too.

[Zorah]

I never contacted the professors and got into a doctorate program.