Bombarding a professor

[qkhitai]

Hi guys! So this cycle I have only applied to one MA program, to which I got accepted last week. I was planning to apply to more, but this is a North American program and the deadlines came up a lot sooner (I'm in the UK), so consequently I haven't put the wheels in motion for anything else. I have a tentative deadline of somewhere in March to decide, which may not be enough time to even apply anywhere else. I'm happy with that though and am keen to attend this particular program.

However, I wasn't particularly optimistic of my chances when I applied. Thus I only had a very short exchange of emails with my potential supervisor, which pretty much amounted to making sure he could accommodate my research interests. Now I've been accepted, I realise I don't know him half as well as I do some of the other professors I was corresponding with vis-a-vis doing an MA with them (one main one who unfortunately transpired to be on research leave next year, which is why I'm not too concerned about not making other applications now). So naturally I have a ton of questions for this guy, including a more nuanced discussion of my proposed research, course structure and content, faculty/campus policies etc etc (their website is pretty sparse). Even though I'm 99% sure I'll accept the offer, I still worried there might be that one little deal-breaker somewhere that I could have found out before committing to the program. I just feel that I don't know enough about my potential supervisor or the program itself, and even though I will probably accept the offer, I still want to know these things before I accept.

My question then is is it okay/normal to do this? At the moment it's looking like I'm going to bombard him with pages of questions, which seems a little rude/improper, even though he seems like a nice guy and has offered to answer my queries. Do most people wait until they accept their place before going through details, or is it normal to effectively interview your supervisor-to-be before you accept? 

I am thinking of emailing him to ask if asking him a ton of questions is okay (although that seems a little sad, and strange considering he's already offered to answer), but even so, I've never 'quizzed' an academic like this before. Should I just try and focus on a few key questions I absolutely need answers to? Or am I just overthinking this? (probably, but I do have a lot of questions for him..)

Thank you 

[CoffeeFueledAnxiety]

I think it is okay to ask your PI questions regarding his research and also to discuss your research proposal with him. I don't think you have to start the conversation asking his permission to ask him more questions. Just say that you have few questions that you hope he could help you with or something like that. Also, it would be better to ask him few questions first and then ask more naturally as the conversation continues.

Also, you can avoid bombarding the PI with all questions by dividing them into few categories and ask some of them to some other people. The DGS might be a better person to answer those questions regarding the program's structure, policies, etc. You can also ask them to connect you with a current student so that you can ask them some of those questions that they could answer.

Oh, and congratulations for the acceptance!

Edited February 2, 2017 by CoffeeFueledAnxiety

[TK2]

I don't know what the structure or expectations of you program is, but for example I contacted the person I wanted to be my thesis advisor - we'd never met at that point - over the summer between my first and second year (during which I was abroad) and had a very long email back-and-forth  (and a few calls) ironing out my research proposal, etc, all before the start of the year. It seems perfectly appropriate to discuss reasearch and various expectations, directions, etc, If you're an admitted crudent and this professor has agreed to be your supervisor.

[TakeruK]

It is appropriate to find out most of this information before you make a decision on your offer. But don't do this by email! Ask for a skype or phone call. In North America, it's common for schools to invite their accepted students for a visit where most of these questions are answered. However, many schools can't afford to invite students as far away as you are. So, asking for a phone call or Skype chat is very reasonable. You can also ask if you could be put in contact with some of the current grad students as they are going to be better able to answer a lot of other important question (quality of life, cost of rent, affordability of the city etc.)

That said, I would focus on the big picture and critical details. I would not worry about the small stuff---i.e. you don't have to find a "perfect" program because one probably doesn't exist. Basically, ask yourself: is this detail a dealbreaker? Or if there were 4 or 5 such "details" that aren't favourable, is it a dealbreaker? If not, then maybe don't ask it.

Finally, I am not sure what your field specifically does for an MA. But in many North American programs, unlike Canada or Europe, you don't really worry about the details of your graduate research at this stage. It's something that gets hashed out in more detail after you arrive. However, you do want to make sure that the project is something that will help you achieve your goals. So you should know a few things like: the big picture question that this research addresses, the general methods that it is going to use, and the skills required to complete it. You can also ask for suggestions of a few papers they might want you to read before you start---that will also give you a sense of where the subfield is at.

[qkhitai]

@CoffeeFueledAnxietyThank you  My brain might have been a bit frazzled when I posted first, it kind of hit me all at once that it was happening (doing an MA) and I felt a bit overwhelmed and under-prepared. I think taking it slow as you suggest is a good idea. I'll see if there are other people I can contact in regards to the campus/university itself (I'm mainly concerned about accommodation and campus rules that might be different to what we have here in the UK).

@TakeruK Sorry for the confusion, the program is in Canada, not the US. I meant North America generally, which was I guess a little silly. In regards to my research, although my proposal was accepted, the sub-field I specialise in a quite niche (to the point that next to no one publishes on it). Obviously if my potential supervisor has signed off on it, then he's confident in supervising it, but I would naturally like to hear what he thinks about it and double-check a few things. I'm generally confident with the topic and the field, so I'm not worried about it in that regard, although there are a few details I would like to go over with him.

I have a bit of an aversion to speaking over the phone with strangers (although in person in fine), so even though that would be a great idea, I would prefer to converse with him over email. I will try and narrow down the key questions I would like to ask specific to him though.

 

Thanks all

[TakeruK]

11 hours ago, qkhitai said:

@CoffeeFueledAnxietyThank you  My brain might have been a bit frazzled when I posted first, it kind of hit me all at once that it was happening (doing an MA) and I felt a bit overwhelmed and under-prepared. I think taking it slow as you suggest is a good idea. I'll see if there are other people I can contact in regards to the campus/university itself (I'm mainly concerned about accommodation and campus rules that might be different to what we have here in the UK).

@TakeruK Sorry for the confusion, the program is in Canada, not the US. I meant North America generally, which was I guess a little silly. In regards to my research, although my proposal was accepted, the sub-field I specialise in a quite niche (to the point that next to no one publishes on it). Obviously if my potential supervisor has signed off on it, then he's confident in supervising it, but I would naturally like to hear what he thinks about it and double-check a few things. I'm generally confident with the topic and the field, so I'm not worried about it in that regard, although there are a few details I would like to go over with him.

I have a bit of an aversion to speaking over the phone with strangers (although in person in fine), so even though that would be a great idea, I would prefer to converse with him over email. I will try and narrow down the key questions I would like to ask specific to him though.

 

Thanks all

Ah okay, then most of what I said doesn't apply! Definitely spend time in a dialogue with the prof  If you are still concerned about bombarding the prof with question, then be sure to just send a few at a time.