Is it too late to start contact faculty members and introduce yourself?

[sallysirius]

Ok, I'm freaking out right now. Most of my friends have done so in Nov. My adviser said contacting the faculty member would greatly increase your chance in the application. She even mentioned a student years ago with great GPA and GRE score, failed to get any interview invitations because he did not contact the faculty members. I want to start now, but it is almost winter break and I doubt if professors would read the emails and respond now. The threads that reporting having already received interview invitations make my heart sink even more... Please someone tell me that I still have a shot 

 

PS. I'm applying for PhD program in Clinical Psych . 

 

PPS. Yes, I notice the grammar mistake in the title... now you know how freaking out I am....

Edited December 14, 2013 by sallysirius

[PsychGirl1]

Based on my own experience, I very highly doubt the student didn't get any interview invitations because he didn't email faculty members and introduce himself. I COULD see this happening if he didn't email professors to check if they were taking students, and therefore wasted a large percentage of his applications on professors who weren't taking students. Either way, I'm assuming your applications are finished and in. If that's the case, there is no reason for you to contact faculty at this point, and I doubt it would make any difference if you contacted them now. At this point, faculty members are more interested in your fit, SOP, GPA, and GRE scores than whether or not you send them an email. You spent a buttload of money applying to their school, and hopefully made your interest in the POI clear in your application, so they have no reason to question your seriousness.

 

Also, some faculty members hate those emails, and I can imagine sending one at this time of year would annoy them even more since it doesn't serve the "are you taking students" purpose.

[lewin]

Any prof who wouldn't take a student because he/she didn't contact them in advance (aka follow some bs arbitrary unwritten rule that many profs don't like anyway) isn't someone you want to work with.

[osculations]

My research advisor thinks that the rationale behind contacting POIs ahead of time is to ensure that you list as your first choice a faculty member who is absolutely taking students that year. (Most faculty dislike being an applicant's second choice.) But I agree with what has been said above. If a POI is taking students, then lack of previous contact should not matter so long as the official application is strong. 

[ratlab]

I think it would be rude to contact them now.

[PsychGirl1]

My research advisor thinks that the rationale behind contacting POIs ahead of time is to ensure that you list as your first choice a faculty member who is absolutely taking students that year. (Most faculty dislike being an applicant's second choice.) But I agree with what has been said above. If a POI is taking students, then lack of previous contact should not matter so long as the official application is strong. 

 

Definitely agree about this being the purpose- but it's a little late in the game to be sending those types of emails, and completely pointless if your applications are already completed and in...

[sallysirius]

I was more thinking about talking to the faculty members about their researches a bit ... But still, it would probably be very obvious what you are trying to do and I'm not sure if it would be a good idea.

[PsychGirl1]

That's what the interview day is for!