E-mails to PhD students/postdoc fellows

[lizi01]

Hi everyone,

I'm applying to PhD programs in psychology in the states. I already sent some emails to PIs (and got an answer from some of them and some not), but I was thinking of sending emails also to PhD students/postdoc fellows that I find their research topics interesting and fitting to my own ideas. Is this a good idea? What exactly should I write in such an email? Can I also ask them if the PI accept more students? I would appreciate any advice. Thank you so much!   

[hippyscientist]

I think it's invaluable to get current student perspectives, but I've only been in touch with ones who the PI has put me in touch with. I've introduced myself as a prospective new student, and asked them if they can shed some light on the programme from a student perspective. Stick to asking simple, straightforward questions (e.g. do you find the stipend liveable, what is the PIs mentoring style rather than what's the programme like). If you have specific concerns (I've got a really low GPA) I wouldn't necessarily ask these questions initially.

 

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[lewin]

^^above advice is good.

Personally I wouldn't email students until you know you're getting an interview or if you were referred to them.  You should use the questions as an opportunity to help make your decision, not to ingratiate yourself and attempt to affect their decision. One reason for this is that I feel like the PhD influence goes in one direction here, i.e., a PhD student is unlikely to convince their advisor to take a student, that they weren't going to anyway, based on some transient email contact, but the PhD student could certainly influence their advisor to not take a student if the applicant wrote something ridiculous.

When you do email, do it selectively. As a PhD student I once got a long list of questions from an applicant. I spent about a half hour answering them thoroughly... then at lunch with my fellow students discovered that they had sent the same list to four of us, and we'd all answered very similarly. We collectively felt annoyed because of the wasted effort--it was a long list, and we didn't need to all answer it separately.

 

Edited September 19, 2015 by lewin

[lizi01]

Thank you so much for your replies! So, basically meanwhile it’s better to put the effort on contacting more PIs than contacting students?

Also, some PIs request in their website to send inquiry mails to a certain e-mail (which isn’t their own email). My question is: if they don't respond to this mail, would it be O.K to send the mail again to their own e-mail? Or would it consider rude?

Thank you again! It’s good to know that I’m not all alone in this exhausting process J

[hippyscientist]

Hi Lizi01. Absolutely - PIs are your best bet! Some will respond, some won't. Bear in mind that right now is a pretty busy time - they've just got a whole host of new students and new school year to get used to. Send emails but don't be disheartened if they don't respond. Try again in a few weeks time. Maybe after the third try I'd reconsider - do you want to work for/with someone who doesn't get in touch? 

As for the email address question - use the one they request you use, and if that doesn't elicit a response and the website publishes another email (e.g. joe.bloggs@dreamuniversity.edu) then I'd consider emailing that with a "sorry if this isn't the right way to do things, I tried the proper email but had no response and I'm really interested in your programme" type thing.

Hope that helps a bit!

[TakeruK]

Personally, I think it's okay to ask grad students and postdocs without a referral from their PI. After all, we are independent people too, not just dependent on our PI

I get questions from undergrads at conferences often. They see my name badge and if they recognize it as the name of the school they are applying to, they often ask me about grad school life at my program. I enjoy talking and meeting future colleagues in this way (even if they don't end up at my institution, I'll probably see them at other conferences too).

But I agree with what lewin said. Respect their (our) time. Don't send the exact same question to a whole bunch of students. Pick a couple to ask and target specific students. Maybe ask the more senior ones. Or, the ones that are doing what you want to do (read their papers). Or, the ones that have similar backgrounds (academic or personal) as you (check their CVs, maybe they went to similar undergrad etc.) 

And also what lewin said about using the time to find out information for your own decision, not to try to influence us in some way. First of all, as lewin pointed out, we don't really have power to help you get accepted. And secondly, people won't want to respond if they feel like you are using them to get admission!!

And finally, don't ask us about whether or not PIs will accept students. We can't really make these decisions for our PIs and we don't always know what they have in mind. Use your opportunity to talk to graduate students to get things that only grad students can answer for you or when you want the grad student's perspective. It's not helpful for you to ask questions that can only be answered by the PI or could be answered by the website or other source.

[lizi01]

Thank you very much! It definitely helps a lot!

 

[EdNeuroGrl]

I have done this with a few current students and gotten some really valuable responses. They are generally much more open and willing to share than the PI's and I've gotten one or two who are actually sort of "cheering me on". Not that they are involved in the decision per se, but it certainly can't hurt. 

Usually what I want to know from current students and post docs has to do with the PI's mentoring style and the community/department feel. I am in an area where it can be hard to tell how much collaboration is ACTUALLY happening between education and neuroscience, and it is REALLY important for me to get into a program that has these departments with good relationships and open lines of communication. The current students can be invaluable for figuring this out.