Don't do these things

[12345678900987654321]

In no particular order here are some things that I've seen this week that applicants really need to stop doing.

 

1. Tell the grad secretary to "reply quickly." I reply as quickly as I can. 

2. Not follow instructions. Do not send me your application materials. You received an email with instructions on where to upload them.

3. Email professors asking to work with them. That instruction email above told you not to do that. They will just forward me the email and tell me to deal with it. (I know this varies by department though.)

4. Ask if you can apply. How did you miss the "APPLY NOW" button on the website?

 

If you cannot follow simple instructions I WILL tell the grad committee this. They want to know this information because applicants like that become grad students who take up an inordinate amount of their time. I've seen poor behavior during the application process doom applicants that the committee was on the fence about. I've also seen the committee take a chance on applicants who have demonstrated competence during the process. 

 

I'm doing us both a favor by posting this.

 

Someday I'd like to write a long post on this topic but these will do for now.

 

 

 

 

[jamebex]

@ GradSecretary, Thanks for the advice. Please would it be inappropriate if I ask a prospective Grad School about how interviews for International applicants living outside North America are done. This have been giving me concern lately.

[GeoDUDE!]

This advice is so program dependent; the tone of the OP seems very disgruntled. I'm sorry you are having a tough time with repeated questions,it probably gets annoying and is one of the more tedious parts of your job.

 

Thank you for this post.

[ssynny]

I really meant to hit the upvote button, but my phone took it as down. I'm surprised sometimes at how little people read instructions. It probably takes longer to send you an email than to just read it. Hopefully you don't get anymore silly questions!

[beccamayworth]

I'm surprised sometimes at how little people read instructions.

 

 

This sentence is hilariously ambiguous.

[Eigen]

This advice is so program dependent; the tone of the OP seems very disgruntled. I'm sorry you are having a tough time with repeated questions,it probably gets annoying and is one of the more tedious parts of your job.

 

Thank you for this post.

 

Just curious, which of these seem department specific to you? Following instructions and not ignoring them seems pretty generic to me. 

[GeoDUDE!]

Just curious, which of these seem department specific to you? Following instructions and not ignoring them seems pretty generic to me. 

 

3. Email professors asking to work with them. That instruction email above told you not to do that. They will just forward me the email and tell me to deal with it. (I know this varies by department though.)

 

I have always seen instruction emails telling to do the opposite.....

 

 

4. Ask if you can apply. How did you miss the "APPLY NOW" button on the website?

 

Sure, many departments have an "Apply Now" button, but other departments have pre applications. In my field, USC and Virginia Tech come to mind. 

 

 

So yes, follow directions. Be polite.  

[Imaginary]

I think it is program dependent and applicant dependent. For instance, maybe a particular program encourages students to ask professors if they are accepting students, as I hear many sciences programs do, and maybe a particular applicant wonders if they should even bother applying. I did this once when the website stated that they required students to have a B.A. AND a M.A. in English, plus teaching experience. I had the B.A. I had the teaching experience. My M.A. was in Liberal Arts. Therefore, I inquired as to whether or not I qualified to apply rather than waste my money, and their time.

[12345678900987654321]

@ GradSecretary, Thanks for the advice. Please would it be inappropriate if I ask a prospective Grad School about how interviews for International applicants living outside North America are done. This have been giving me concern lately.

  In my opinion, that would be fine. However, my department doesn't do interviews. 

[12345678900987654321]

This advice is so program dependent; the tone of the OP seems very disgruntled. I'm sorry you are having a tough time with repeated questions,it probably gets annoying and is one of the more tedious parts of your job.

 

Thank you for this post.

 

You're right, I was disgruntled. I probably shouldn't use this as a place to vent frustrations. However, they are still good reminders for applicants. 

[12345678900987654321]

I think it is program dependent and applicant dependent. For instance, maybe a particular program encourages students to ask professors if they are accepting students, as I hear many sciences programs do, and maybe a particular applicant wonders if they should even bother applying. I did this once when the website stated that they required students to have a B.A. AND a M.A. in English, plus teaching experience. I had the B.A. I had the teaching experience. My M.A. was in Liberal Arts. Therefore, I inquired as to whether or not I qualified to apply rather than waste my money, and their time.

 

Yes, I know contacting professors is varies by department and discipline. In fact, after reading Grad Cafe* I wonder if we might be in the minority. That's why I made sure to put in our welcome email and FAQs that it is not necessary for us. 

 

I think your question was completely appropriate. I often get emails that simply say "I would like to begin the application process. Can you show me how to apply?" 

 

I'm not saying don't ask questions. Just make sure you can't find the answer on the website. We have one area that is horribly ambiguous on our website because committee can't agree on an answer. I expect to, and do, receive lots of questions in this area.

 

*That's why I read Grad Cafe, to find out applicant expectations. It's not just to post rants about applicants. 

[ssynny]

This sentence is hilariously ambiguous.

 

Lol whoops!

[maelia8]

3. Email professors asking to work with them. That instruction email above told you not to do that. They will just forward me the email and tell me to deal with it. (I know this varies by department though.)

 

 

This really does vary, both by field and by department. Within my field, some institution websites told me specifically NOT to email professors, and others actively encouraged it or even stated that it was an expected part of the application process. To sum up, don't assume that just because one department at one university in your field wants or does not want you to send such emails that all others will be the same.

[themmases]

GradSecretary's advice is really good. If you haven't worked in a support position, you may not realize just how many people will be rude and waste your time. I once thought that "be nice to the secretary" was cliche advice for job or student applicants and junior or visiting people of all kinds, but actually many people don't follow it and it reflects extremely poorly on them. Many trainees and even applicants take it upon themselves to behave as though they already have that PhD/MD/whatever and any support person they meet is there to serve everyone on their level, like a drop-in computer or a hallway phone. Don't be that person.

 

Not only is it just good manners to treat everyone with respect regardless of their job, you really have no way of knowing who you are talking to when you contact a department you've never visited. Different places can have very different job titles and local hierarchies based on people's personality and reliability. You could be talking to the useless secretary in a department where it's really hard to fire people, but you could also be talking to the heart and soul of the department whose director is going to be pretty displeased that you wasted her time.

 

A tiny part of my old job was dealing with rotating trainees, many of whom wanted to come back in the future as fellows. I always told the people above me if someone was inappropriate, high maintenance, or otherwise a problem. It wasn't out of spite-- although sometimes I was mad-- it was because a) it's normal to tell people above you when one of your job duties is taking way more time than usual; and b )the people who would have to supervise them in the future if they were accepted should know what they'd be getting into.

Edited August 1, 2014 by themmases