Visiting before applying - weird to reach out to students/faculty?

[lrschechter]

Visiting some schools this summer before applications are even open, just because I'm going to be on vacation nearby anyway and want to see the campuses while I'm there. I would love to find out more about the department(s), would it be weird/inappropriate to reach out to current PhD students and/or faculty in the department who are listed on the website as sharing my research interests, just to find out more about the program?

[serenade]

Not weird at all. If you're already going to be in the area, might as well. A lot of people might be gone for the summer, but it's worth a try.,

[eeee1923]

Agreed - I did that for 2 of the programs that were 30-60 min from my location and it worked out fine.

[Eigen]

I did this for one program because I was going to be in the area. They set up the full visit/interview day for me with faculty and grad students.

[TakeruK]

Sounds like a good idea

[rising_star]

Not weird but I would reach out to a POI and/or the DGS, rather than jumping straight to current students. You have no idea which students are around this summer and which aren't but they probably do/will.

[Unimpressed3D]

I agree that it sounds like a good idea. I'd personally be very hesitant to do something like that - kudos for trying. They'll probably think well of that, actually.

[history_geek]

Bit of  a gravedig, but I just finished a visit and I am preparing a second. I visited Boston (about 6 hours away from me) as a summer vacation. While I was their I made sure to reach out to the university and talk to the professor I wanted to study under. After our coffee and discussion, he told me that it was a great idea to come see him since it shows devotion to the field and an interest in the school. I was also told how to write my SoP for that university to gain a leg up in the admission process. Overall, yes! I would say go see the university, but if you cannot, then reaching out and talking with them is key.

[Psych5121]

I've read multiple articles that say that reaching out to a professor can come across as annoying if you even so much as as a question that would require them to respond because they're so busy. How do you recommend phrasing an email to a professor you'd like to meet with that doesn't sound pushy/annoying? 

[Eigen]

If you're a student that the professor would be very interested in/they're taking students, most are almost always interested in taking the time to communicate with you. They're in the business of taking the time to train future colleagues. 

 

What's important is that the question you're asking be relevant, not be something that you could easily find out by other means, and that they are the appropriate one to answer. 

 

IE, reaching out to a professor to talk about mutual research interests with some insightful questions/thoughts that can transition into interest in graduate school is perfectly appropriate. 

 

Emailing faculty to ask questions about the application, about deadlines, with general questions about what they do (and, in some cases, whether they're taking students) or asking them to look at your CV are all more troublesome. Not always problem areas, but they tend to it. 

 

As for how to phrase an e-mail if you want to meet with a professor you're interested in working with, I'd suggest something like the following:

Dear Dr. XY, 

 

I'm a (insert year here) undergraduate applying this fall for graduate school, and am very interested in YourSchool, particularly due to your work on InterestingTopic.

 

I will be in the area between X Date and Y Date for another reason, and if you have any time to spare I would be very interested in meeting with you while I'm in town. 

 

Regards, 

 

YourNameHere.

 

 

The key in most communications is to be straightforward, polite, and give them something simple and quick to respond to. By asking if they have any time to spare, you're indicating that their time is important, and not pushing for them to drop something else to meet with you. 

 

Depending on your background on InterestingTopic (or any mutual connections) I might expand in 1-2 lines between the two paragraphs or at the end of the first paragraph.