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It's that time of year where prospective students are emailing advisors about Ph.D. programs. Here is a short thread with some of my preferences for getting student inquiries. Note, every professor is going to be a little different.
1. DO include your CV. I heard a panel that advised students against this. I think that is bad advice. I prefer to get a sense of the applicant's research background and experiences. Gimme the CV! [I might also give edits to help improve your CV, if there are glaring issues]
2. DO give a short (2-3 sentence) description of the type of research that connects with that faculty member.
3. DON'T ask the faculty member if they can talk to you about a specific project you saw on their website. This ask is too broad. & they may have already published papers on the project. You just showed you haven't looked up the faculty's recent papers.
4. DO ask if they are accepting applications for the next cycle. DON'T assume this question alone will get you a meeting.
5. DO ask for a QUICK meeting (20-30 mins), if you want a meeting. Some faculty like to talk to students before they submit a full application. Provide times you are available for the next few weeks.
DO come to the meeting prepared with questions. DO NOT waste time with questions that you can answer from the website. Ask about CURRENT and UPCOMING projects. You won't be there for another year. You need to know what's next, not necessarily what's now.
That's all I can think of for now. Again, every faculty is different. Some want to talk to everyone, some don't want to talk to anyone before applications are submitted. Be clear about who you are, why you are emailing, and what you want from the email. Good luck, everyone!
