Contacting Professors

[Lantern]

I welcome replies from anyone, but I am particularly hoping for replies from prospective or current MS students in life sciences/marine biology/fisheries biology. I have been contacting professors over a period of several months, and I'm not sure whether it's been beneficial or not. I have gotten some general replies discussing their research topics, the difficulty of funding, etc. All that have replied have been courteous. I realize they are extremely busy, and do not expect them to reply with very detailed info. However, I'm just wondering if anyone else out there has had any more luck. Due to my limited success I feel as though I am at a great disadvantage for getting accepted, and I'm just curious how everyone else is getting along. I saw lots of posts for Sociology and Psychology majors, and even one Entomology major, but no marine or fisheries biology for the contacting professors posts. Where are you all?? Thanks!

[saharel]

It took me a lot of time to find a professor for my degree. I was looking for a PhD in neurobiology or something related to molecular therapeutics. I had to contact about 30 professors. Many don't reply, and most of them brought up the funding problem. I was surprise since I have an excellent profile, lots of experience, 4,0 GPA for my BSc and my MSc and already got many scholarship (CGS-Ms, FRSQ ect), and I had good chance to get a scholarship for my PhD. I don't know where you are located, but apparently, it is a bad time for research in Canada, lots of academic research lab lost their funding in the recent years. Keep looking, in the end I have found a supervisor. Just don't let go now. Look at research grant results....sometime the professor will tell you contact me again after march or july...I will have answers from my grant application, wait and contact them again. Be ready to move around as well

cheer up, you will eventually be succesful

[dzk]

Personal experience says it's not necessary to contact anyone ahead of time for US neuroscience programs...