contacting POI's from schools you've already been accepted to?

[metallocene2015]

Hi everyone,

So I've gotten some offers so far and I'm trying to decide which school's offer to accept. I was wondering if anyone's ever contacted a POI at a school you've already been accepted to ? I know a lot people like to contact the POI prior or during the application process but what about after being accepted ? There's this POI that I'd really like to work for who seems to be very popular (almost 20 people in his lab !) and whether or not he's willing to take me on will probably determine whether I'll accept this school's offer. Would it seem odd/too direct to contact them so early ? I am international and probably won't be able to make it to visiting weekends (and also my TA contract forbids me from leaving during the semester), so I'd like to get a feel of this POI's personality and most importantly, whether or not he'd be able to take me as a student before actually accepting the offer. Any advice would be appreciated ! 

[KaffeeCafe]

I think you certainly could and should reach of to some POIs. I wouldn't make a decision without the visitation weekends/at least talking with some profs because you can learn so much more / really get some insights. Plus, why go to the school if your main choices of interest aren't taking on students? I say email them, and explain that you're very interested in the school but unfortunately won't be able to attend any visits, and ask to learn more about the program/their lab. You can even ask right here if they are taking on students. I wouldn't be surprised if they responded asking for a chance to speak over the phone. I already attended one visit weekend and the profs still emailed after reminding us that they are available over phone/email if we have any more questions during our decisions.

If any of the profs aren't receptive to a potential student attempting to learn more about the Deptartment & their lab, then that's probably a sign you wouldn't want to go there anyway.

[dells_of_bittersweet]

Yeah from what I understand this is what you are expected to do. I emailed my POI, said I was interested in his research, and asked if we could schedule a time to talk about it. We ended up talking about over the phone twice and he indicated that I could join the lab if I chose that school.

If they let you in, they want to hear from you. Specifically, if you talked about anyone in particular in your SOP, there is a chance that you were admitted because that professor read your SOP and thought you were good. 

 

[metallocene2015]

Thanks guys for the encouraging responses ! It's reassuring to hear that you've all gotten what seem to be positive responses to these kinds of emails. I am also thinking about doing this with POI's from schools other than my top choice that I've been accepted to - would it be impolite/awkward if after some correspondence, I decided to decline their offers ? I'm a bit stuck between choosing a higher ranked program with older advisors that might allow me to get a post-doc position or get published more easily vs a lower ranked program with a younger advisor who seems to fit my personality better. 

[KaffeeCafe]

2 hours ago, metallocene2015 said:

Thanks guys for the encouraging responses ! It's reassuring to hear that you've all gotten what seem to be positive responses to these kinds of emails. I am also thinking about doing this with POI's from schools other than my top choice that I've been accepted to - would it be impolite/awkward if after some correspondence, I decided to decline their offers ? I'm a bit stuck between choosing a higher ranked program with older advisors that might allow me to get a post-doc position or get published more easily vs a lower ranked program with a younger advisor who seems to fit my personality better. 

You should definitely feel that you can reach out to any schools you've been accepted to, especially since you aren't able to make the visitation weekends -- which is unfortunate because that would really help you resolve your "fit" issue of younger advisors vs more productive / higher ranked ones. But still, email multiple ones you would like to talk to and ask not just about their lab, but also the department environment in general. You could probably also shoot a few emails to some grad students to get some insider info on those profs. Maybe the older productive ones still do maintain a lab environment that is suitable to you! Also, all the schools know you have decisions to make and are looking at other places. PIs I'm talking to now always address in the emails "As you continue your search, " etc. They understand you have to make a choice that fits best for you, so most profs / departments should be receptive in making any information available to you that helps make this decision easier for you. Send some emails! There's threads on here that point out some great PI-lab-specific questions and school/department-specific questions you might not think to ask. Good luck !!

[St Andrews Lynx]

On 17 February 2016 at 10:47 AM, metallocene2015 said:

I am international and probably won't be able to make it to visiting weekends (and also my TA contract forbids me from leaving during the semester), 

My personal advice would be to see if a friend could substitute in for you on TA duties for 1-2 days. When I was applying to US schools from abroad they did actually offer me either partial or full reimbursement for transport/accommodation to the visitation weekends. From what I've seen, schools are pretty flexible when it comes to visits - you don't have to attend the official visiting day, the admin will nonetheless arrange meetings with POIs on your behalf.

 

[metallocene2015]

On 18.2.2016 at 6:04 AM, St Andrews Lynx said:

My personal advice would be to see if a friend could substitute in for you on TA duties for 1-2 days. When I was applying to US schools from abroad they did actually offer me either partial or full reimbursement for transport/accommodation to the visitation weekends. From what I've seen, schools are pretty flexible when it comes to visits - you don't have to attend the official visiting day, the admin will nonetheless arrange meetings with POIs on your behalf.

 

Yea I just found out that the course I'm TA-ing for actually has 2 TA's, so I guess this part won't be a problem anymore. It's odd though that no mention of visiting weekends were made on any of the acceptance letters I've gotten so far- were yours mentioned in your offer letters ? If they really do reimburse you for transport/accommodation then I might seriously consider going..

[St Andrews Lynx]

I'm not sure that my initial letter came with details about the visit weekend (I was also an international applicant). I think I emailed the adcomm head and told them I wanted to come visit (...and could they cover some costs). 

The schools all want to recruit you. And if you frame your request as increasing the likelihood that you will be recruited then I think they will try to help you.