Question for those w/interviews and/or acceptances

[t_ruth]

I'm interested in knowing how important it is to start a dialog w/a professor *before* you apply.

For those of you that got in to a program (or got an interview), did you contact a professor before you applied?

What level of contact did you have (short emails, phone call, longer emails, etc.)?

What field are you applying to/did you apply to?

Is there anyone who got in (especially in social sciences) without doing this?

Thanks!

[evenstar]

I don't know if this helps but I'm in counseling and got an interview, and only emailed with a student representative from the department, never had contact with the professors. But counseling is a little different from academia...so maybe that's not exactly relevant.

I did apply to one sociology program though, and met with the program director and talked with a professor in the department in person *he's not on the adcomm though*...I should mention this is the school that I currently attend so meeting in person was definitely not a big deal to arrange obviously. I would think that emailing at least with one professor would be a good idea though, I wouldn't have wanted to never had any contact with anyone in the department during the application process. I think it would def still be possible to get in, but it certainly would up your chances with them knowing who you are. The soc professor I talked to said every lit bit helps with talking to people in the department, even just emailing them to let them know your interests...he said it's definitely beneficial even for applicants out of state.

[ridgey]

I'm yet to hear anything back from my programmes, but what I gather from the Chronicle forums is that it's discipline specific. The sciences definitely need pre-application contact, the humanities less so. The advice from the professors over there though was to only be contacting with genuine questions about research and your potential fit. They can see through attempts to make contact that are merely trying to gain an advovcate in the admissions process. Plus they're incredibly busy people, and likely you won't be the only one to contact them.

Definitely go read some of the discussions they've had over there though; there is a wide variety of perspectives.

[rising_star]

I'm in the social sciences. My discipline doesn't do interviews. They just schedule visits after you get accepted. I always made contact with programs and potential advisors before applying (between June and October for first contact). I didn't get in everywhere I applied for the MA (4 of 6) but I did everywhere I applied for the PhD.

[t_ruth]

hmm...the chronicles discussion was interesting. Is there anyone who applied to a social science program that got in somewhere where they had not contacted potential advisors prior to sending the application?

[Tritonetelephone]

Except for contact I had with UT and SBU last year, I didn't make any personal contacts this year. I'm relieved to hear that this is fairly common in social sciences. Truthfully, I didn't really have any questions that weren't answered by dept websites and faculty CV's. But I always prefer resources that don't take up anyone else's time - that's supposed to be a good skill for grad school, right? Maybe I should have contacted some faculty members and asked if they were accepting graduate students in fall, but I only applied to schools with 3+ people that I would like to work with, so even that might have been inconsequential.

I should mention, however, that once I learned enough about a school to know that it was a good fit and affordable, my plan was to apply and filter through the more petty details after campus visits of spring's admits. This isn't the best option for people who are applying on a more limited dime.

I'll be able to answer your question in April, t_ruth

[willtherebestars]

Definitely before! Especially in the humanities, it is important to get in touch with somebody in your potential department. Otherwise, unless you can afford to visit on your own, how will they be able to attach a person to an application? Plus, professors or DGS's usually have really great advice. I saved the money I would have spent on an application fee to Cornell because the faculty didn't actually suit my particular interests. Of course... I was still tempted to apply. It's also helpful to be able to mention some particularly good insight a professor had on your potential project in your SOP.

This is mostly all personal opinion, but I hope it helps!

[limeinthecoconut]

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[socialpsych]

I didn't contact any of my potential advisors, except at one school which is attached to my undergrad institution (where one of my potential advisors actually wrote me a LOR).

I felt weird about contacting people, and a lot of grad students I talked to actually advised me not to contact anyone. I also heard some grad students gossiping about a prospective student who had contacted their advisor and made a bad impression, which definitely put me off. Also, my mom is a professor, and she told me she would be a little irritated if an applicant the program hadn't yet expressed interest in (by interviewing/accepting them) contacted her.

I was just accepted to a program where my first contact with my POI was the acceptance email...

[IvyHope]

I didn't contact any of my potential advisors, except at one school which is attached to my undergrad institution (where one of my potential advisors actually wrote me a LOR).

I felt weird about contacting people, and a lot of grad students I talked to actually advised me not to contact anyone. I also heard some grad students gossiping about a prospective student who had contacted their advisor and made a bad impression, which definitely put me off. Also, my mom is a professor, and she told me she would be a little irritated if an applicant the program hadn't yet expressed interest in (by interviewing/accepting them) contacted her.

