Applying to Graduate School: Contacting Potential Advisors
Meme of Oprah yelling “you get an email, everyone gets an email!”
Applying to graduate school can be a long and confusing process. When I was applying, I wouldn’t have known that reaching out to potential advisors before you submit an application was encouraged or even appropriate, were it not for the McNair Scholars Program. This process can be intimidating, so here is some advice for reaching out to potential graduate advisors.
Please Read: The series “Applying to Graduate School” is intended to be useful for anyone applying to graduate school but may not be appropriate in certain contexts. Please read the following note: This applies to the graduate school application process in the United States and may not be applicable in other contexts. The application process outlined in this series may include steps that are not necessary for your field of study or miss steps that are required. This series is based on my personal application process in the Earth and Environmental Science field of study. Confirm the requirements of the application process with trusted sources in your field as it may vary across disciplines.
Confirm with trusted leaders in your field that contacting potential advisors is an expected and appropriate part of the application process.
I wrote an email template for contacting potential advisors and I made it more specific for each person I contacted. Here is an example of an email I sent:
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Hello Dr. [last name],
My name is Alexis Wilson and I am a senior at Cornell University studying Environmental and Sustainability Sciences and I will be applying to PhD programs this fall.
I am reaching out because I believe our research interests align. My research interests include biogeochemistry, soil science/ecology, and forest ecology as it relates to the dynamics and impacts of climate change.
I would like to speak with you about opportunities to pursue my PhD in your lab. Are you planning to accept new graduate students for Fall 2019?
If so, could we correspond by email or possibly set up a time to talk via phone or Skype?
Thank you for your time, and I hope to hear from you soon.
P.S. I have attached my resume below.
Best,
Alexis Wilson
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Key Aspects to Include:
Subject Line: “Prospective Graduate Student”
Formal Greeting: I use Dr. [last name] or Professor [last name] as appropriate. When in doubt, I address as “Hello, ”
Introduce yourself: Name, school, program, research interests
If you have already met them or saw them present somewhere, include that!
“We met at X/we spoke at X/ I gave you my card at X/I saw your presentation at X and I thought… I am following up to discuss…”
Why are you contacting them?
Ask if they are accepting students for the academic year in which you are applying
End with an action item: try to set up a meeting or agreement that further communication is okay
Attach your Resume or CV
Be succinct.
Spongebob thinking hard with a pen and notepad.
Don’t forget to:
Make sure the name matches the person you are emailing. (Don’t copy and paste from previous emails. Create a generic template to copy from instead).
Attach any files
Send a follow-up email. The people you are contacting are busy and may miss your email or take some time to get back to you. I waited a week before sending follow-up emails. I would suggest not sending follow-up emails until at least 4-5 business days has passed.
After sending an initial email and 2 follow-up emails (at least 3 weeks have passed at this point), I removed this person from my list of potential advisors.
Proofread for mistakes
So what do you do once you receive a response?
If they are not taking students, thank them for their time and consideration.
If they are accepting students, confirm a time for a follow-up meeting. Include some general times for your availability, plan for 30 minutes (acknowledging that you don’t want to take too much of their time), and summarize what you want the meeting to be about. Example:
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Hello Dr. [last name],
Thank you for getting back to me. I would like to meet to learn more about the work you do, discuss opportunities for research in your lab, learn more about the department, get more insight into the application process….
I am available tomorrow 10:30am-1:30pm PDT.
Would 1:00 pm PDT work for you?
My skype is XXXXXXX. or My phone number is XXXXXX or Here is a Zoom link…….
Best,
Alexis
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When to reach out:
I started reaching out to potential advisors mid-September (for me this was during the fall semester of my senior year in undergrad). This gave me time to hear back from people and schedule follow-up meetings before applications were due in December and January. I would plan to reach out at least a month before applications are due. Sooner would be better but that at least gives you 4 weeks for this process.
Final Thoughts:
This part of the process is for you to start a relationship with this potential advisor. This is critical because you want them to know you and have spoken with you before you even turn in an application. This gives you both a chance to determine if this is a good match. It also gives you the chance to learn more about this person’s work, their advising style, and details of the application process that aren’t on the website. Use this as a chance to learn what you need to make an informed decision about where to apply and eventually where to attend.
Stay tuned for additional posts in this series: Applying to Graduate School.
-Alexis
