<p>Hello - I contacted a professor about my research interests, background training, and how I felt that his previous work matches my interests. The professor replied with a very sarcastic response that I do not wish to reproduce here. My question is: should I still apply to this school? I have a friend at this school who has this professor as an advisor, and he tells me that this professor is very nice and a pleasure to work with. Maybe I caught this professor on a bad day. Do you all know whether or not professors keep blacklists of students that they will not admit for whatever reasons? I just don't want to waste my money applying to a place where I think the professor already hates me. Do you think he will forget about me by December when applications are due? Thanks!</p>
<p>I would be surprised if the professor remembered. I get tons of email from applicants interested in working with me; by the time I look at files months later I can’t remember any of the correspondence from months ago. Just chalk it up to a bad day or a mis-interpretation, and apply. Sure, you spend a little on the application fee, but that’s nothing in the scheme of things.</p>
<p>I am surprised to hear that you got a sarcastic response. Could this be a miscommunication? If the professor were annoyed, he would have ignored your email. I wouldn’t spend too much mental energy and emotion on this, if you like the department and other faculty independent of this one guy, I would go ahead and apply.</p>
<p>belevitt is right. Most professors get hundreds of e-mails a day. They would have given up long ago giving snarky replies to every prospective student that contacted them.</p>
<p>Most of them don’t remember what precisely their students are working on day to day, much less a random person who sent a random e-mail (what will be) a year ago.</p>
<p>I would be surprised if any professor kept a blacklist, but of course, anything is possible. Professors are individuals, with their own quirks and peeves. Still, I agree with Porkypig that most won’t remember you. </p>
<p>This professor may not even be on the admissions committee that screens the applicants to get to the final pool. And he may not attend the faculty meeting when decisions are made. Given his response, however, I recommend that you don’t list his name when listing the faculty members you’d like to work with. If you get in, you can always get to know him in person before asking to join his lab. Obviously, if he is the only PI you want to work with, you might not want to apply. </p>
<p>This is a good time to mention that some professors hate to be contacted prior to admissions decisions. An email out-of-the-blue is just another demand on their time. Although that doesn’t excuse a rude response, applicants should understand that being ignored is not necessarily a bad sign.</p>
<p>Thank you very much for all of your replies. This is the same advice that my girlfriend gave me! Fortunately, this is not the only school that I will be applying to.</p>
<p>He was probably just having a bad day and now wishes that he could take back what he wrote. 
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<p>I’m glad that you’re feeling better about the situation.</p>