I was just accepted to a program where my first contact with my POI was the acceptance email...

In most fields I'm familiar with, if you don't make some contact ahead of time you're seen as not that interested in the program. It shows some confidence and lets them know you're for real. And it certainly helps during admissions decisions if they can put a name with a face/correspondence. Most self-help books on this subject will tell you that is going to boost your chances of getting your app moved to the top of the pile.

[slothy]

I was also advised that it's not that important to make contact before application (I'm applying to a mix of Poli Sci and Soc programs) and that there was always the risk of rubbing someone the wrong way or consuming myself with concern that non-response was a bad sign (as I think someone was feeling in another thread). Given that I really couldn't think of anything genuinely important to ask anyone, I just left my potential matches alone. That said, one of my recommenders said that it could be helpful in some circumstances - although there could be more of a correlation between strong applicants and pre-application contact than a causal factor in the admissions process.

[socialpsych]

In most fields I'm familiar with, if you don't make some contact ahead of time you're seen as not that interested in the program. It shows some confidence and lets them know you're for real. And it certainly helps during admissions decisions if they can put a name with a face/correspondence. Most self-help books on this subject will tell you that is going to boost your chances of getting your app moved to the top of the pile.

Yeah. I have heard that strong opinion from people too. I've also heard pretty authoritative opinions from people (including profs) in social/personality psych, organizational behavior, and finance that it's not a good idea...so there are certainly mixed opinions about it.

[waitingwaiting]

I absolutely think it's a good idea to email/contact the prof ahead of time, at least for my purposes, but probably for others also. I applied straight out of undergrad to clinical psych PhD and PsyD programs. I didn't email any profs before I turned in my applications that time (for Fall 05). I got into all PsyD programs and no PhD programs (So I guess that answers your main question, t_ruth). I ended up doing a master's in psych instead, with the intention to re-apply to doctoral programs after I got my MA and obtained a few years of experience. I decided I really wanted to work with children shortly after entering my MA program. This time around, in applying to School Psych PhD programs, I've emailed every professor with whom I'm interested in working and have gotten responses well over half the time, sometimes going back and forth a few rounds. I think it's a good thing. Even if they just thank you for contacting them, at least they know your name and will remember you when see your app. I've applied to 12 schools and have heard back from 3 (all interview invites, phew). One prof I emailed called me a week after I submitted my application and greeted me by my nickname, which she wouldn't have known if I hadn't emailed first. So I think it's clear I made at least a little bit of an impression. I don't know, I just think it can only help, not hurt, your application. As long as you don't make assumptions about their research, show you know what you're talking about, and genuinely show interest.

[Inspekt]

Absolutely you should contact professors ahead of time. I sent a short introductory paragraph, a sentence or two about my research interest, and I asked if they would be willing to correspond by email or phone. Of course I didn't hear from everyone, but I did get responses from 50-60% of the folks I emailed. On top of that, everyone with the exception of one school (Stanford), was willing to talk with me by phone. I asked for 10-15 minutes of their time, and almost every call resulted in a 30-45 min conversation because we got along so well.

Look you need to speak to these people in person. Sure you might match research interest wise, but if you don't get along talking would you really want to have this person as your mentor for 4 or 5 years? Calling gives you immediate information and you can rule out advisers pretty quickly from their tone/temperament alone. You can get a great sense of the program from how they talk about it and if you pay attention you can pick up on important buzzwords for each school. Trust me it works.

The faculty remember you. You can name drop in your statement of purpose, "speaking by phone with Dr. xxxx, I was able to gain a sense.." etc. Slip those buzzwords in. I promise they will remember you.

Yeah you can be scared but what is that going to get you? Nothing ventured is nothing gained. There is absolutely no advantage from not calling, but a huge advantage if you call/email and you connect. If you are new to this start with your bottom choice school so you can learn, hell call a school you aren't even interested in. It's a confidence builder.

And it works. I have 2 interviews, and I'm waiting on my 6 other schools... with fingers crossed.

[willtherebestars]

Stanford was one of my most helpful schools in this regard. I'm sure it varies by department. They were great.

