<p>Currently I am an undergrad pursuing a BS in wildlife biology and starting my junior year in the Fall. I am likely (more like definitely, actually...) to continue onto graduate school. Recently I have been researching different professors in my field and have found several that I am incredibly interested in as potential advisors. </p>
<p>As a rising junior, Is it TOO early to contact them/email them inquiring accepting MS students in the future or how I could make myself a better candidate for any assistantship positions they might have when I actually will be applying to graduate school? Also, most of the professors I am emailing are doing research on human-wildlife interactions in various parts of Africa. I studied abroad in East Africa. Too forward to mention in the initial email or something I should definitely include as to why I'm interested in their research?</p>
<p>I also have a crap-ton of undergraduate research experience (and have presented it my school's undergrad symposium, also invited to a national conference next summer), but not all of it exactly relevant to the research of the profs I'm emailing, as it's in plant population genetics plus working as a field tech for a few other projects. No publications, but hopefully will have at least one from the genetics stuff eventually. Should I just tell them vaguely I have research/presentation experience, leave it out, or explain exactly what I've done.</p>
<p>Or if it's just too early to email anyone and I'd probably just be annoying, tell me that too. Right now I just have too much time on my hands which makes me start thinking about the future.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s too early. Professors love to talk about their research, but they might have a really hectic schedule, so definitely show your ambition, but as you said, don’t push so hard that you annoy them.</p>
<p>If you haven’t already, find out if contacting potential advisers before applying is standard procedure in your field. It would be rather unusual in my field, and not in a good way.</p>
<p>Approaching professors about academic matters (e.g. with a question about their area of expertise) is a different matter.</p>
<p>As far as I’m aware, contacting professors before applying is pretty common/standard procedure in my field. I’ve talked with a few grad students in my department and they all made contacts with their current advisors (though it was much closer to when they were actually applying).</p>
<p>Do it. It could possibly lead to a summer internship opportunity (next summer), which would work out very well for you.</p>
<p>As far as wanting to give them info about yourself, compile it all into a resume and attach it to your email. Keep the email short, sweet, and about them and their research - and if they want to know about you, they can see it in your resume.</p>
<p>Too early to ask them if they are accepting MS students, because they won’t know. Most professors don’t know until the year right before they do, so I would wait until early in your senior year.</p>
<p>It’s not too early to contact them period, but I would only do so if you had a legitimate question or wanted to meet them briefly for an informational interview or something. If you want a summer internship opportunity, ask explicitly if they do that and if they would have any opportunities in their lab for the upcoming summer (but I would wait until about October/November at the earliest). I don’t you should just generally email to introduce yourself, because that would just be annoying. I would NOT attach your resume to an email unless they asked for it explicitly, because that is just being presumptuous.</p>
<p>Could you suggest examples of any question that you feel legitimate enough and not to be annoying? I have compiled a list of schools that I am interested and I have also gone through the faculty pages on each university website and found some faculties with researches that interest me, at least they are somehow or closely related to my undergraduate research during my senior year. And I would love to contact them before I start my application procedure, or right after I am done sending applications. </p>
<p>I have read articles saying that contacting and getting attention from faculty may eventually increase/improve the chance of getting admitted, provided if they were not annoyed and were interested in having that particular individual to work for them, for various reasons, perhaps similar research experience.</p>
“I have been working on … and ran into problems with …, which is your area of expertise. May I ask you a few questions?”</p>
<p>“I have been reading your paper on … and I think it might have applications to … Would you be willing to discuss this with me?”</p>
<p>“I am a prospective graduate student in wildlife biology, and I’ll be in town [for some reason] next week. May I meet with you while I am there?”</p>
<p>How about emailing them about what they look for in a graduate student/what would make me more competitive for a spot in their lab? Not appropriate?</p>
<p>At this point in your undergraduate career, this seems like advice you should be seeking from your undergraduate professors. They can also put you in touch with colleagues if you are doing good work and they think that you would benefit from the contact. </p>
<p>Right now you should be more concerned about getting a strong undergraduate education than specific skills that you’d need in only one or two research groups in the country. After you’ve decided which graduate program to attend, you can ask your prospective adviser if there’s anything in particular you should learn before you start your graduate work.</p>
<p>I personally would only seek generic advice from external professors under one of two circumstances:
If I was talking to them in person, e.g. at a conference or before/after a department seminar.
If there were no wildlife biologists at your own college and you had to rely on external experts for advice.</p>
<p>But then again, I don’t know the norms in your field. In my field, generic “what would make me a stronger applicant” emails would put you into a pile of Chinese applicants whose messages go straight to the junk filter. However, if you have special circumstances, people would probably be happy to talk to you (preferably in person).</p>