Communicating with advisor before the first semester...

[sje]

I've seen a few threads here about what to do to prepare for the coming first semester, but none that mention anything about communicating with your advisor before you actually start... What's the consensus on this? For example, I've met with my advisor a couple of times in person already and of course emailed back and forth a few times before I was accepted, but we haven't spoken since he emailed me to notify my of my acceptance. Should I email him to sort of 'check in' or just wait until we get closer to the start of the semester?

[Bass]

I think that would depend partially on the nature of your program. I got to meet my future advisor in person during a visit after I got admitted to the program, and I have kept in touch with him since then after I accepted the school's offer. One interesting thing he told me was that I would be able to come down early over the summer before the fall semester starts and immediately get paid on my RA stipend. I probably won't do this right away since I currently have an internship planned for the summer, but I don't think it would hurt to let him know what your plans are in advance before your semester starts.

[fuzzylogician]

Ask your potential advisor. The answer will differ from program to program (possibly even at the advisor-level). At my program admitted students don't interact with professors until the arrive in the Fall, so once you're admitted there is close to 5 months of silence until suddenly you start getting updates from staff and faculty some time in July/August.

[jmu]

At the program I'm going to be attending each member of the adcomm is taking a student on as a mentor, making sure they apply for things like the GRFP and that they are prepared for the beginning of the semester. Another program I was accepted at is based on you being selected by an advisor (this is not common in geography) and it was recommended that I contact him immediately to start talking about the program. His, and the DGS', lack of response to any email that asked anything about the substance of the program is one of the primary reasons I didn't accept their offer (this is a highly ranked program for my subfield and the advisor is one of the main theorists on my specific topic.)

[juilletmercredi]

It depends on you and your advisor.  I communicated with my advisor via email a bit during the summer before I started my program - he gave me the study protocol of his lab's new project (which is, incidentally, what I'm doing my dissertation on now!) and recommended some summer reading.

[Ambigiousbuthopeful]

I think it is good idea to let him or her know once you formally accept the offer. At least that's what I did. 

[kyjin]

It really depends.  For my MA advisor, I kept in contact with him through the spring before I began, and he invited me to move to my school early and attend a conference a couple weeks before the semester began.  For my PhD, my new advisor has also been in contact with me quite a bit, and is actually arranging for me to come down to the school again this month to attend a conference. (I haven't even officially accepted the offer yet!) 

[compiler_guy]

This a an important topic!

 

I think you should  correspond with your future adviser at regular intervals, maybe once a month at the beginning and then once every two weeks in the period before you arrive. 

The trouble is - what to correspond about? You could asked what research papers he recommends to read, and maybe you could go thru the latest publications of his lab and try to intelligently comment and make suggestions for future possible avenues of research.

 

If anyone else has other suggestions on what you could converse about - I'd love to hear it!

[sje]

This a an important topic!

 

I think you should  correspond with your future adviser at regular intervals, maybe once a month at the beginning and then once every two weeks in the period before you arrive. 

The trouble is - what to correspond about? You could asked what research papers he recommends to read, and maybe you could go thru the latest publications of his lab and try to intelligently comment and make suggestions for future possible avenues of research.

 

If anyone else has other suggestions on what you could converse about - I'd love to hear it!

You nailed it! It's easy to talk with him, but what to talk about is a whole other issue entirely.

[kateausten]

I contacted mine before class registration opened.  I needed to know what classes to sign up for and other basic things.  I didn't email them without specific questions, though.