[socialpsych]

Actually I have specifically heard that requesting a phone conversation is a bad idea because it comes off as too demanding...I'm not saying everyone feels this way. I just want to make sure others who read this thread realize that profs really vary in how they feel about this, and it may be best to tread with caution.

[ridgey]

From the responses, we can see that it varies by discipline. There are clearly some disciplines where it's almost a standard part of the process, and others where it's not. If you're at a US uni and have a mentor in the appropriate discipline, you can find out quickly which category you fit into.

If you're in a field where it's not expected, you may still choose to make contact, but it's a risk. You may make a great impression, or you may cause your contact to stamp "do not admit" on your application. More likely, it won't make any difference.

Obviously, if you're in a field where you have to contact first, do so. If not, do what you're comfortable with.

[Inspekt]

I did not apply to natural science or applied sciences so they may have a different view on this. One of my mentors has a PhD in chemistry (long story) and he has told me this is acceptable. Ask one of your professors what they think. In fact ask 2 or 3, maybe the one you ask might hate talking on the phone.

I said to ask them if they would be willing to correspond by email or phone. Doing it that way gives them an option as to what they are most comfortable with, and of course they can not respond at all. Obviously if you come off as demanding anything you are a Doosh and they will probably ignore you. Have some tact. Besides in about 5 minutes of phone convo you can get 20 emails worth of information. What is more of a pain in the ass for these people 5 minutes on the phone or 20 emails??

If they are interested you will know immediately and can extend the conversation. If not, keep it short and sweet and say thank you for your time. If you have nothing but BS to say they will see right through it. Yes, you will make a bad impression if you are not prepared. Be thoughtful, genuine and passionate - they love that stuff because they know you will be able to stick out 5 years of hard work if you enjoy what you do.

By requesting this way I talked to at least one person in every program to which i applied. They are all top 10 programs for my field.

You guys on this board crack me up being so paranoid. I've heard a lot of things, too, but what actually gets results is totally different.

*****One more thing to think about from a prospective student POV - If your prospective mentors treat you like crap BEFORE they have your money (or give you their money), just imagine how they treat you once you are already locked in. Remember at this point they should be recruiting and getting you interested in the program so you apply....****

[willtherebestars]

Hmmm... I never requested to talk with somebody by phone, but many professors did offer. I was far too intimidated for that, so I chose to correspond via email. It's more helpful to me, anyway, because then I have a record of their advice for the future. Plus... in my applications it actually *asks* which professors you talked with, if any, about your program and on what date! So... it truly varies.

[ewurgler]

I got in contact with a few, and had some very helpful and some not so helpful exchanges. (sociology)

At a top program, after a few emails, one volunteered to put in a good word and check in with the committee in feb to make sure I was being considered.

Another was helpful and nice, which I'm sure will be helpful if the adcom asks him if I am someone he wants to work with.

The third was not as warm, but still helpful, and I've since been waitlisted there.

Overall, I don't think it would hurt unless you say something like "i am hoping you can put in a good word," or something very presumptuous like that.

[t_ruth]

Now that I have a couple of acceptances, I can add info to my own thread, lol. I had initially sent emails to most of the schools I applied to - I picked the schools based on faculty I wanted to work with and sent them a quick three line email introducing myself, expressing my general area of interest and asking if they were accepting graduate students.

Of the two acceptances, one professor and I exchanged a couple of chatty emails (we had something else in common outside of study which I had mentioned in my intro email), and the other had just sent a "yes, it seems like our interests align and I am accepting graduate students."

I have yet to hear from any of the school to which I did not send these emails. I also spoke by phone w/two professors and haven't heard from those schools yet. I have a tentative phone call set up w/another prospective advisor next week. I believe all three of these schools notify in March. The phone calls were all professor-initiated: after my intro email they asked if I would like to talk by phone and of course I took them up on it!

[IvyHope]

Which school is your phone interview with next week?

[t_ruth]

Which school is your phone interview with next week?

me? It's not an interview...just an informal conversation like I've had w/the other two - more about me asking questions, though I will reread some of her articles before-hand and try to make a good impression. It's w/a prof at ASU.

[IvyHope]

I see...I thought maybe you snuck a phone call in with Stanford or something ;-)

[35M40]

I'm in Sociology. I've had one interview and one acceptance and didn't contact anyone. I thought about it, but didn't have any questions to ask so I was worried I'd sound unnatural if I tried to come up with something.