"Keep in touch!"

[C&C]

This past weekend, I flew back to my university to participate in graduation. While there, my closest professors all hugged me and urged me to "keep in touch" as I told them where I was starting grad school in the Fall. 

 

These are all people who had a huge impact on my undergrad career, and went above and beyond to help with grad applications (not to mention my thesis!). One professor even asked me to add her on Facebook.

 

What is the appropriate way to keep in contact with old professors? Anyone here have any experience they're willing to share? 

 

Thank you! 

C&C

[Gvh]

I like LinkedIn.  Most of my previous profs/mentors are on there; it's a good way to keep in touch without having them see how smashed you were at your cousin's birthday last weekend. 

Edited May 21, 2014 by Gvh

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

How close would you say you are with them? I have a few of my professor's phone numbers so I shoot them a friendly text every now and then. But we had a rather informal relationship. Basically were monthly drinking buddies. A few of the other professors who I wasn't as close on a personal basis with I'll probably just shoot them an e-mail every now and then. No rush. You have years. They'll remember you. Maybe shoot them a little e-mail midway through your first semester in grad school. Just something saying how you're doing and maybe ask them how things have been at the old stomping ground. I think now that you've graduated you don't have to worry about if you're being too informal or intrusive. 

[Sigaba]

I recommend that you write the professors letters and that you initially comport yourself as a professional academic historian. That is, for the first sequence of exchanges, devote the majority of your comments to what you're studying and how your skills are developing (or not--sometimes it is three steps back to take half a step forward). Write the letters with the belief that you are doing important work and that one day you'll be a historian others take seriously. Save copies of everything you mail (as in via USPS) and you receive.

 

Over time and if doing so seems appropriate to the relationship, you can test the waters with more personal comments / insights / opinions. As you are likely to have intervals of very tough sledding and crises of confidence in the coming years, I very strongly recommend that you refrain from venting, gossiping, expressing your angst, or being loopy. I also suggest that you think very carefully before expressing POVs on historical and historiographical topics. Passion and intellectual intensity are one thing, stridency is another.

 

In the event you have opportunities to socialize with these professors in person, I would discourage you from getting too comfortable, especially if alcohol is involved, at least at first. You are building a professional identity in a very dynamic environment. Until you really figure out what is going on in the House of Klio, you may benefit from maintaining a clear line between the personal and the professional.

 

My $0.02.

[JustChill]

I graduated from undergrad five years ago, and since then have stayed in touch with those professors by sending periodic email updates. Probably two or three per year. Just keeping them in the loop about my progress in the PhD program, my research, travel plans, etc. It's always brief and simple, but allows us to stay in touch. They seem to appreciate it quite a bit. 

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

I recommend that you write the professors letters and that you initially comport yourself as a professional academic historian. That is, for the first sequence of exchanges, devote the majority of your comments to what you're studying and how your skills are developing (or not--sometimes it is three steps back to take half a step forward). Write the letters with the belief that you are doing important work and that one day you'll be a historian others take seriously. Save copies of everything you mail (as in via USPS) and you receive.

 

Over time and if doing so seems appropriate to the relationship, you can test the waters with more personal comments / insights / opinions. As you are likely to have intervals of very tough sledding and crises of confidence in the coming years, I very strongly recommend that you refrain from venting, gossiping, expressing your angst, or being loopy. I also suggest that you think very carefully before expressing POVs on historical and historiographical topics. Passion and intellectual intensity are one thing, stridency is another.

 

In the event you have opportunities to socialize with these professors in person, I would discourage you from getting too comfortable, especially if alcohol is involved, at least at first. You are building a professional identity in a very dynamic environment. Until you really figure out what is going on in the House of Klio, you may benefit from maintaining a clear line between the personal and the professional.

 

My $0.02.

Wow. Do you over think everything like that? How bout a simple:

Dr. X,

It's John Doe. Grad school is going great. Learning a lot of interesting stuff. How are things over there?

Toodles

[TakeruK]

In my opinion, perhaps Sigaba's advice in practice might take a more serious tone than required, I do agree with the motives behind the advice. When we are starting scholars/professionals/academics/whatever-you-want-to-call-it, we don't have much of a reputation in our field so the few actions we do take will strongly influence how others perceive us. And unfortunately, due to people's unconscious and conscious biases, we don't want to take actions that will confirm any negative stereotypes people have about us. To use a personal example, I am a visible minority, a little shy/quiet and have a bad habit of mumbling when nervous. When I meet people for the first time, I take extra measures to make sure I portray a professional version of myself that I want others to see me as, and not the stereotype of "international student who doesn't fit into the Western world". 

 

So I think Sigaba's advice of being extra careful initially is sound! I would keep copies of any physical mail too, but I honestly have not written a single physical letter to any professor ever and gmail allows for easy archiving of emails. 

