Contacting POI

[zj868]

Before I applied for grad school this fall, I contacted a POI at my top choice and expressed my interest in his research. He replied within 24 hours and asked me to send more information about myself as specified on his website. I sent my resume along with a short cover letter. I didn't hear anything for a week so I followed up with him asking if he needed any other documents to which he replied - 'I'm not sure what you're looking for but you have to apply through regular channels and once you're admitted I will evaluate you for candidacy for my lab'. I've read a lot of posts on here with people who establish a good relationship with their POI which leads to them getting admitted but in my case it seems to be the other way around.

 

Anyway, I applied and was interviewed a few weeks ago. I haven't heard anything yet and I was thinking about contacting my POI again but I'm not sure what to say or if this is even advisable.

 

What should I do? Any suggestions?

[Babara Keller]

Before I applied for grad school this fall, I contacted a POI at my top choice and expressed my interest in his research. He replied within 24 hours and asked me to send more information about myself as specified on his website. I sent my resume along with a short cover letter. I didn't hear anything for a week so I followed up with him asking if he needed any other documents to which he replied - 'I'm not sure what you're looking for but you have to apply through regular channels and once you're admitted I will evaluate you for candidacy for my lab'. I've read a lot of posts on here with people who establish a good relationship with their POI which leads to them getting admitted but in my case it seems to be the other way around.

 

Anyway, I applied and was interviewed a few weeks ago. I haven't heard anything yet and I was thinking about contacting my POI again but I'm not sure what to say or if this is even advisable.

 

What should I do? Any suggestions?

Hi there. I had a similar experience. I contacted POI around November this year, all of them replied me. Only one said she wanted to interview whenever I think it's ready. When I was closing to my application, I emailed the POI to let her know i am ready for the interview, however she did not reply me and then I sent another one after a week. Eventually we had a Skype interview the end of January (before POI received my application). It went pretty well but we did not have any contact since the interview. At the middle of the march, I was quite worried about my application so I just sent her another email with my update CV and told her that hope my update CV  will help my application. She replied and told me don't worry and I will receive an offer no matter what. I also sent the same thing to another POI, she kindly told me I was on the waitlist and my update CV could be helpful.

I suggest you contact your POI, sometimes they are just busy and simply forgot replying you. If your POI relies you, you may tell whether you still have hope or not. 

I totally understand this is a really stressful period. All the best!

[S.W.C]

Well, first of all you should know that every professor is different. So you might see lots of successful experience in the forum, but there are far more failling experience, which are not posted.

 

If the professor is very active in recruiting students then contacting professor usually works, because they do need students.There are also professors who are also actively recruiting for students but they still wait after decissions are made. And the others don't even care about your contacting.

 

And I think your POI is type 2. What he told you means that he want to wait for the result of your admission. And I feel that he is telling you that contacting him more won't help. It might because decissions are made by committee, and he can just give them some input about you. In fact, the decissions in most of top schools are made by committee. Contacting professor can help you get noticed but cannot give those people who are no eligible admissions.

 

So don't push so hard. I don't think keep contacting him will help. Believe in yourself! Good luck!

[zj868]

Thanks for the replies! I do feel like my POI is saying not to contact him until i'm admitted but just wanted to see if it was something out of the ordinary. I want to show my interest in the program but I'm afraid to mess anything up so I'll bite the bullet and hang tight! Good luck to you both