Contacting faculty beyond POI

[Cloud_Cult]

Is it a good idea to contact other faculty in your field to the schools you're applying to beyond your POI? Is this a "the more the merrier" thing or a "less is more" thing? If it is a good idea to reach out to other faculty, does anybody have a good template for that initial email (to keep it brief and not put off this weird vibe: "Hey, I like your work and I think it will be useful for my interests, but I'd rather work with your colleague. Just thought I'd say hello to score brownie points.")?

Thanks!

[RD_Paul]

Is it a good idea to contact other faculty in your field to the schools you're applying to beyond your POI? Is this a "the more the merrier" thing or a "less is more" thing? If it is a good idea to reach out to other faculty, does anybody have a good template for that initial email (to keep it brief and not put off this weird vibe: "Hey, I like your work and I think it will be useful for my interests, but I'd rather work with your colleague. Just thought I'd say hello to score brownie points.")?

Thanks!

In talking with one of my POI's, she suggested that I introduce myself to the other faculty so that they are at least somewhat familiar with me come time to review applications. That's just one school...

[Eigen]

In general, my feeling is that you want to have 3+ POIs at any school. Multiple factors can effect availability, and you should make sure that there are several faculty who you could potentially work with. 

I know some other people focus on one person, but I think the flexibility and benefits to a committee down the road are quite helpful. 

[Epaphroditus]

In general, my feeling is that you want to have 3+ POIs at any school. Multiple factors can effect availability, and you should make sure that there are several faculty who you could potentially work with. 

I know some other people focus on one person, but I think the flexibility and benefits to a committee down the road are quite helpful. 

But don't you run the risk of coming across as unfocused? Unless the department is huge, what are the chances that the different faculty members' interests align so neatly?

[Gvh]

But don't you run the risk of coming across as unfocused? Unless the department is huge, what are the chances that the different faculty members' interests align so neatly?

I received some good answers to this question here:

http://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/69571-one-or-multiple-pois/

 

 

[rising_star]

But don't you run the risk of coming across as unfocused? Unless the department is huge, what are the chances that the different faculty members' interests align so neatly?

What do you mean? In the US, your dissertation ultimately must be approved by a committee of 3-5 faculty, not just your advisor (the person you likely see as your primary POI right now). I contacted multiple faculty at several institutions for a variety of reasons. Let's say that my focus was hairless cats in Northern Africa. There were faculty who studied cats, some who studied hairless cats, and some who worked in Northern Africa but, there were few who also studied hairless cats in Northern Africa. Thus, contacting the other faculty wouldn't have made me seem unfocused. Rather, it made it clear that I knew that there was no expert in hairless cats in Northern Africa but also that I knew the department could help me get there if I wanted to. No one seemed offended by this, especially at the PhD level. A similar thing could be to approach someone that's using the same methodological or theoretical tools that you want to use, even if they're using them to study something different than what you want to do. Does that make sense, y00nsk?

[Meinrad]

So, I was dealing with this question a couple weeks ago. I had a couple good interactions with a potential POI I would like to work with at one of my top schools, and then learned my thesis advisor had close relationships with other people within their program. Long story short, I emailed them also---I sent similar emails to them, I just left out things like "are you taking on new students for advising", but still engaged their work, etc. So far it's gone really well, and now I feel like I am (at the very least) somewhat known by a few different profs....I say go for it. Just don't ask them all to potentially advise your future dissertation or whatever. 

[Cloud_Cult]

This has been helpful. Thanks everyone!

[Epaphroditus]

What do you mean? In the US, your dissertation ultimately must be approved by a committee of 3-5 faculty, not just your advisor (the person you likely see as your primary POI right now). I contacted multiple faculty at several institutions for a variety of reasons. Let's say that my focus was hairless cats in Northern Africa. There were faculty who studied cats, some who studied hairless cats, and some who worked in Northern Africa but, there were few who also studied hairless cats in Northern Africa. Thus, contacting the other faculty wouldn't have made me seem unfocused. Rather, it made it clear that I knew that there was no expert in hairless cats in Northern Africa but also that I knew the department could help me get there if I wanted to. No one seemed offended by this, especially at the PhD level. A similar thing could be to approach someone that's using the same methodological or theoretical tools that you want to use, even if they're using them to study something different than what you want to do. Does that make sense, y00nsk?

Yes it does! Thanks.