Contacting a professor who requests a lot of application materials

[mockturtle]

A few of the PIs I'm planning to contact have pages on their websites directed towards prospective grad students, with instructions. One in particular has a list of things that serious applicants must email, which consists of essentially all application materials (including a personal statement, CV, transcripts/GRE scores, and contact info for LORs). 

 

When PIs ask for these materials, how early in the year or how soon after first contact do they tend to expect them?

 

The one previously mentioned PI is from a department that requires him to submit a letter of sponsorship before my application will even be considered, so it makes sense that he'd need my information urgently. But would it seem unprofessional if I were to email him now, and then hold back the requested materials for months later? I'll be asking him what things he needs when, but if his answer is likely to be "everything, ASAP" then I don't want to keep him waiting. Thoughts?

[TakeruK]

Here are my thoughts. If you need to know some information from him before you start preparing your application (e.g. "Are you still working on X?") then contact them now. Otherwise, don't contact them until you have these materials ready.

[mockturtle]

Here are my thoughts. If you need to know some information from him before you start preparing your application (e.g. "Are you still working on X?") then contact them now. Otherwise, don't contact them until you have these materials ready.

Well, I actually still don't even know if he's taking grad students in this particular cycle (for all the info on his prospective student page, that wasn't there.)

I obviously need to at least figure that out, before I go crafting a whole personal statement... but I just wasn't sure how to interpret his request and whether to worry about seeming unprepared.

Edited July 9, 2015 by mockturtle