Emailing Professors: Is it a good or a bad idea?

[alphacat]

So I am applying for the 2014 fall admission Sociology PhD positions.

 

My professors (undergrad advisers) told me that it does not make sense to email professors. However, other professors say the contrary.

 

What did you guys do? Did you email professors individually to show interest in addition to mentioning them in your statement of purpose?

• If you did: what did you say? How did they (or did they) respond?
• If you did not: Why? Is it a bad idea?

 

Thanks all!

 

R

[meowth]

I did not.

 

In psychology I was told to e-mail professors because you tended to work with just one professor once you got there, and needed to make sure they were accepting students. The one professor would basically be the one advocating for and accepting you into the program. For the one psychology program I applied to, I made sure to e-mail the professor.

 

However, for sociology I was told by a professor that instead of working with a single professor, you tend to work with several professors within the department (even if you might have one that's your main go-to), so it wasn't the same as psychology where you needed the one professor to be accepting students. So for sociology I didn't e-mail any professors, and while for many programs I had one particular professor I liked better, I tried to make sure that there were other professors I wouldn't mind working with as well. I did not e-mail any professors before applying.

 

Not saying it's a bad idea, I just already spent so much time writing SOPs and doing everything else that sending out e-mails seemed like one more stressful thing that I didn't want to do.

 

(At this point it also depends on when your applications are due. December 15th? The professors might be out of town anyways at this point. January 15th? Maybe worth a try.)

[amlobo]

Last year, I only emailed professors when they were the only person I could work with at a school, to make sure they could advise me if I did get in.  Where there were multiple professors in my area, I didn't bother.  I definitely don't think it's necessary.  The professors who ended up showing the most interest in me, I never contacted - I just mentioned them in my SOP.  The ones I did contact responded just encouraging me to apply and telling me to contact them with any questions about the program; I really don't think it made a difference. 

 

So, basically, it's not going to hurt you, but I don't think it really "helps" much either, beyond just seeing if the professor is taking new students or would be a good fit for your interests.  Best of luck!

[Maleficent999]

I was originally applying to social psychology programs where, as someone mentioned above, its basically a necessity to email professors to make sure they're taking students. When I decided to switch to sociology, I emailed a few professors at my top schools and was basically met with a "huh? why are you emailing me? I'm sure we will get to meet if you're accepted." kind of responses so I stopped emailing. One caveat is that I noticed on the UCI app they ask if you've had correspondence with anyone and want the names. Soooooooo I don't know if I should leave that blank or last minute email the professors whose work I'm most interested in.

Edited December 14, 2013 by Maleficent999

[jacib]

This late in the game, it doesn't really matter.  Don't worry about it!  The one school I got in to was also one of the only ones I didn't correspond with any of the faculty (because I already knew they were good matches).  Just confidently state you'll be a good match with people in the "fit" part of your statement, and definitely demonstrate that you're good fits with them in the rest of the application, and you'll be fine.

[inwhatway]

I think it definitely helps to reach out to professors.  Judging by this thread, most prospective students don't make this effort, so this small gesture will make you stand out from other applicants.  There's a political game to the application process that varies by school.  If you impress one or more professors at a very competitive school, they may offer key advice on how to shape your personal statement and increase your chances of acceptance.  Even if you aren't accepted to that particular program, there's still value in reaching out to influential professors.  It's a golden opportunity to begin relationships that you can cultivate throughout graduate school.  Also, the application season gives you the chance to build your name recognition with people who will likely be reviewers at top journals in your field. Contact them.  You won't be sorry.

[Pino5]

I'm assuming you are applying in the US. I applied in the UK so this may not apply.

 

Yes, it is always a good idea to email potential profs. In my case, I emailed several professors who I felt had the "best" fit for me in their departments. I received responses that were very positive, which indicated that I had a fighting chance in my application. I applied to one of these schools and got accepted. I had one response that said my research area was beyond their scope, and that if I was really interested in the program I would need to slant the study a certain way. This revealed to me that if I hadn't emailed the prof, I wouldn't have known that my research interests were not a good fit with the department. I didn't bother applying there. There were a couple of professors however who did not respond at all. I know that these profs get tons of emails, but I'm thinking if they can't be bothered to respond to an earnestly written email, then I probably shouldn't waste my time applying there.

 

As to the content of my email, I just simply introduced myseld, indicated my interests in being supervised, summarized my research agenda, then attached my research proposal. Hope this helps.

