Contacting Professors

[newms]

Alright, so I'm visiting my top University in a week and a half. I am already meeting with my top choice adviser (who also is the Dean of Graduate Studies) and he suggested that I contact other professors I'd like to meet with directly. I haven't heard back from them yet. It was their first week of classes last week (so I understand they're busy) but I'm traveling across to visit this campus so I'd really like be able to meet up with them. Should I re-email them, or email the Dean and ask if there's a better way to communicate with them as I haven't heard back from them? I emailed them on the 22nd, so it's been a little over a week. However, I'm visiting a week from Thursday, so in 9 days.

A reminder email is ok. I had to send a couple reminder emails when I met with a POI earlier this month. They really are busy and you just have to follow up politely.

[chocolate_blanche]

The thing is, how many people do you think they will reply to, even as short as Please do apply? I dont think professors have the kind of time to write the same stuff to every prospective student - its too boring and tiring to them.

My supervisor told me that more often than not, if he is not interested, he will simply delete the emails without even opening.

Now scale that up to the upper tier schools and I think you have made some impact, but small or big, it is hard to say. In the case of 'please do apply' prospective advisors it means they need to see the whole package that you could offer before making a decision. So the game is still on.

I am now wondering how to keep the contact alive within the next few months. Will that be weird if I stay silent and then just drop them an email to say that my application is in with their names on the supervisors I would like to work with? I think it is both weird and rude.

Any suggestion?

[Rbcc]

The thing is, how many people do you think they will reply to, even as short as Please do apply? I dont think professors have the kind of time to write the same stuff to every prospective student - its too boring and tiring to them.

My supervisor told me that more often than not, if he is not interested, he will simply delete the emails without even opening.

Now scale that up to the upper tier schools and I think you have made some impact, but small or big, it is hard to say. In the case of 'please do apply' prospective advisors it means they need to see the whole package that you could offer before making a decision. So the game is still on.

I am now wondering how to keep the contact alive within the next few months. Will that be weird if I stay silent and then just drop them an email to say that my application is in with their names on the supervisors I would like to work with? I think it is both weird and rude.

Any suggestion?

Hi, chocolate, I have been thinking of sending them my SoP so that they will have a better understanding of what I'm up to, but I'm not sure if this will look like rude..

Also, you could talk about his research/paper if you really got some insight. Good luck!

[newms]

Hi, chocolate, I have been thinking of sending them my SoP so that they will have a better understanding of what I'm up to, but I'm not sure if this will look like rude..

Also, you could talk about his research/paper if you really got some insight. Good luck!

I really am not sure about sending a SOP unsolicited. I personally wouldn't do this as it might look rude to some profs.

[TheDude]

I think that it looks presumptuous and a bit pesky to "drop a few lines" as the application deadlines unfold. Isn't the whole point of the quick initial email to see if they are taking students with the veiled intention of making a slightly good enough impression upon them that they'd remember you when applications arrive?

I got more detailed responses than short ones. Even the shorter ones were mostly polite, "yes, taking new students and look forward to seeing your application materials!"

If they took the time to write more than one sentence to you they will remember you. One professor seemed generally pumped about our matched interests and my experience and then sent me a new paper that person had written. I didn't want to respond to that email for suspicion that I'd be lumped into the annoying applicant category. So I responded quickly with an acknowledgement that I read it and a possible ramification.

It's seriously just like a high school dance.

Maybe...Maybe.... a quick email once you submit your application: "Just wanted to thank you for your response in the summer and to let you know I did end up applying to your program and listing you as a potential advisor."

You'd have to have the content of the old emails present, which is why I have been saving these.

But even then I still think it seems a bit trying.

Edited September 1, 2010 by musicforfun

[chocolate_blanche]

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate it.

I am inclined to the same tactics using SoP and their papers. However I agree that it is very important to be as natural and sincere as possible.

[schoolpsych_hopeful]

Alright, so I just heard back from a potential advisor, and he responded very favorably. He said in his e-mail that he would "be happy to talk on the phone to answer any additional questions" I may have.

I'm sort of freaking out at the thought of having to present myself on the phone, especially so early in the game. The problem is I don't really have any other questions for him, but I feel like it would look bad if I just said, "no thanks, I'm good."

What do I do?!?!?!

[newms]

Alright, so I just heard back from a potential advisor, and he responded very favorably. He said in his e-mail that he would "be happy to talk on the phone to answer any additional questions" I may have.

I'm sort of freaking out at the thought of having to present myself on the phone, especially so early in the game. The problem is I don't really have any other questions for him, but I feel like it would look bad if I just said, "no thanks, I'm good."

What do I do?!?!?!

