Listing POI contact on applications?

[bluebird1]

I have all my materials together and have spent the last few weeks actually filling out grad school applications (!!!). Since I am submitting relatively close to the deadlines (most are due the 15th), I haven't been establishing any new contact with POIs since I don't want to come off as brown-nosing. I've mentioned 2-3 professors at each school in my SOP, which I figure provides the same motivation for them to pay attention to my application as an e-mail (I'm indicating interest in working on their research, plus having a few professors covers me in case one is on leave/retiring/out of funding/etc.).

However, some applications (specifically UChicago and Yale) have a space to list my contact with professors. Does this mean they are expecting everyone who applies to contact them? At this point (1.5 weeks from the deadline), what am I even supposed to write to a POI in an e-mail, beyond "Hi, My name is X, I'm interested in Y and would love to work on your research in Y.1 and just wanted to let you know that I mentioned you in my SOP"? I feel like anything I write at this point will be taken as an attempt to "game" the system in some way, but at the same time, I'm worried that not listing any contact would indicate a lack of interest.

[dagnabbit]

You will almost certainly receive conflicting advice on this topic - I know I did. I think that there is general agreement that it is neither required nor expected that you will contact POIs, and it is probably unlikely to make much of a difference in your admission decision. This late in the cycle, I would definitely avoid making initial contact with anybody - since it's really too late to ask them basic questions (are you taking students, etc) and you have not yet been admitted, I feel that at best you would be ignored and at worst it would come off as opportunism. However, it's probably worth asking your letter writers about this, as there might be different norms for linguistics programs.

[Ziggy Finish]

Yeah I am in a similar boat. And I really don't know what to do.

But I also have been putting off contacting a PoI from a school I interviewed at last year - the interview went very well but obviously I was not selected.  Anyway, now I just submitted a application to the same program and I don't know if I should contact them now. I have a pretty cordial relationship with them but even so what would I say. "Hey, I've reapplied. I should've let you know sooner, but . . . well. . . erm . . . this is awkward." 

bluebird1, I would suggest contacting them if you can think of a good reason to do so. There should be good context for your email, so it doesn't seem like just a heads-up. For example I should have emailed my PoI ages ago to ask if it was kosher to reapply. 

[.letmeinplz//]

It definitely differs between departments and even professors within the departments, some are fine with it and some warn against it.. 

But if you mentioned them in the SOP (or if the application had you list professors you were interested in, I've had some that specifically listed professors I was interested in as "readers" of the application) you can probably consider that as contact. They will most likely be notified of your interest if they are not already on the admissions committee after you make it passed any initial culling of applicants. Unless you have some kind of connection with them (you or your advisor has done research with them, etc) it is a little late to email with "hey it's me, your potential GRA". 

Edited December 9, 2016 by <ian/>

[fuzzylogician]

It's often the case in linguistics that students will get admitted to a program without having had any prior contact with their POIs. This is not a field where you're expected to reach out to people and have their consent to advise you before you apply. Some students still do reach out and that's probably fine too, but at this late stage in the game I would not advise emailing someone just so you can say you did. As long as you do a  good job tying your interests to theirs in your SOP, I think you'll be fine. (FWIW I never contacted anyone, and ended up attending a school that I was admitted to without even having an interview. One of my main advisors is someone who wasn't even there at the time I applied. So things worked out just fine without any early contact.)

[bluebird1]

Thanks everyone! The apps have been submitted, no emails have been sent. Cheers to playing the waiting game! 

 

@fuzzylogician Yeah, I reached out to a few POIs when I was trying to narrow down my list of potential schools back in October, but that was only because I had actual questions about their research. For most professors/departments, it seemed pretty straightforward from reading websites/CVs whether there was a good fit or not, so I didn't really have anything to ask in an email, especially since for all the schools I applied to, you are accepted to the department, not a specific profs lab. 

[bachelorette]

Yep- same boat! Where all are you applying to? And good luck!!