[seekingsun]

I totally disagree with inwhatway.

 

Writing as someone who is in a Department already - the faculty are totally overwhelmed and working their butts off this time of year.  The last thing they want is "networking-type" emails from unknown students clogging up their inboxes.  Most programs admit by committee, so having a person who isn't on the committee on your side isn't going to help you get admitted.    Faculty would much rather spend more effort with substantive conversations with prospective students that have been admitted and are trying to decide which programs are best for them.   Of course, during the summer and early fall, as you are trying to learn about graduate programs and trying to get a sense of where you fit in, these sorts of conversations might be interesting (and the faculty might have time for them), but seriously, don't do so just because you think its something you should do.  They are getting 10-20 of these emails a week and most just stop responding.  It's too much...

[inwhatway]

Fair enough, seekingsun.  I think you have a point about the timing of emails.  My response was geared toward the question "is emailing profs a good idea" as opposed to "Is emailing profs on December 15th a good idea."  I've been contacting potential mentors in top programs since the summer term, which allowed me to visit my dream department for informal interviews with the faculty and lunch with the students.  If I waited until the deadline to send these inquiries, it would have been overwhelming for the faculty and it may have looked like I was rushing to check a series of boxes off at each program.  Not the case.

[faculty]

I hesitate to put this here because this will probably be buried soon and I'm not sure if anyone will read it as they prepare for next year, but I want to offer a few specific tips about emailing professors. As people who have been around the forum for a while might know, I'm generally against the idea, but it seems like something that students are going to do regardless so it's best to lay out some guidelines.

 

First, explore the website - thoroughly - before you do anything. I'm not only talking about the faculty page where it lists people's interests. I mean the requirements for the program, information on the graduate students, what the course listings are and what the graduate assistantships entail. Don't ask a question that is easily located with a relatively quick read of the website. Seekingsun is right; this is a busy time of year for faculty. However, faculty are always busy - always! Many of us are happy to help, but we put information on websites to save us time. Take advantage of it and show us that you realize that our time is valuable. The number one question that my colleagues and I answer is "Are you taking students?" even though that is not the way that any of the sociology departments that I know of work. You wouldn't ask this question if you actually read the website.

 

Second, related to the above, if you want a reply, email with a formulated question. Students will write to tell me their research interests and then ask, "Is there anything I should know about the program?" or "Can you tell me more about the application process?" These are questions that are nearly impossible to answer. I have no idea what you already know. I have no idea what interests you. Sometimes students will even say, "I've looked over the website and I'm wondering what additional information you might have." It is much easier (and interesting) for me to respond to an email that asks something like, "Are you starting a new project in the next couple years? If so, what do you think it will be?" Don't just email to email.

 

Third, be honest in your communications. Students are always trying to figure out how to get themselves into the program. Getting into a program under false pretenses - feigning interest in something you're not interested in, for example - is not doing anyone any favors. The department can't accurately assess whether you'll be a good fit or not. That's not just about an acceptance. It can also affect whether or not you'll succeed in the program. SUCCESS, and not acceptance, should be your number one priority. To this end, an honest email (and application) is better and more effective than an ingratiating one.

 

Fourth, and this has been said here before, be brief. Prospective students will send long emails with their CV and personal statement attached or embedded, going on and on about their accomplishments. This is what applications are for, not emails. Begin with a short email of interest with a specific question. If a faculty member engages you, you can write more details in a response. If they don't engage you, don't take it personally. See #1 above. Besides, most faculty aren't on the committee and therefore have very little control over the process.

 

Finally, if the question can be answered by a student or an administrative assistant, ask them first. It is a much better idea to call the main office and ask a question - they are used to these things - and have them refer you to a faculty member for something they can't answer than the other way around. Our DGS - and sometimes other faculty - get emails and calls from students who are trying to find out the deadline, update their application, check on whether their letters arrived, and so forth. These are not questions for him. Some are a waste of his time and others he can't even answer. Other queries ask about life as a graduate student, whether someone can reasonably live in our city on the stipend, etc. These are not questions for faculty. They did not go to school in the program and are not living like graduate students. These are questions for current students. Students are accustomed to getting emails from prospectives. Like faculty, some respond and some don't, but following the guidelines listed above will help (be brief, specific, honest, realize they are busy too, etc.).

 

If I've overlooked or forgotten something, hopefully others will add more below.

 

Good luck to everyone who is applying!

[LeoBixby]

What "Espresso Shot" said.