Firstly, don't panic! I think what is useful to remember is that they are not looking for someone who is an expert in the field, but rather someone who is inquisitive, so don't be afraid of asking a silly question. I met with a prof last month and he encouraged me to ask him questions via email about the literature in the field and he told me I could ask anything basically, so we could both get an idea of how we think. That said, you don't want to ask a question just for the sake of asking a question. Maybe what you could do is reply by email and thank him for offering to take your questions and let him know that you will be in touch. Then take a week or so and read up on his work and the program at that school and make a note of questions you may come across. Then you call him, remind him of your email discussion and just ask him about those questions if he has the time. Hope it goes well!

Edited September 4, 2010 by newms

[chocolate_blanche]

So I just got off the phone with a prospective advisor. Not having been a particularly great mood or a good week I tried my best. First of all I will say that for those of you who have not contacted profs at the school you will apply to but think of doing so, it is still quite early in the season. Second of all, I would like to be level headed with my interview result and hence in need of your comment.

I asked the prof what her thoughts are on having a co supervisor (she mentioned it as one of my options), her advising style and (boldly) how many student I am competing against. She tried to answer all of them and ended with saying 'You showed a degree of maturity and inquisitiveness here and I think there is a good fit between us so I encourage you to apply'. She also mentioned that I am the first person she spoke seriously to (because I contact her so early) and told me a couple of things to make sure that she would see my application in the review round.

Now with my now current supervisor, I was hired off the bat. Of course hiring a PhD student always requires caution. What do you guys think about his result? Personally, I should keep contacting I think because nothing is yet set in stone.

Many thanks for any comment,

[psycholinguist]

So I just got off the phone with a prospective advisor. Not having been a particularly great mood or a good week I tried my best. First of all I will say that for those of you who have not contacted profs at the school you will apply to but think of doing so, it is still quite early in the season. Second of all, I would like to be level headed with my interview result and hence in need of your comment.

I asked the prof what her thoughts are on having a co supervisor (she mentioned it as one of my options), her advising style and (boldly) how many student I am competing against. She tried to answer all of them and ended with saying 'You showed a degree of maturity and inquisitiveness here and I think there is a good fit between us so I encourage you to apply'. She also mentioned that I am the first person she spoke seriously to (because I contact her so early) and told me a couple of things to make sure that she would see my application in the review round.

Now with my now current supervisor, I was hired off the bat. Of course hiring a PhD student always requires caution. What do you guys think about his result? Personally, I should keep contacting I think because nothing is yet set in stone.

Many thanks for any comment,

That sounds very promising to me; I met up with an ideal potential supervisor at the end of October last year, and she reacted in almost exactly the same ways: she said she liked my research-ideas and gave me a ton of tips on how to refine my application. She is now my actual supervisor. I couldn't be happier!

Now, every discipline is different, of course, but one of the most-helpful things that any of my undergraduate professors ever told me about applying to grad-school was that supervisors immediately take a heck of a lot more interest in a particular application if they get an impression along the lines of, 'hey, this person really wants to work with me'.

Nothing is guaranteed, of course, and having a few backup-plans is a good idea; but this sounds like a great start!

[chocolate_blanche]

Thank you very much for the kind words.

<br />That sounds very promising to me; I met up with an ideal potential supervisor at the end of October last year, and she reacted in almost exactly the same ways: she said she liked my research-ideas and gave me a ton of tips on how to refine my application. She is now my actual supervisor. I couldn't be happier!<br /><br />Now, every discipline is different, of course, but one of the most-helpful things that any of my undergraduate professors ever told me about applying to grad-school was that supervisors immediately take a heck of a lot more interest in a particular application if they get an impression along the lines of, 'hey, this person really wants to work with <i>me</i>'.<br /><br />Nothing is guaranteed, of course, and having a few backup-plans is a good idea; but this sounds like a great start!<br />

<br /><br /><br />

[psycholinguist]

You're welcome! In retrospect, being really assertive about getting in touch with the supervisor I wanted was easily the best thing I could have done for my application. Best of luck!

[natsteel]

Yes, that's what was recommended!

Some programs I am applying to actually ask in the application as a question: "Have you contacted any professors at xxxxx?" And then it asks you name them and the date of the communication.

Also, to a poster above, I have gotten some very detailed and lengthy emails from potential advisers including one that included 3 phone numbers and the times I could reach him at those numbers. Most of them say something like, "Please keep me updated on your doings and let me know if I can help with the application process." So, I also plan to email them all back in mid-late December just to say, "I just wanted to let you know that I have submitted my application to your program, etc..." It's like one last chance to get your name in their head after the initial email but before the review process begins.

