SOPTalk

When you apply to a school, it is often a good idea to write a short email to professors who are doing work you may be interested in. This note is a reminder of some things to keep in mind to ensure that you don’t ruin your chances by saying or doing the wrong thing on email.

When would you initiate emails to professors in a department you’re applying to? Let’s assume that these are people that don’t know you, and you haven’t been introduced by a mentor who knows them.

The first email:
This email is usually a few lines long, maybe a couple of paragraphs. You use it to express interest in the department’s and professor’s research, telling them what excites you about the research, and why (it should not, however, be copied and
pasted from your statement of purpose). In the second paragraph you may summarise a few salient parts of your background, hoping it sparks an ‘a-ha’ reaction. Many professors will not reply to this - they’re too busy, or not interested, have
no funds, or prefer to wait for the admissions committee to make its decision. That’s okay. If you do get an interested reply, continue the conversation as long as reasonable and necessary.Be courteous but not desperate. Even if you get just a
polite acknowledgement of your first mail, send a thank-you email in response. It may even be reasonable to ask for the contact details of a student who can tell you about life in the department.

The email update:
This email is usually a few weeks or months after the first introductory email. You might use it to give an update on your status or eligibility. Perhaps you have gained additional qualifications, successfully finished a project or begun working in a new area. In short, an event occurs that you think will positively impact your application, and you want to let people know about it. So in addition to writing to the admissions committee, you also write to inform the professors you are interested in.

The regret email:
You’ve made up your mind where you’re going, and it won’t be this university. Or the university informs you that they won’t be making you an offer. It’s good manners to express regret to the people you’ve been corresponding with. Even if you aren’t
going to their university, you may run across them again in your career. It will be good to leave them with a positive impression of you.

Tags: Application advice, General, Writing Tips by Prashant
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The convenience and speed of emails has made keeping in touch easy. But Jonathan Glater shows how the spontaneity that email encourages has a downside too. While the article talks about how college students might make bad impressions on professors through thoughtless emailing, this is also a useful reminder for those of us in the thick of the admissions process. Through email we can contact professors who may have seemed unapproachable a few years ago. And yes, this may sometimes give us an edge, and interest a specific professor enough to ensure admission. But it is important to keep etiquette in mind (Look for a posting on email etiquette, coming up next). Remember that you are one of a number of applicants who may decide to email a professor. Pause and think before hitting the ’send’ button.

See the story at the New York Times (registration required) To: Professor@University.edu Subject: Why It’s All About Me

Tags: General by hardik
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