Contacting POIs

[Inspired V]

In preparation for the upcoming application season, I've started making a list of POIs at various universities, and this weekend I took the bold step of actually sending emails to some of them! As I've been trying to narrow my list of potential programs and attempting to learn as much about each program's fit with my interests, I knew this was something I needed to do. The truth is, though, that I was really nervous about it!

It can be quite intimidating to draft an email to a complete stranger who may or may not have influence over admissions decisions and your future work within the program if you decide to attend. It was easy enough for me to select the people, but figuring out what to say and how to say it was a lot more difficult.

BUT (and the reason I'm writing this post) I think reaching out to make contact with the professors will prove to be one of the best decisions I could have made. I've only heard back from one so far (it's been less than a day) but the information she was able to share was extremely interesting and provided a lot more depth than what I was able to glean from the website. Moreover, sitting down to draft and edit the emails was like a first step towards drafting my SOPs and focusing on what my interests and goals really are.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's a bit nervous about this step of the process, but I wanted to encourage everyone to give it a shot -- especially if you have very specific research/practice interests or are trying to narrow down from a larger list of schools.

So what do you think, have you contacted any professors yet? Do you think you will? Any advice for others about what to include?

It's too early for me to gauge whether I did a good job with mine, but I'll check back in with further results. Good luck!

[michigan girl]

At the master's level, I don't think it's important to contact professors prior to applying to social work programs. All MSW admissions is conducted through an admissions committee comprised of people who hold social work and/or student affairs master's degrees. It is sorta like a undergraduate admissions process but at the graduate level. If you are applying for doctoral programs, however, then it is highly recommended that applicants contact professors directly to get a sense of whether POIs can fund you and match you with ongoing/future research projects.

[Inspired V]

That's a really good point -- I guess I wasn't clear about my intentions in contacting the professors. I definitely wasn't contacting them in hopes that it would help with admissions or to see about RAships or funding or anything, but rather to help me get more details about the extent to which the program fits the learning environment that I'm looking for. I may or may not be eventually pursuing a doctoral degree, and as such I know that I'm going to want opportunities to do research during my master's. While some of the schools have great websites, it can still be difficult to find out what's really going on around certain topics or issues.

I have to say that I am incredibly glad that I contacted professors, because I've gotten detailed, enthusiastic responses from almost all of them -- but most importantly, I've gained insight that I never would have from the websites. Some of the schools seem like a MUCH better fit now, and I know not to waste my time with some of the others.

I don't think it makes sense to contact professors just for the sake of it, but I know for me the contact I've had with professors will play a huge role in my decisions in terms of where to apply and where to attend if I'm accepted.