Edited October 17, 2010 by natsteel

[katerific]

So, I also plan to email them all back in mid-late December just to say, "I just wanted to let you know that I have submitted my application to your program, etc..." It's like one last chance to get your name in their head after the initial email but before the review process begins.

One of my professors told me to do exactly this for each application.

Along the lines of sending SOPs and such to potential advisors: my proffie also told me to send a copy of my application (SOP, transcript, the big/basic things) as a single PDF to those professors in that mid-December email, so they have a copy of the application that they can peruse whenever. I generally trust this prof's advice, but I haven't heard of people doing this, but does it maybe sound like a good idea? Perhaps this is also very field-dependent, so that's why I haven't seen it. (or maybe it's been talked about extensively in this thread/forum but I didn't see any of it, for some reason. whoops?)

[newms]

One of my professors told me to do exactly this for each application.

Along the lines of sending SOPs and such to potential advisors: my proffie also told me to send a copy of my application (SOP, transcript, the big/basic things) as a single PDF to those professors in that mid-December email, so they have a copy of the application that they can peruse whenever. I generally trust this prof's advice, but I haven't heard of people doing this, but does it maybe sound like a good idea? Perhaps this is also very field-dependent, so that's why I haven't seen it. (or maybe it's been talked about extensively in this thread/forum but I didn't see any of it, for some reason. whoops?)

It is a good idea to let the profs who you've been in contact with know that you have applied. That way, they will be reminded to look out for your application. I haven't heard about sending your application to the profs in a .pdf. It is generally not advised to send unsolicited attachments to profs during the application process, but I guess if you send it after you have applied and let them know that you're not expecting them to reply to it but have just attached it for their convenience, then it should be ok. I fear some profs might not appreciate it though, and insist that the application go through the official channels.

[was1984]

I spoke to my advisor about this today and he said that it kind of annoys him when students email him before they have actually applied. He suggested that the best approach is to send an email after you've applied, stating that you had applied to the school and why you were interested in working with them. This way, they are less likely to forget who you are, and they can look at your application when you email them. This is the approach he is planning to take when he emails introductions to some of my potential advisors that he is personally acquainted with on my behalf.

From what I gather, having already applied shows that you are serious, and potential advisors often don't know whether they are going to have the funding for another student a year in advance, so those questions can be frustrating. Sure, you may miss and the advisor you want to work with isn't looking for new students, but doing one more application isn't that much work/cost.

[natsteel]

I spoke to my advisor about this today and he said that it kind of annoys him when students email him before they have actually applied. He suggested that the best approach is to send an email after you've applied, stating that you had applied to the school and why you were interested in working with them. This way, they are less likely to forget who you are, and they can look at your application when you email them. This is the approach he is planning to take when he emails introductions to some of my potential advisors that he is personally acquainted with on my behalf.

From what I gather, having already applied shows that you are serious, and potential advisors often don't know whether they are going to have the funding for another student a year in advance, so those questions can be frustrating. Sure, you may miss and the advisor you want to work with isn't looking for new students, but doing one more application isn't that much work/cost.

But there is a back side to that... For example, 3 professors whom I emailed told me that they were retiring within the next 3-4 years and so were not taking any more students. In 2 cases, there was no one else in the department that fit my interests and so I was able to rule those schools out and not waste $200 on application fees, GRE reports, transcripts, etc....

In my experience, contact prior to submitting your application is crucial and I get the feeling that your professor is an aberration in this case.

As for sending a professor a PDF of your application... I've never heard of that nor had any professor request such a thing. I can imagine some professors thinking that might be overkill. Besides, they will see your application in January and February anyway.

Edited October 23, 2010 by natsteel

[TMP]

I agree. It's pushing the envelope if you send ANY attachments if they don't ask for them.

And it is worthwhile e-mailing professors, especially those who are older or have grant money for labs. Retiring professors and no grant money for labs are not good.

It is difficult to come up with questions that aren't already on the site that are related to your application when professors tell you to contact them with any questions. Sometimes, if you can do a little poking around, you might be able to come up with some, depending how serious you want to come off as. If the schools is truly your top choice, you could ask questions about the courses' reading lists, specific opportunities for graduate students (like summer funding, what have they done, etc), questions you might ask on an admitted student visit but only short of sounding like you've been accepted. I don't advise this route unless you are very sure that you will take their offer if they give it to you. Because if you do ask these kind of questions, I can only imagine that they're thinking, "holy smokes, this student is super serious and is dying to come. I'd better pay close attention to his/her application!!!" Of course, we all want to play that game where every school should feel like they're our #1 choice, but we have to remember that professors do fight over applicants and have to make compromises. Are you going to be worth fighting for? You will be, if only you cannot imagine being anywhere else, and this faculty member already loves you.

