Emailing Professors

[radquish7]

Hello everyone, I would really appreciate input from you guys on this In the fast and furious application process, it was hard for me to email all the professors I wanted to work with. (3 at each school x 10 schools=30 emails! ) anywho, do you guys think its too late to email profs at universities that dont seem to have started notifying applicants yet for interviews, but whose deadline was dec 15?

thanks!

-rad

[genotype]

Hello everyone, I would really appreciate input from you guys on this In the fast and furious application process, it was hard for me to email all the professors I wanted to work with. (3 at each school x 10 schools=30 emails! ) anywho, do you guys think its too late to email profs at universities that dont seem to have started notifying applicants yet for interviews, but whose deadline was dec 15?

thanks!

-rad

I don't think it's too late at all. In fact, any professors you speak with may be able to take a look at your application and offer you some useful feedback. This is what happened to me recently -- so I would certainly give it a try.

[radquish7]

how did you approach the email? did you just express your interest in their research, introduce yourself? im wondering what i should write in my email

thankssss

-rad

[genotype]

how did you approach the email? did you just express your interest in their research, introduce yourself? im wondering what i should write in my email

thankssss

-rad

I basically introduced myself, attached my CV, and shared that I was interested in his research. I did this for four people; three of them responded, one didn't. If you don't hear back from one person, I wouldn't be discouraged. The others all responded positively.

[peppermint.beatnik]

I think it's good to keep it short and sweet. Introduce yourself (as others said), your background, what you're interested in, why you're interested in their work, etc.

Sometimes you can ask about the fit of your interests, to them, and the program, but since it's after the deadline I'm not sure I'd do that.

Maybe someone else has a suggestion for how to end it?

[genotype]

In terms of the ending, I would suggest something like,

"I am curious whether you anticipate adding any graduate students to your lab/group in the near future. If so, I would very much like to start a dialogue about your research and anticipated future projects. I appreciate your time and look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

X"

Of course, I am coming from a science background, so you might have to change the wording a little bit if you're going into a different field.

[digits2006]

If the deadline has already past (DEC 15), they have already started to look at apps. It doesn't hurt to email, but you should have done this a while ago. Some prof might think you are trying to get your name in there as they are looking at apps and might not like that. It doesn't hurt to get your name out htere but you should of done this before you submitted your application.

[peppermint.beatnik]

If the deadline has already past (DEC 15), they have already started to look at apps. It doesn't hurt to email, but you should have done this a while ago. Some prof might think you are trying to get your name in there as they are looking at apps and might not like that. It doesn't hurt to get your name out htere but you should of done this before you submitted your application.

Agreed with above--it's a judgment call

[fuddy]

I'm not sure if there's one specific time that's best if you want to contact professors. Beforehand works of course but I've been told that a note saying you've submitted your application, are interested, and look forward to hearing from them is a good idea. I've also been told that asking questions when you e-mail can seem like you assume they have the time to answer questions from applicants, etc. So yup, definitely a judgment call. I hate when there's no right answers!