Cold calling/emailing professors

[child of 2]

For some, this is the only opportunity for them to network with professors. Has anyone actually done this? Do you have any tips?

[Rachel B]

I've done this and I think it's an essential part of applying to graduate school. It gets your name out and may give you a huge leg up when it comes to the adcomm. Prior to calling I would go on the school website and see what information they have posted about the professors. Look at what classes they teach, what their research is on, etc. and write down a list of questions you want to ask them. It's also a good idea to drop them an email first to briefly introduce yourself and ask when a good time to speak on the phone is.

[cyberwulf]

This might be field-dependent, but I generally discourage students from contacting professors to say "Hey! I'll be applying to your department! Here's my CV, do you have any positions available?"

Some professors receive dozens of these inquiries during application season, and most are simply ignored or brushed off. Why? It could just be a lack of time, but also, without access to your full application, how can a professor make an informed judgment about whether you're a suitable candidate? This is why admissions decisions are made by an admissions committee. And "oh, that person sent Prof. X an email" doesn't really carry any weight as compared to GPA/GRE/letters/statement/etc.