<p>I recently had lunch with a professor who told me that it's important to email professors before applying to work with them. I ended up doing so, and the reply I received was really terse and a bit rude. I'm not sure what to think. In my email, I even attached an essay that I received high marks on, and which is related to this potential professor's specialty. </p>
<p>I'm wondering if emailing professors really is the right thing to do before applying. Should I just let my application speak for itself? </p>
<p>E-mail the director of graduate studies, not the professors. Ask the DGS whether contacting professors directly is accepted practice in that department.</p>
<p>And if you are told that contacting professors in that department is the norm, for heaven’s sake, don’t attach your own work. Instead, ask questions about that professor’s work, and explain how your own interests dovetail with that professor’s area of expertise.</p>
<p>In some disciplines, contacting professors is important (especially if you wish to work in their lab). In other disciplines, it is rare.</p>
<p>It depends. Professors get annoyed by lots of these emails. You can certainly be successful without contacting a professor. If you do email, make it concise and personalized and demonstrate maturity/intelligence. And have something to offer other than I like your subfield and I’m applying.</p>
<p>A few things will annoy a professor: a. More work, as in reading an unknown student’s paper b. Questions that can be easily answered by exploring his web page c. Attitude – especially one that is petulant or aggressive. Beyond that, you’re exploring unknown territory every time you email a professor. Most will completely ignore you, and that won’t have anything to do with your chances or the way they treat their graduate students; they are probably just too busy with their own students and work. Some will respond with a brief reply. Still others will want to have a longer exchange with you. Just remember that this isn’t a spam campaign to get you into graduate school; contact with professors must be productive for both the applicant and the PI.</p>
<p>In an email, introduce yourself with a brief description of your background, and then express interest in learning more about the professor’s research. Ask intelligent questions of his work. If you’ve read a recent paper or two by him, so much the better. Keep the email short and to the point. And don’t take it personally if you don’t get a response. Each department, and each professor within the department, feels differently about such contact.</p>
<p>Just one hint, though: if an application asks you if you have had any contact with any of their professors, it probably means that the program expects it.</p>