How important is writing to prospective professors?

[glasses]

Hey guys --

I've been trying to work myself up to contacting professors at the programs I'm applying to for the last month and a half. The trouble is, I can't bring myself to do it: every single draft I write sounds so very obviously like a suck-up note. On principle, I don't have a problem with sucking up. These professors are dazzling rock stars, and I'd kill to work with them: hell, I'd be willing to do their laundry if it would help. But they're busy people, and I don't want to waste THEIR time with e-mails that essentially translate to "I love what you do. Here is what I do. Do you love what I do?" I mean, aren't they going to decide whether or not they love what I do when they get my application? Why burden them ahead of time?

I've been told that it's helpful to ask a non-generic question about their programs, but I don't really have any questions at this point that are unanswerable by their websites. There is one thing I'm curious about: my focus isn't time-period based, but rather based on a set of critical questions I have about poetry. So, of course I wonder whether this kind of focus is acceptable to graduate programs. But I have a spectrum of answers on the subject from my advisors and LOR writers, and I'm not sure if this is the kind of question you can really ask a professor you're not acquainted with . . .

So, I guess I have two questions:

(1) To successful applicants: how important is contacting professors in English lit.? I know some of you have said that it's helped you immensely. But, are there any of you out there who didn't contact professors and still did swimmingly? Can the application stand on its own without these e-mails?

(2) Is the one single question that I do have the kind of question that you COULD ask a professor at a school you're applying to, or will it be a waste of their time, especially since I have advice on the subject from my old professors?

Thanks so much.

[onequietnight]

Hey guys --

I've been trying to work myself up to contacting professors at the programs I'm applying to for the last month and a half. The trouble is, I can't bring myself to do it: every single draft I write sounds so very obviously like a suck-up note. On principle, I don't have a problem with sucking up. These professors are dazzling rock stars, and I'd kill to work with them: hell, I'd be willing to do their laundry if it would help. But they're busy people, and I don't want to waste THEIR time with e-mails that essentially translate to "I love what you do. Here is what I do. Do you love what I do?" I mean, aren't they going to decide whether or not they love what I do when they get my application? Why burden them ahead of time?

I've been told that it's helpful to ask a non-generic question about their programs, but I don't really have any questions at this point that are unanswerable by their websites. There is one thing I'm curious about: my focus isn't time-period based, but rather based on a set of critical questions I have about poetry. So, of course I wonder whether this kind of focus is acceptable to graduate programs. But I have a spectrum of answers on the subject from my advisors and LOR writers, and I'm not sure if this is the kind of question you can really ask a professor you're not acquainted with . . .

So, I guess I have two questions:

(1) To successful applicants: how important is contacting professors in English lit.? I know some of you have said that it's helped you immensely. But, are there any of you out there who didn't contact professors and still did swimmingly? Can the application stand on its own without these e-mails?

(2) Is the one single question that I do have the kind of question that you COULD ask a professor at a school you're applying to, or will it be a waste of their time, especially since I have advice on the subject from my old professors?

Thanks so much.

I have been informed by no less than 3 professors in English that contacting professors before you're admitted is a big no-no and a waste of time, as it's not like you need to find an adviser to let you in their lab/etc like in the sciences. The impression that I got is that it's seen as ass kissing and not really much more than that.

Edited October 29, 2009 by stacey

[intextrovert]

I have been informed by no less than 3 professors in English that contacting professors before you're admitted is a big no-no and a waste of time, as it's not like you need to find an adviser to let you in their lab/etc like in the sciences. The impression that I got is that it's seen as ass kissing and not really much more than that.

Uh, not what I've heard. My friend who got accepted to Comp Lit programs at Berkeley, Harvard, Yale, and Columbia contacted profs at all those places. The only place she didn't get in was Stanford, where she didn't make contact. I think she actually went to all those campuses, too. I hate networking, so I wish it weren't true, but I do think it probably helps - if only because you're slightly more than just a faceless application to them that way. I don't think it's 100% necessary, and I have heard people on here say that they got in without doing that, but every little bit helps when you're going for 10-20 slots among hundreds of applicants. Plus, a lot of profs are really nice, and it's interesting to hear about what they're working on. They can lead you to other faculty that may be interested in working with you, too.

[glasses]

I have been informed by no less than 3 professors in English that contacting professors before you're admitted is a big no-no and a waste of time, as it's not like you need to find an adviser to let you in their lab/etc like in the sciences. The impression that I got is that it's seen as ass kissing and not really much more than that.

