<p>So I have read a few people say one thing you should be doing when you are figuring out what grad schools to apply to is find a professor with research interests that match yours and contact them. How does one go about doing this? I suspect a simple email, but more so, what questions should you ask and what should you let them know about yourself in that initial email?</p>
<p>I imagine somewhere you'd need to ask if they are looking for some new grad students to help them out in their research and you would obviously need to express your passion for the particular work they do. But anyone know of a good way to go about doing this?</p>
<p>“Best” way is to talk with them in person when visiting the U and dept. Dept. chair may be able to arrange a meeting during your visit. As well, you can find out office hours and drop in. Some profs will answer cold e-mails, many will not. I was correctly advised near the beginning of my grad school search that “an interest shown and a presence made” counts a lot.</p>
<p>Well I know there are some schools I am thinking to apply to that I would have to fly to visit and in the scenario where I don’t have the money to fly, I suspect the best I could do is email. Well, we shall see what happens!</p>
<p>The initial email isn’t so much to let them know about you as it is to let them know your interest and ask them if they are taking students next year, if it’s a lab-based department. If you’re in the sciences, people typically send along a BRIEF email (but earlier in the admissions process - sometime between August and October, I think) stating their own experience in about 2-3 sentences, expressing educated interest in the professor’s work (“I liked your recent paper in Journal of Awesome Research; those are some really interesting findings that connect with my own in such-and-such way”) and asking if they are accepting students into their lab for the next year.</p>
<p>If you’re just emailing for the sake of letting them know that you’re applying (like if it isn’t a lab-based program that basically requires prior contact), then I wouldn’t. There’s nothing you can tell them that won’t already be in your application.</p>
<p>I disagree with juillet’s second paragraph. Many students in the humanities and social sciences send emails prior to applying. First it still puts a “face” so to speak to the application. Second, one can ask the professor if the fit is decent, if the department is taking students that year, how the funding situation is (if this is not on the website), what the status Prof. X is (if X is around the age of retirement), what projects are going on, etc. There is no harm to showing interest; at worst, they will just ignore the email, while at best, you will have touched base with the POIs and will be able to list somewhere on the application which faculty you’ve contacted regarding your application (this is a common question in online applications) or talk in more detail about their program/interests in your SOP.</p>
<p>Contact is also extremely helpful if a POI lists X as a topic of interest, when the POI truly has little interest in X. This has actually happened to me, so there is no awkwardness in asking after their most current research projects/interests if you’re worried on this front.</p>
<p>There are many templates you can use. Give a brief summary of your background and interests (“I’m a fourth-year undergraduate at University of Munchkinland primarily interested in …”), mention their research (“During my studies, I came across your article on …”), and ask them if they are taking students in the first email (“I am considering applying to your program and would like to know if you/your department is taking any students this year …”). You may even want to ask if the fit is good, and if it isn’t, inquire if they can recommend any other programs/faculty for you. If they respond and invite further questions, I encourage you to ask questions about some of the more practical aspects of the program, especially funding if the website is not upfront about it.</p>
<p>Don’t forget to contact grad students as well.</p>