Contacting professors - a good idea?

[porfiry]

Schwitzgebel writes the following on his blog (http://schwitzsplinters.blogspot.com/2007/10/applying-to-philosophy-phd-programs_16.html)

"Personal Contact and Connections

Such things don't help much, I suspect, unless they bring substantive new information. If a professor at some point had a good substantive, philosophical conversation with an applicant and mentions that to the committee, that might help a bit. But seeking out professors for such purposes could backfire if it seems like brown-nosing, or if the applicant seems immature, arrogant, or not particularly philosophically astute.

Some professors may be very much swayed by personal connections, I suppose. I myself, however, often have a slightly negative feeling that I'm being "played"; and even if I know the person hasn't sought me out for the purpose of improving her admissions chances, in aiming to be fair and objective in my evaluations I will tend to discount that person's application somewhat -- maybe even more than it deserves."

Now I was under the impression that making contact with professors whose research interests match yours was a more or less obligatory element of grad school applications. What are we to make of this?

[ScreamingHairyArmadillo]

Might depend on the field (or obviously the individual professor). My bet is that philosophy is a whole 'nother ballgame, compared to the sciences. But I still think it's a good idea to make contact. Maybe to avoid "brown-nosing," just ask general questions about the program or focus your questions on the faculty's work, as opposed to your own.

[Mr. David Jay]

Schwitzgebel writes the following on his blog (http://schwitzsplint...rograms_16.html)

"Personal Contact and Connections

Such things don't help much, I suspect, unless they bring substantive new information. If a professor at some point had a good substantive, philosophical conversation with an applicant and mentions that to the committee, that might help a bit. But seeking out professors for such purposes could backfire if it seems like brown-nosing, or if the applicant seems immature, arrogant, or not particularly philosophically astute.

Some professors may be very much swayed by personal connections, I suppose. I myself, however, often have a slightly negative feeling that I'm being "played"; and even if I know the person hasn't sought me out for the purpose of improving her admissions chances, in aiming to be fair and objective in my evaluations I will tend to discount that person's application somewhat -- maybe even more than it deserves."

Now I was under the impression that making contact with professors whose research interests match yours was a more or less obligatory element of grad school applications. What are we to make of this?

I made a lot of personal contacts over the past 3 years at PhD programs I was applying to. My impression was that, in general, senior professors may see you as wasting their time, largely because it is unlikely (statistically) that you will get in, and if you do get in, they will likely fly you in for a visit then. From their perspective, it's a bit presumptuous to visit. However, from our perspective we want to see if we should even apply--if its a good fit--and if so, how tailor our application to emphasize the research fit. Also, I've heard dozens of times that a dissertation advisor can make or break your entire PhD experience, so if there is someone in your area you think you would want to study with, it might be a good idea to see if you think you would get along with him or her before you get too far ahead of yourself.

That being said, the best way to get the scoop or the dirt on a program or person is to talk to young professors, especially visiting fellows who can be more honest with you, and the grad students. I learned, for example, from a visiting fellow that the school I was applying to wasn't as good as it looked online and that the funding and health insurance for students were sub-par--in short, she told me not to come even if they offered me full funding. Another example: I learned from a senior professor that a certain professor I wanted to study with at another university was retiring. Talk directly to grad students to find out which professors are good to work with and who don't care about their students.

In sum, I think taking the time to make personal contacts, especially by visiting, can be helpful and very informative. I've been surprised at how candid some people have been with me about their own school, the field, and my chances. (BTW, some professors will tell you immediately if they are on the admissions committee that year--it tends to be the younger professors, I think, that are on the committee, for what it's worth.) The key is to inquire after their work and their institution. Make them, so to speak, sell you their program--don't try and sell yourself. Definitely do not try to brown-nose, and don't talk about yourself unless they ask you (and be brief). Chances are they won't remember your visit, so don't try to impress them. But if you seem interested in their program and work, and you seem relatively sane (for a philosophy student) and mature, they might make a note of your name.

(Full disclosure, I've yet to get into a PhD program, and although I am at a LSU with funding, I got in without visiting/contacting by email, although many of the professors I met with told me quite frankly that unless I got my GREs above 1400 my application wouldn't get a look at many of the places I was applying to. Really verbal and quantitative scores each should be over 700. I wasn't able to get beyond 600v, 750q).

[GodelEscherBach]

Schwitzgebel writes the following on his blog (http://schwitzsplint...rograms_16.html)

"Personal Contact and Connections

Such things don't help much, I suspect, unless they bring substantive new information. If a professor at some point had a good substantive, philosophical conversation with an applicant and mentions that to the committee, that might help a bit. But seeking out professors for such purposes could backfire if it seems like brown-nosing, or if the applicant seems immature, arrogant, or not particularly philosophically astute.

Some professors may be very much swayed by personal connections, I suppose. I myself, however, often have a slightly negative feeling that I'm being "played"; and even if I know the person hasn't sought me out for the purpose of improving her admissions chances, in aiming to be fair and objective in my evaluations I will tend to discount that person's application somewhat -- maybe even more than it deserves."

Now I was under the impression that making contact with professors whose research interests match yours was a more or less obligatory element of grad school applications. What are we to make of this?

Not in philosophy.

From reading the other forms, it seems people in the sciences, or even history, contact individual professors during the application process who they want to work with.

This is not how PhD applications in philosophy go, I assure you. I've never even heard of anyone doing this in philosophy. What Schwitzgebel means by "contacts" is knowing someone who's a professor at the school you're applying to already, say from a conference or something. In philosophy, the way you make your research interests known is through your statement of purpose. Follow Schwitzgebel's advice on writing that.

I don't know why philosophy is different from other fields, even closely related ones like history. But it is. You might mention a particular professor (or several) in your statement of purpose, as being who you'd like to work with, but this is really optional (I didn't, and I've been at several good schools, and a few great ones). What's important is that the interests you list in your sop are something the department can accommodate. I'm of the opinion that you don't need to list names, since the department will obviously know you mean when you say "I want to study ethics at your school". They'll know you mean the people who teach ethics at that school.

[GodelEscherBach]

Might depend on the field (or obviously the individual professor). My bet is that philosophy is a whole 'nother ballgame, compared to the sciences. But I still think it's a good idea to make contact. Maybe to avoid "brown-nosing," just ask general questions about the program or focus your questions on the faculty's work, as opposed to your own.

On the contrary, I'd heavily advise against "making a contact". The idea is so foreign to me that I've literally never heard of anyone doing this in philosophy. You might know someone at the department prior to applying, and talk to them. That's fine. But actually making a new relationship with a professor, over email or phone, just for purposes of applying is something I, at least, have never heard any advise to do. I've never heard anyone mention that as something one does as part of the application process in philosophy.