Emailing to professors

[virtua]

Hello forum,

Probably, there have been topics like this before, I was just lazy to go through all of them

So, I have been emailing to professors introducing myself and expressing my interest in their research and asking if they are taking new students. From what I read on internet I was expecting that some professors might reply and be interested in interviewing me via Skype even if I haven`t applied officially yet, but that never happened. So some professors replied saying that they do not have funding, some professors didn`t reply at all, only 2-3 replied saying that I have to apply officially and indicate that I want to work with them and then they will be able to view my application at that stage, but that doesn`t mean that they are interested in hiring me.

So my question is: does it really make sense to contact POIs before applying? or maybe even after applying? I mean, it`s good to know if they have funding, but it seems to me that most of professors are not really good in replying to emails from prospective students. Do you guys email to professors before submitting your application?

[fuzzylogician]

9 hours ago, virtua said:

So my question is: does it really make sense to contact POIs before applying? or maybe even after applying? I mean, it`s good to know if they have funding, but it seems to me that most of professors are not really good in replying to emails from prospective students. Do you guys email to professors before submitting your application?

1. Whether it's a good idea to contact professors depends on the field, in some it's necessary and in others it's not generally done. 

2. There is a lot less of a reason to contract professors after applying. Your goal is generally to find out if the professor is taking on students and whether they would be a good fit for your interests. If you've already applied, what's the point? 

3. Have someone you trust read your emails. Are they personalized and sent to professors who would be a good fit? If you aren't getting any responses (or the few you're getting aren't encouraging), it's possible that the emails aren't well-written. Professors get too many "form" emails from students who are obviously a bad fit or whose text reads like they've sent the exact same email to 500 people, 499 of whom are a very bad fit, so they might not bother replying. 

4. It's early in the summer. People might be on vacation and might not even know what their funding situation will be like next year. I think a better time to do this might be late September, for applications with December deadlines. 

[virtua]

11 hours ago, fuzzylogician said:

2. There is a lot less of a reason to contract professors after applying. Your goal is generally to find out if the professor is taking on students and whether they would be a good fit for your interests. If you've already applied, what's the point? 

To make them notice your application?

[rising_star]

12 hours ago, virtua said:

To make them notice your application?

One email with your interests isn't going to be enough to get them to say "Oh hey, I need to be on the lookout for virtua's application!" when they're handed a stack of 100 applications to read with a tight deadline. Think of it this way instead. If you want someone to notice your application, make sure your application stands out and is memorable (for its excellence, obviously), rather than trying to somehow game your way through the system.

[mteng]

On 03.07.2016 at 1:02 AM, virtua said:

Hello forum,

Probably, there have been topics like this before, I was just lazy to go through all of them

So, I have been emailing to professors introducing myself and expressing my interest in their research and asking if they are taking new students. From what I read on internet I was expecting that some professors might reply and be interested in interviewing me via Skype even if I haven`t applied officially yet, but that never happened. So some professors replied saying that they do not have funding, some professors didn`t reply at all, only 2-3 replied saying that I have to apply officially and indicate that I want to work with them and then they will be able to view my application at that stage, but that doesn`t mean that they are interested in hiring me.

So my question is: does it really make sense to contact POIs before applying? or maybe even after applying? I mean, it`s good to know if they have funding, but it seems to me that most of professors are not really good in replying to emails from prospective students. Do you guys email to professors before submitting your application?

Better do not e-mail professor (i mean if you apply for usa) when i see the FAQ in departmental website,they say that it is better to contact professor after you have completed your application.And you should do it formal way.Do not spam professor.dont start dear professor,i m student and wanna work with you bla bla.. If professor understand your spamming,they will not reply but put in trash box.

Edited July 6, 2016 by mteng