Potential PIs name in SOP even if..

[HermoineG]

Is it a good idea to mention faculty names on the SOP if the SOP prompt has not asked for it? If you write name - it shows you have done your homework but if you do - it almost limits your application. Any advice regarding this is appreciated.

Thanks!

[khunconan]

What kind of programs you will be applying to? Is it Ph.D.? If so, research or practice oriented? I'm not sure about the latter, but if you want to go to a research-oriented Ph.D. program, haven't you already had the POI you share interest with? You didn't expect to be considered from every single professor in the program or got accepted by any professor regardless of the research interest, right? I don't quite understand how stating faculty names would limit your application. Actually, I think it's even an implicit mandatory that you need to specify who you want to work with, except you are not required to have a mentor or will choose a mentor later during the program. If you need to be accepted by a mentor, how could the adcom know to whom they should direct your SOP if you don't give them any name? Moreover, you can list as many POI as you want, right? So how could it limit your application (except you want to list all professors in the program but it's very unlikely that you would actually share the same interest with all of them)?

[t_ruth]

Best practice is to contact your POI and ask them if they are accepting graduate students (with a little info about you and what you want to study). Hopefully this will start a conversation and they will be looking for your application. Generally I think it is good to mention your main POI and then a couple of others on the faculty who you could also see yourself working with on projects.

[Piagetsky]

What if you already know the answer to that question (accepting students)?   How would you suggest reaching out then?

[t_ruth]

On 11/11/2015, 7:37:13, Piagetsky said:

What if you already know the answer to that question (accepting students)?   How would you suggest reaching out then?

Just say that you are excited to see they are accepting students and you think you have overlap in your research interests (back this up with examples) and ask if they'd be willing to talk with you about the program.