Can I email a professor shortly before the application deadline to ask if they have a vacancy?

[JustHopefulMe]

Hello people!

Quick question: I happened to stumble upon the profile of a professor whose work seems particularly interesting to me. I checked out the application deadline for the graduate program with which she is affiliated and it happens to be Jan. 15 (in a couple of days). Do you think it would be a good idea to submit a last-minute application to this school? Should I contact the professor first?

I'm afraid that if I do, I'll give the impression of being disorganized and also presumptuous . But I am genuinely interested in her research and I don't want to wait for a whole application season to apply to the program.

There are a couple other professors whose research is also good, but I'm just afraid that contacting one of them so late in the process will hurt my chances of being accepted at all.

Any thoughts?

[AP]

I wouldn't by now. 

[fuzzylogician]

If you can swing it, you could submit an application and see what happens. Unless this program has rolling admissions, it doesn't matter when you submit as long as it's before the deadline. I wouldn't contact professors at this point, though. It's hard to imagine it could make a good impression. If you do this, you had better decide soon. You should also give your LOR writers a heads up. 

[TakeruK]

Yes, I think you should apply to the school.

I don't know if you need to contact the person ahead of submitting your application though. Unless you are in a field that absolutely requires prior contact, I would just submit the application if you're interested in the school. If you do need to establish contact, just say something like "I am submitting an application to your program in 3 days and I am interested in working with you" or something like that (i.e. no need to say that you just stumbled on their program last minute!!)

[JustHopefulMe]

1 hour ago, fuzzylogician said:

You should also give your LOR writers a heads up

I did  They said they don't mind.

 

58 minutes ago, TakeruK said:

(i.e. no need to say that you just stumbled on their program last minute!!)

lol I won't  

[DrNutty]

Apply to the school and mention the professor you are interested in working with in your SOP. Don't email professor at this point.

[mano]

1 hour ago, JustHopefulMe said:

Hello people!

Quick question: I happened to stumble upon the profile of a professor whose work seems particularly interesting to me. I checked out the application deadline for the graduate program with which she is affiliated and it happens to be Jan. 15 (in a couple of days). Do you think it would be a good idea to submit a last-minute application to this school? Should I contact the professor first?

I'm afraid that if I do, I'll give the impression of being disorganized and also presumptuous . But I am genuinely interested in her research and I don't want to wait for a whole application season to apply to the program.

There are a couple other professors whose research is also good, but I'm just afraid that contacting one of them so late in the process will hurt my chances of being accepted at all.

Any thoughts?

Sorry if I misunderstood, but do you have to contact them? As far as I know there is no such an obligation. 

[JustHopefulMe]

12 minutes ago, mano said:

Sorry if I misunderstood, but do you have to contact them? As far as I know there is no such an obligation. 

You are right. There is no such obligation. However, since I am interested in a few labs in the department, I don't want to apply to the program if these labs are not planning on taking any students. Also, I have been told that sometimes contacting PIs beforehand may increase an applicant's chances of admission if there appears to be a mutual interest in working together (but this probably does not apply in the case described above because such correspondence should have been taken place a long time ago).

Edit: be careful, though. Depending on the field of study, Some programs DO require that applicants contact PIs or at least have a list of potential faculty members with whom they would like to work. Some even demand that the PI has actually agreed to be your mentor before you apply in order to be accepted in the program. So be sure to understand the requirements of the particular programs to which you are applying!

Edited January 12, 2017 by JustHopefulMe
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