Contacting Professors

[InUtero1994]

Anyone have any advice on contacting professors who have similar research interests. This is my second time applying to PhD programs in political science and i'm very nervous about approaching professors without sounding like an kiss-ass or annoying applicant?

Thanks Everyone

[cogneuroforfun]

Email saying you're interested in their broad area, you're applying for fall 2009 (or whatever), and will they be accepting students into their lab/group, assuming poli sci faculty have labs/groups. Don't suck up to them and it won't sound like sucking up.

[InUtero1994]

Thanks for the advice... .... anyone else have any ideas?

[Ferrero]

I think the above suggestion was good. One technique I would add is CC some other professors, including others in that sub-field in the department, as well as the DGS and Chair. Ball's in his/her court to reply then -- and everyone will be watching to see if he/she does.

[Nikki]

I briefly explained my background, my research interests, mentioned an article/book by the prof that I had read and how our research interests overlapped, which program/year I was applying, and asked if he/she was taking on graduate students.

[cogneuroforfun]

I briefly explained my background, my research interests, mentioned an article/book by the prof that I had read and how our research interests overlapped, which program/year I was applying, and asked if he/she was taking on graduate students.

I was a little too brief; this is actually perfect. Just make sure not to gush about how amazing their paper was. Mention that you are interested in doing the type of research they did in paper x or something, and that won't come off as annoying or pushy or anything.

Also, try to relax and not worry too much. These are professors who love what they do (research, mentoring, and teaching) and they love talking about their work/lab/program. I got responses from 11 out of 12 faculty I emailed and all were overwhelmingly positive and encouraging. Of all the things you can do to improve your chances at being accepted, contacting professors with a brief, polite email is probably the easiest thing you could do and will make it much more likely that you'll get your application seriously looked at.

[InUtero1994]

Thanks.......

I was a little too brief; this is actually perfect. Just make sure not to gush about how amazing their paper was. Mention that you are interested in doing the type of research they did in paper x or something, and that won't come off as annoying or pushy or anything.

Also, try to relax and not worry too much. These are professors who love what they do (research, mentoring, and teaching) and they love talking about their work/lab/program. I got responses from 11 out of 12 faculty I emailed and all were overwhelmingly positive and encouraging. Of all the things you can do to improve your chances at being accepted, contacting professors with a brief, polite email is probably the easiest thing you could do and will make it much more likely that you'll get your application seriously looked at.

[tg123]

Hi, a newbie here

is this a good time to mail potential advisors? Since most schools would be having their holidays/vacations, would it make any sense to mail proffs at your schools of interest right now (for Fall 2010)? Kindly suggest and let me know what to do! I mailed 2-3 professors, and this doubt struck me later!

Regards,

-T

[cogneuroforfun]

Hi, a newbie here

is this a good time to mail potential advisors? Since most schools would be having their holidays/vacations, would it make any sense to mail proffs at your schools of interest right now (for Fall 2010)? Kindly suggest and let me know what to do! I mailed 2-3 professors, and this doubt struck me later!

Regards,

-T

I emailed during the summer before I applied (late June - early July) and had good results. As long as you do it a month or more before you turn in your applications, I think it would be fine. Ideally, contacting professors should help you whittle down your list of schools, as you'll find out if they have room, if they seem like a good research fit, etc. But you don't want to cut it too close to the deadline, because you don't want to spend the time on an application if no one there is taking students and you definitely want to give the profs a good long amount of time to get back to you.

[tg123]

Thank you so much!! It made me stop worrying too much about contacting profs, instead I will spend more time on searching universities and finding which programs suit me; rather than figuring out what to write in an email to the prof. I can postpone that to early-id July then

-T

[tg123]

Hi gradcafe,

I have been mailing professors at various universities now, and one of the replies I received reads like the following:

T,

Thank you for your interest in our program. If you'd like to learn more about our research, take a look at abc.xyz for links to recent papers, conferences, and activities associated with the ICT for development work I've been involved with over the past few years. It's an exciting area, and there is an increasing amount of good research being done. Congratulations on selecting this area for your future work.

If you look at our website, you'll see some of the students listed there. I'd encourage you to contact A, B or C all of whom are PhD students in our department.

If I can provide any further information, please let me know.

Best,

Beth

---

(names changed, hope no one minds)

Now, this seems like an on-the-fence reply What to make out of it? I gave her my background and also asked if she would be accepting students in her group for next Fall, and if she could point me to some of her current students so I could come to know more abt their research. Though her reply has been very to-the-point, in what manner should I carry out further correspondence? Am a little confused! Would be great if any of you experienced ppl could help out

Regards,

-T

[belowthree]

I would say that's a fairly standard reply from a professor who is cordial but also busy.

Feel free to contact her with more questions, but make sure you read through the materials she mentioned, contact a few students and do some research on her program.

At that point you'll probably be left with several questions you can talk about. Ones more directly related to specific types of work you're interested in doing are probably the most appropriate.

[Minnesotan]

If you're looking for specificity, you'll need to make the first move. Many lovely people are severely pressed for time and only answer the questions posed by the dozens of potential advisees who contact them. It seems like the prof you contacted hit the major points, expecting you to ask more detailed questions about what really interests you.

[JackieW]

Yet another question about this ever-so-hot-topic...

So, when is a good time to contact professors? I sort of want to start doing so, but I don't want to do it so early that they forget about me come application time! I also feel like a month before applications are due is cutting it waaaay too close, but I also don't want to bug a professor when he/she is at his/her busiest time of the semester.

[purplepepper]

I honestly think that it's never too early to start a dialogue about your research interests between a potential advisor, and to say that you are interested in discussing whether or not you'd be able to pursue your topic at X University.