Uh, not what I've heard. My friend who got accepted to Comp Lit programs at Berkeley, Harvard, Yale, and Columbia contacted profs at all those places. The only place she didn't get in was Stanford, where she didn't make contact. I think she actually went to all those campuses, too. I hate networking, so I wish it weren't true, but I do think it probably helps - if only because you're slightly more than just a faceless application to them that way. I don't think it's 100% necessary, and I have heard people on here say that they got in without doing that, but every little bit helps when you're going for 10-20 slots among hundreds of applicants. Plus, a lot of profs are really nice, and it's interesting to hear about what they're working on. They can lead you to other faculty that may be interested in working with you, too.

So, right, above is the exact dilemma I'm having. Which one???

Thanks stacey and intextrovert for your feedback. Could more folks please chime in? Intextrovert: do you think that your friend's success with contacting professors has something to do with the fact that she's in Comp Lit? Maybe contacting people is generally a no-no in English, but a hell-yes in Comp Lit?

[ratiocinator]

I've asked a number of professors this question and received largely the same answer from all of them: it probably can't hurt you, but it probably can't help you either. Some professors find it to be a bit transparent and thus off-putting. Others say that while they always respond politely, there is rarely anything of substance to say before reading someone's application. All of them agree that contacting professors is unlikely either to sink a good application or to tip the balance on a so-so one. As to the admissions anecdote about the applicant who was only rejected from those schools at which she didn't contact professors, I offer this: maybe the student only reached out to professors who were a good "fit" and/or did more research in order to bulk up the content of the email. Either way, the emails themselves didn't make a difference: you are always more likely to get into schools at which you are a good fit and about which you've done research.

[hadunc]

I've been following this thread because I've been wondering the same thing myself. I've heard really mixed advice about whether it's a good idea to contact faculty--some people seem to swear by it, others say it's pointless or at worst a bad idea. Personally, I think I'm going to contact one or two faculty members at my top choices, but I'm not going to send emails to profs at every single school I'm applying to. Like ratiocinator said, I think it probably can't hurt but it may not help much either. I'm sure faculty, especially those at highly ranked programs, get tons of emails from prospective applicants each season, so I think no matter what it's going to be hard to distinguish yourself from everyone else. On top of that, if you're not familiar with their work I imagine it would be hard to start a dialogue, and frankly I just don't have time to look over the publications of faculty members at every single school I'm applying to. I'm putting most of my effort into my writing sample and SOP, and I think that's much more likely to pay off than contacting faculty is.

[pea-jay]

Im following this thread and wondering if this advice is limited to the arts and humanities programs or is it more generalized.

The graduate admission folks at a few of the schools I am applying for encouraged pre-app professor contacts be made. That said, while the responses were polite and welcoming they were also form-like in nature, like they have seen many of these requests.

[kfed2020]

I have been informed by no less than 3 professors in English that contacting professors before you're admitted is a big no-no and a waste of time, as it's not like you need to find an adviser to let you in their lab/etc like in the sciences. The impression that I got is that it's seen as ass kissing and not really much more than that.

That wasn't my experience. I was very proactive about contacting professors last year because I genuinely had key questions about certain programs. Then a dialogue would get started and the professors became pretty familiar with me; the DGS at a top-15 program even offered to read my personal statement and give me advice on it. Very useful.

As well -- and more importantly -- after getting into some programs, I was SPECIFICALLY told by the professors I'd contacted that they'd remembered our conversations when reading my application and had kept an eye out to make sure I would fare well in the admissions process.

Granted, this all depends upon a few important things: 1) strategizing to come off as an attractive prospective applicant, 2) submitting an attractive application, 3) having genuine need to get in touch in the first place. The first two bullets are a separate conversation altogether, but if you genuinely have reason to be in touch (beyond, obviously, wanting to kiss ass), you absolutely should.

Not to mention that, wherever you go, these people will become your colleagues. Having them become familiar with you sooner rather than later never hurts. And testing how well you're marketing yourself -- are you asking the right questions? stating your interests in an attractive way? -- is absolutely helpful to the application process.

Good luck!

[mudlark]

(1) To successful applicants: how important is contacting professors in English lit.? I know some of you have said that it's helped you immensely. But, are there any of you out there who didn't contact professors and still did swimmingly? Can the application stand on its own without these e-mails?

*waves*

I didn't contact a single soul and got 100% admits. I know of a few other people who didn't make contact and were also accepted to multiple good programs. My past and current grad chairs both said the same thing: that most people don't make contact, and that if contact is made, it's usually not useful without the rest of the application.

I do know of one case where someone scuttled their application by being rude in a contact e-mail. He came across as very entitled and overbearing. The professor who received the e-mail noticed that he had gone to the same undergrad as one of her current advisees, and asked about him. Her advisee spilled multiple stories about his rude behavior in the past. He was not accepted, despite getting in at comparable programs.