How do I ask if I'm a strong candidate?

[ProTrans]

I'd like to email a few universities to see if I'd be a candidate for their PhD programs... but I'm not sure where to start.  Is this a normal thing people do?  It seems like a poor move to send a super long email, but it also seems impersonal to just attach a cv and ask for free advice.

 

I've had a pretty non traditional path so far.  My undergraduate is in the sciences, but I've been able to get a leadership position in a crisis services nonprofit (basically that means I spend a lot of time teaching, a lot of time in direct services, and a fair amount in operations and management.)

 

I'm not in a rush, and I can take additional classes for a few semesters if needed before I apply... I just don't know what I should take or if this is even necessary.

 

Has anyone here ever emailed professors or admissions counselors asking these types of questions?

 

 

[pears]

Personally, I wouldn't ask professors in the program whether I'd be a strong candidate; I think it hints at some self-doubt, which might rub some people the wrong way. Instead, I'd get in touch with professors or friends from my undergrad program — or, if it makes more sense, professional coworkers & "mentors" — to get their thoughts on a CV, SoP, & LoRs. That way, you can focus on sweeping the programs off their feet & woo with your awesomeness by going into your communications knowing you're already a strong candidate.

 

I would feel a lot better about asking how well my research interests mesh with a professor's or department's than I would asking what they think of me, if that makes sense; the former is a chance to "sell yourself" at a superficial level (& pick up on other important details, like personality), while the latter is a judgment call that they'll make after you apply.

[danieleWrites]

Is your undergrad in a related science, like sociology, or an unrelated one, like physics? While your work experience is relevant, perhaps your scholarship isn't quite so much.

 

I wouldn't ask them about the strength of your candidacy. This question is asking that they evaluate your qualifications to be admitted to their program, so that you can decide if you will apply to the program, when, upon application, they will evaluate your qualifications to be admitted to their program. Again. You can see how they might not want to encourage this sort of behavior in potential students. Evaluating materials is time-consuming; they don't want to do it twice.

 

If you're concerned about your background, find out if they considered your degree and work experience enough to consider you, or if you need a degree in a more closely related field. If you don't have any theory or methodology for psychology and social work, or the math, asking if your specific degree and work experience is enough for you to enter the program is something the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) will find intelligent and worthwhile to answer. Most programs will accept students with academic deficiencies and have them take undergraduate courses to fill these deficiencies; but only to a certain extent. Asking about the strength of your application (your chances of getting in) is going to get you a form email that tells you to send in your application and they'll let you know after they've had a chance to look your materials over.

 

Email the DGS, perhaps, to ask specifically about your degree and if it's related enough for them to consider you. I have a BA in underwater basket weaving from the University of Awesome and 12 yeas experience working at Specific Place. Is this degree related enough for the graduate program?

 

Other than that, what pears said. Do they have compatible research interests?

[emmm]

I met with representatives of a number of programs before I applied to graduate school. I had been out of school a long time and had areas of weakness that I was aware of. What I wanted from the meetings was to find out what qualifications they were looking for and if they had any recommendations on how I could make myself a more attractive applicant. The meetings all went well (although one was funny -- the guy at first didn't seem to know what to make of me, and didn't really take me seriously until he heard my GRE scores and that I had done some recent courses). It also gave them a chance to tell me about their programs, and I decided not to apply to a couple after hearing more detailed information than I'd been able to collect online (realized their areas of strength did not align with my interests as well as I'd thought they might).

[juilletmercredi]

You don't ask.  You apply.  Applying will tell you whether you are a strong candidate.

 

The closest thing for this is asking your former professors and current graduate students what they think about your materials.  I would imagine my advisor would be annoyed if a student emailed him and asked if they were a strong candidate, but if a student emailed *me*, I wouldn't mind at all taking a look at their CV AND I think I could reasonably speak to whether a student was a strong candidate for our program.  Your former professors will also know, based on where they have seen students get in, who is competitive for the top programs in their field (and mid-ranked ones, too).