I contacted profs way back in April, met some of them over the summer, and no one forgot who I was come application time (last year). got into 3 of 4 schools, and one prof. actually remembered the exact introduction email that I sent her.

Granted this all may be special circumstances, but if you have an interesting topic with relevant experience, profs. would be as interested in you as you are in them. If they aren't accepting students, they'll either tell you (without having to ask) or not reply.

[cclangdell]

My two cents from my own experience here. Things are somewhat like this.

When an Ivy school student contacts a baptist farm state college professor, the response is, "Really? Are you really interested in us?"

whereas, when a farmhouse university student contacts an Ivy professor, the response is, "Look at the website, and, please, don't bother me."

A Princeton student contacting a decent state university (not necessarily a ghost university) professor might experience something like this as well.

[cogneuroforfun]

I might have posted this in this exact thread already, but I contacted in mid/late June and applied in the last week in November. It was definitely not too early, as it helped me select schools and gave me up to date info on each lab's work.

[Minnesotan]

My two cents from my own experience here. Things are somewhat like this.

When an Ivy school student contacts a baptist farm state college professor, the response is, "Really? Are you really interested in us?"

whereas, when a farmhouse university student contacts an Ivy professor, the response is, "Look at the website, and, please, don't bother me."

A Princeton student contacting a decent state university (not necessarily a ghost university) professor might experience something like this as well.

This is certainly what Ivy League grads would like to think. As often as not, pedigree hurts the private college grad, since they think that they don't need to do any work other than merely showing up with that sheepskin in hand.

Existence alone is not impressive.

[kfed2020]

I briefly explained my background, my research interests, mentioned an article/book by the prof that I had read and how our research interests overlapped, which program/year I was applying, and asked if he/she was taking on graduate students.

I did something similar last year. Only, instead of mentioning work by the professor I'd read and admired, I focused on just a quick (one sentence) statement of my current research project, named my current advisor (VERY important, I found, because you never know who's friends out there; turns out my advisor was very well-regarded)...

And, probably most importantly, I asked a non-generic question about the program. I wanted my emails to feel like they were motivated by something more than just getting my foot in the door, and also, as someone with really interdisciplinary interests in a typically not-as-interdisciplinary field, I did genuinely want to know about how I would fit into each program. It's also a good way to show that you're inquisitive and serious about the program -- remember, if you have a successful run at applying to grad school, these people will be your colleagues. This initial contact is v. important.

I was also sure to post a subject line that made clear that I was referred to them by another Prof, because I often was,and because -- again -- these profs are much quicker to respond if you're being sent to them by a friend, I've found.

With that format, I got responses from everyone I e-mailed -- legitimate, page-long responses from most of them, including the DGS at a top 10 program in my field, who even helped me edit my personal statement, believe it or not. And after getting into a few of those programs, the profs I had contacted mentioned that they'd kept an eye on my file and were really supportive of it in the process, even if they weren't on the actual adcom. They'd remembered our email conversations.

These e-mails can definitely help. The responses you get are a great way to measure your marketability -- and as far as admissions, that's what really counts.

[kfed2020]

This is certainly what Ivy League grads would like to think.

Not all of us. =) We're not all demons. Though many are.

But speaking of going to good schools as an undergraduate/MA student...

Probably the more important thing is faculty familiarity -- which is related to the "quality" (as implied by the name) of a school but still very distinct from it.

"She went to Harvard" matters less than "She went to Harvard and has glowing recommendations from Elaine Scarry and Homi Bhabha -- plus the personal statement/writing sample to back it up." But I would imagine that's kind of the same for any applicant, from anywhere; faculty fame never hurts.

On the whole, though, there are many more important things. At the admit weekend for one school, 4 of the accepted students were from schools so small none of the rest of us had heard of them.

[Minnesotan]

We're not all demons. Though many are.

That's pretty much the conclusion I've come to.

[WinstonL]

Is it a good idea to contact more than one professor from the same degree program? Or is it better to write just to the professor that you believe that has research interests similar to the ones you want to pursue?

[kfed2020]

Is it a good idea to contact more than one professor from the same degree program? Or is it better to write just to the professor that you believe that has research interests similar to the ones you want to pursue?

I contacted a couple from each. More often than not they referred me to fellow faculty (and grad students in my field) anyway.

[Biff]

I am not having much luck with this!

I have tried contacting 2 professors so far. The first one I think I wrote an email that was way too long, and about 6 days later I got a 1-line response that he was not accepting grad students.... yikes.

For my second email I cut it down considerably, and I still have not received any response at all (after a week!). Below is the email I sent, and I was wondering if you could let me know if there are any obvious problems with it??

Dear Professor X,

I am currently a fourth-year psychology student at the [university of Y]. I am hoping

to apply to [university Z] for graduate school this fall, and I was wondering if you will be

accepting new graduate students in your lab. I am especially interested in the

interaction between emotion and cognition, and I really enjoyed your paper "[title of paper]". I am

currently working on my undergraduate thesis, which seeks to examine [blah blah blah (in one sentence)].

Many thanks for your time.

Sincerely,

My name

My email

Am I just being neurotic? I know there could be many reasons why I am getting such poor responses, but I can't help but worry that I am shooting myself in the foot with these emails. Do you see any issues? Any advice would be much appreciated

[socialcomm]

I don't see anything glaringly wrong. Just a few comments -- instead of 'hope to apply' perhaps make it a bit stronger and say I AM applying? Also, you don't ask a direct question, so perhaps state your question as a question. Also, it might just be the time of year? Good luck!