Just my hunch.

[was1984]

But there is a back side to that... For example, 3 professors whom I emailed told me that they were retiring within the next 3-4 years and so were not taking any more students. In 2 cases, there was no one else in the department that fit my interests and so I was able to rule those schools out and not waste $200 on application fees, GRE reports, transcripts, etc....

In my experience, contact prior to submitting your application is crucial and I get the feeling that your professor is an aberration in this case.

As for sending a professor a PDF of your application... I've never heard of that nor had any professor request such a thing. I can imagine some professors thinking that might be overkill. Besides, they will see your application in January and February anyway.

I certainly agree with you that there's a downside, and I'll admit I'm a little bit nervous about doing it, but I do trust my advisor on issues like this. None of the advisors I'm looking to work with are likely to be retiring any time soon, so the only issue with me is funding and the availability of a position, but a lot of the time they really don't know who is going to graduate between now and next fall this time of the year. That's especially true in my field, since there is a multi-month turn around time between design and testing, so if someone's stuff doesn't work, they'll be there for another year without predictability. I can certainly see how this advice might be more narrowly focused, but I thought I'd share an alternate perspective, and also let people know that they might be annoying *some* of the people they are emailing, so to be careful about what they say and how they say it.

[sidiosquiere]

So, I e-mailed seven professors. One told me that she was leaving the school, so that saved me $70. Another told me to go ahead and apply - that my research sounded 'interesting.' Another said 'their is certainly overlap in our interests' and then asked about my language background (applying to History departments). I responded to him, but he never wrote back The other four have yet to write back ... I hope I didn't annoy them. I guess I should try to remember that Professors are just busy, right?

[newms]

So, I e-mailed seven professors. One told me that she was leaving the school, so that saved me $70. Another told me to go ahead and apply - that my research sounded 'interesting.' Another said 'their is certainly overlap in our interests' and then asked about my language background (applying to History departments). I responded to him, but he never wrote back The other four have yet to write back ... I hope I didn't annoy them. I guess I should try to remember that Professors are just busy, right?

Yes professors are busy. If you had a thoughtful question then I don't think that you would have annoyed them. Like you a few of the professors I emailed didn't reply, some did and encouraged me to apply and some said they wouldn't have space for new students.

[chocolate_blanche]

I usually wait for two weeks and send the email again, same content but shorter, politely reminding him/ her.

Some profs only start checking the new batch of applicants closer to the deadline, so you never know. But yes, all profs are busy and if they take time to respond at least your email is worth one minute reading in their day.

I have a question though: just how often does it happen that a prof talks to you and expresses interest, then the school rejects you? I have several profs expressing interest, and one particular from an Ivy League school, who offers and has been editing my SOP for me. Now is that a better sign than usual?

I dont mean to be arrogant here but I am worried that, given that my GRE scores are not bad (800Q/ 670V), if I receive a rejection, that means there is some fundamental flaw with my application, other than those screening criteria like GRE/ GPA.

Any thought would be appreciated. Again I do not want to show off or anything and just want to get level headed. My applications are not even submitted yet so nothing is set in stone.

[TMP]

It does happen, and can happen that professors will express interest in your application and you get a rejection letter. If you did get waitlisted or accepted at other places, you were certainly qualified. It is unfortunate that after you pass that threshold, department politics dictate the final accepted list. I've had it happen to me at one or two schools where department politics just shove my application to waitlist or rejection. Professors will be frank about your qualifications if you didn't get in the spring and you e-mailed them to find out why. If they thought they saw some flaws, they'll say so. If they didn't see any serious flaws, they'll just tell you it was a bad year (in other words, department politics screwed them over from getting new students. It wasn't you.).

Nothing hurts more an applicant than to hear that "It wasn't you, it was my @#$@#$ department" because s/he was truly qualified and could have gotten in.

[shikha]

Hey i have a weird question..dunno if any of you have been through this ever.. its like i wrote to different profs from 2 diff departments in the same univ as a potential phd candidate. I have got strong and positive replies from both departments but from dept A i have a particularly strong response. so much so that the prof thinks that am an "excellent fit". The profs from other department (dpt have mentioned that I am an excellent candidate and also that they don not make decisions about advisors so soon and have given me a green signal but not in terms of "excellent fit". My dilemma here is a) to which dept shud i apply ? so that my chances of securing admission are the greatest and is it advisable to ask profs which dept shud i apply to or does it sound totally foolish ?

Thanks for the advice

[TMP]

If the Graduate School permits it, apply to both!