pre-app networking, etc.

[LinguisticMystic]

So I attended the linguistic institute and met a ton of great people while there ... including potential PhD advisors! That's opened up some wonderful lines of communication and I can see it helping a lot when it comes time to submit applications (which is good because they're programs I'm very interested in). My question is, is it possible to do this now with professors I haven't met or is it sort of pointless in this field? It was nice at the institute to just simply walk up to someone or email them and ask if they wanted to get coffee before class.But do I get in touch with all of those professors I haven't had the chance to meet? What do I say?

 

I'm in an MA program now, so I've applied before but never tried to "network" prior to application time. I'm getting mixed advice about whether or not to contact potential advisors and what to say, etc. Part of my problem is I'm switching from one field to another, I think. Any insight/experience? I hope this sort of question can help others too!

[NoontimeDreamer]

I'm in a similar boat, trying to establish some connections with professors I haven't yet met in person.

 

What I've seen suggested and have done so far is to initially email the POI and briefly introduce myself, where I study, what field/degree I'm applying for, when I'm applying, and expressing my interest in his/her program.

 

Then, I write a super brief section summarizing my research interests. After that, I say something to the effect of "I was really interested in your work on X, Y, Z because of A, B, C. I'm just writing to make sure that you intend to take on students in 20XX, because I am very interested in working with you."

I read a few posts of people who tried sending out a form letter with nothing specific to the professor and who received cold, if any, replies. However, I've really had great feedback from the professors I think due in part to the fact that I proved I read some of their work and not just their website description.

 

Also, it might be worthwhile to ask if they might pass on the names of some current graduate students to contact with specific questions about the department/advisor/city/etc.

 

 

Mandarin.Orange's post and especially the page they link to (http://science-professor.blogspot.com/2007/12/writing-to-me.html) was really helpful for me!

[fuzzylogician]

My question is, is it possible to do this now with professors I haven't met or is it sort of pointless in this field? It was nice at the institute to just simply walk up to someone or email them and ask if they wanted to get coffee before class.But do I get in touch with all of those professors I haven't had the chance to meet? What do I say?

 

I didn't contact anyone and did just fine, and so did most of the students I've ever had this discussion with, so I think you can not contact anyone and still do just fine. However, it's maybe not a bad idea to establish some contact with people of interest. I don't think that changing subfields at the stage you are at in your education is any problem. You basically do as NoontimeDreamer says: you email the profs, say a bit about yourself and ask them whether they are accepting students next year. Since you're changing fields, you could also take the opportunity to ask for their advice on how to handle the explanations or how to enhance your application, given this complication. I'm sure many will respond warmly if you just reach out. 

[LinguisticMystic]

Thanks you guys. Fuzzy, that's great advice. I've already been told I'll need to explain the subfield thing in at least one of my statements. I don't think it's that huge of a deal, but I definitely want to prove myself in an effective way.