 

But being careful does not mean being overly serious and cold. My email updates to my old supervisors/mentors after I graduate have been in the style of Gnome's examples. I agree that there's no need to overthink. Actually, most of my exchanges with former supervisors don't happen over email--we have occasional Skype chats just to catch up and we try to meet for coffee/meal/drinks if we happen to be in the same city (usually conferences or when I visit home, which is where my undergrad school is also).

 

That said, even though I consider my former advisors as my friends and even invited them to my wedding (and they attended), there are some things that I would not consider appropriate to share with them. I do share my frustrations with life / career / school occasionally but I am mindful to frame them in an appropriate way. I save my frustrated venting about crappy things that happen for other types of friends. Similarly, I think they do the same with me--to use a made up example, they might share their frustration with the policies of a certain journal with me, but they would not bad-mouth their colleagues in front of me etc. 

 

Finally, I think what you write also depends on your goals. I intentionally wanted to build a more personal relationship with my former mentors so I purposely did not keep my initial conversations to be academic only, because I don't want our relationship to be academic only. So I think Sigaba's advice to make sure your initial exchanges reflect what you want your relationship to be is great, but I'll add that it's okay to create a more informal relationship with someone you already know kind of well. 

[Sigaba]

Wow. Do you over think everything like that? How bout a simple:

Dr. X,

It's John Doe. Grad school is going great. Learning a lot of interesting stuff. How are things over there?

Toodles

 

The OP was posted in the history forum. My recommendation is from one historian to another. Do you have experience in maintaining/developing relationships with historians? 

 

 

In my opinion, perhaps Sigaba's advice in practice might take a more serious tone than required, I do agree with the motives behind the advice. When we are starting scholars/professionals/academics/whatever-you-want-to-call-it, we don't have much of a reputation in our field so the few actions we do take will strongly influence how others perceive us. And unfortunately, due to people's unconscious and conscious biases, we don't want to take actions that will confirm any negative stereotypes people have about us. To use a personal example, I am a visible minority, a little shy/quiet and have a bad habit of mumbling when nervous. When I meet people for the first time, I take extra measures to make sure I portray a professional version of myself that I want others to see me as, and not the stereotype of "international student who doesn't fit into the Western world". 

 

So I think Sigaba's advice of being extra careful initially is sound! I would keep copies of any physical mail too, but I honestly have not written a single physical letter to any professor ever and gmail allows for easy archiving of emails. 

 

But being careful does not mean being overly serious and cold. My email updates to my old supervisors/mentors after I graduate have been in the style of Gnome's examples. I agree that there's no need to overthink. Actually, most of my exchanges with former supervisors don't happen over email--we have occasional Skype chats just to catch up and we try to meet for coffee/meal/drinks if we happen to be in the same city (usually conferences or when I visit home, which is where my undergrad school is also).

 

That said, even though I consider my former advisors as my friends and even invited them to my wedding (and they attended), there are some things that I would not consider appropriate to share with them. I do share my frustrations with life / career / school occasionally but I am mindful to frame them in an appropriate way. I save my frustrated venting about crappy things that happen for other types of friends. Similarly, I think they do the same with me--to use a made up example, they might share their frustration with the policies of a certain journal with me, but they would not bad-mouth their colleagues in front of me etc. 

 

Finally, I think what you write also depends on your goals. I intentionally wanted to build a more personal relationship with my former mentors so I purposely did not keep my initial conversations to be academic only, because I don't want our relationship to be academic only. So I think Sigaba's advice to make sure your initial exchanges reflect what you want your relationship to be is great, but I'll add that it's okay to create a more informal relationship with someone you already know kind of well. 

 

To clarify, the purpose of keeping two copies of each piece of correspondence is not about CYA or being cold. It is related to the suggestion that the OP do what established historians do: hold on to materials that may end up donated to a school under the heading of "Letters and Personal Papers..."

[TakeruK]

To clarify, the purpose of keeping two copies of each piece of correspondence is not about CYA or being cold. It is related to the suggestion that the OP do what established historians do: hold on to materials that may end up donated to a school under the heading of "Letters and Personal Papers..."

 

Although the CYA aspect might be useful too--I've seen or heard about enough "he said, she said" type stories of interactions gone wrong in the news and by word of mouth that I think it's always good to keep copies of every correspondence, in case the other party intending some kind of harm.

[C&C]

Each post was helpful, so thank you everyone! 

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

The OP was posted in the history forum. My recommendation is from one historian to another. Do you have experience in maintaining/developing relationships with historians? 

