I have yet to speak to my advisor since my acceptance...help.

[inkarra]

Hello everyone. So I've been hanging out in the gradcafe since about November and most of my issues/concerns have been asked and answered by others but now i have a problem unique to my situation and I thought perhaps some of you could help me out.

When I decided to go ahead and apply to my grad program late last year, I emailed one of my prospective advisors. She replied, commented on my topic, forwarded a link to an important article and encouraged me to go ahead and name her as my POI. I was excited. I applied. I was accepted. Yay.

Then I was invited to visit the campus in May, but I was also told that my advisor was out of the country doing research in Cuba and wouldn't be there. Since I had already visited the school (when considering undergraduate studies there) I decided not to make the long trip. Now I'm getting a little anxious about the fact that I haven't spoken to this professor since December and I'm going to be meeting her for the first time in about 6 weeks. I feel like I should send her an email but I can't for the life of me figure out what to say in it. I am also worried about the fact that I haven't heard from her at all. I don't even know if she's returned from her sabbatical yet.

If any of you have any suggestions about how that email could be worded I'd appreciate it.

[TheFez]

How about... "It's been a while since we talked. I hope your summer is going well. I am looking forward to the Fall semester. Is there anything I should be doing in the interim to get a head start? "

[fuzzylogician]

^ That works.

I just wanted to point out that it's not out of the ordinary not to have contact with your new school before you officially begin the program there. At my school, there is hardly any communication with admin staff before mid/late August, and even later than that for professors. There is nothing for new first-years to do before the semester begins, and work slows down in general over the summer as people go on vacation and make work trips.

So, contact your advisor if you're still worried, but I don't think you have anything to worry about.

[Dal PhDer]

When I go into my department, it's a ghost town....I wouldn't be surprised if you don't hear back from your advisor until mid-Aug! it's not uncommon for people to be away at conferences and/or on vacation and totally unplug!

[inkarra]

ok. Thanks for this guys. I'll give it a few weeks and if I haven't heard anything by mid August, I'll send her a note.