Mentioning a student in an SOP?

[rogue]

This might be a weird question, but is it ever appropriate to mention a grad student's name in your SOP? There's a PhD candidate at one of the schools I'm applying to whose work is very similar to what I'd like to do. This student's advisor is one of the two professors I'd like to work with, and whom I plan to mention in my SOP. Is referencing a student's work taking the name dropping too far, or could it be helpful?

[liszt85]

I mentioned a post doctoral student's name in one of my SOP's. His advisor was the person I wanted to work with and I had been in touch with both of them and they even showed interest in my undergraduate work. I ended up not getting through as it was a top ranked department and I wasn't a perfect candidate due to weaknesses (GPA) in my profile.

Anyway, I'd suggest you email that grad student just asking about his work and general atmosphere for that kind of research at the univ.. get in touch with the professor. So then you could maybe mention in the SOP that you've spoken to these people and you think you'd fit in well with that kind of research.

[Summit_Bid]

I've been advised to not mention the specific students because that potentially puts them in an akward position. Instead mention that you've spoken with certain students with similar interest etc. Basically, write what you did in your post. It's ok to mention the potential advisor by name.

[ohapplications]

In all my SOPs I cited 2-6 papers by professors in the department. You can allude to specific work or specific projects without explicitly naming the grad student, e.g. "The recent work by Professor Johnson [1-3] on low-temperature titania nanoparticle sintering techniques appeals to me in particular because [blah blah blah]."