No. But I have experience in maintaining/developing relationships with other humans. I don't think academic fields would be that different. At the end of the day, they're all people. Every interaction in life can't be so calculated. I'm not saying act like a complete bonkers fool. I'm saying just loosen up a little. Send a "hello" email midway through the semester. Something simple and lighthearted. Grad school is a long time. You don't have to be in such a rush to develop these professional relationships. You won't be unemployed and living under a bridge in 10 years if you send a casual email to a former professor. 

[maelia8]

I usually send pretty casual emails to the five professors who acted as mentors to me during my undergrad (I had two majors, so two of them were in one field and three were in the other). I tell them what I've been doing in terms of travel and academics but usually keep it at that. They are generally quite busy and don't have time to write long epistles describing their current research, so I don't usually ask about that unless we decide to meet up in person (which will be possible for the first time this summer when I return to the USA after a LONG time overseas). Generally I just write them a couple of paragraphs and they respond with a "great, nice to hear you're doing well" and we leave it at that. I respect the fact that they are super busy as full-time undergrad course leaders and researchers, so I don't expect too much in terms of response. Although they were great mentors to me, none of them are actually that interested in my specialty area within my research field, so I don't see the need to try and cultivate an academic dialogue with them concerning our various research interests. Of course, this might change once I get to grad school in the Fall and want to run ideas by them

[TMP]

Only you can decide how informal you'd like to be.  I've been out of undergrad for 6 years and have gone through a MA and now am in a PhD program.  Until I entered in my PhD program, my undergrad adviser and I kept a fairly informal communication.  Neither one of us knew where I would be going with my life.  Since I got into a PhD program, we've taken a bit more professional approach though we've taken a trip together abroad and seen each other in pajamas.

 

What I have learned over the years is not to give TMI.  You can say you're going to Paris to see this awesome exhibit at the Louvre but please do not mention the hot club scene.  You need to really, really feel it out with them to know how much you can share and how much they truly care about you as a person, not just a budding scholar.

 

Believe me, it will take a good, good, good while before you can talk about anything else other than research, teaching, conferences, publishing.... Some professors will never stray beyond those boundaries.

 

Bottom line: Follow their cues.  If they mention their kids or travel, you can say something about your family or next vacation.  If they talk about the newest Italian restaurant in town, you can share that interest (or not).

[Riotbeard]

Really depends.  I have some Profs that I get drinks with whenever I am back in my college town, and keep up with via facebook.  Others the occasional letter/ drop in their offices when I am back in town.

[thedig13]

I actually have a question along the same lines. There are several professors with whom I am close, but I expect to be switching email addresses around over the next 4-5 years. Some professors have already exchanged phone numbers with me, but others have not asked for mine.

My question: Would it be unprofessional/unusual/frowned-upon if I asked professors for their cell numbers? Is that the sort of question professors ask students but never the other way around?

[TMP]

Here's the deal, professors will almost never e-mail on their own accord.  Just send them e-mails and if they wish to e-mail you, they will use the latest e-mail address.  When they say "keep in touch," they mean that YOU must contact them.

 

Alternatively, you can share your personal e-mail with them if you don't want to worry about the issue of switching professional e-mail constantly.

 

I would not ask for their cell numbers without making the offer to give them yours first.

[TakeruK]

I think I would only ever trade cell phone numbers with a professor if there was a need for them to contact me more urgently than the time it normally takes for email. Pretty much every time I have traded numbers with a professor was for things that required instant coordination (e.g. we are carpooling to go to the airport for a conference).

 

You can always just let them know your new email address when you do change it, or as TMP suggests, give them your personal one that won't change. If you don't feel you have a close enough relationship that merits you telling them whenever you change your email address then as TMP says, it's probably you that is going to reach out first!

[Sigaba]

I actually have a question along the same lines. There are several professors with whom I am close, but I expect to be switching email addresses around over the next 4-5 years. Some professors have already exchanged phone numbers with me, but others have not asked for mine.

My question: Would it be unprofessional/unusual/frowned-upon if I asked professors for their cell numbers? Is that the sort of question professors ask students but never the other way around?

 

Before switching your email address, I recommend that you find out what options you will have at Yale. For example, the Yale alumni association may have a solution that minimizes your need to do the change of email address dance.

 

If a professor wants you to have her personal/cell phone number, she will give it to you. 

 

As for the ongoing conversation, I would point out that maintaining a degree of personal distance from history professors can work to your advantage. In my experience, professional academic historians can have ungainly skeletons in their closets. Sometimes, if they feel especially close, they may, out of no where, tell you something you cannot unhear.

 

Also, because the craft of history is subjective, it is entirely possible that, if you zig intellectually when a professor who thinks you're a friend expects you to zag, you're not just having a difference of POVs, you're "betraying" said professor.

Edited May 29, 2014 by Sigaba