Regarding admit...

  • As many already know, studying for the physics GRE and getting accepted into a graduate program is not the final hurdle in your physics career.
  • There are many issues current physics graduate students face such as studying for their qualifier, deciding upon a field of research, choosing an advisor, being an effective teaching assistant, trying to have a social life, navigating department politics, dealing with stress, utilizing financial aid, etc.

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drs2872
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2013 5:16 am

Regarding admit...

Post by drs2872 » Mon Nov 04, 2013 11:23 am

Is it important to contact a professor before applying to University? What if I submit my application directly without contacting any professor? Will my chances of getting admit reduce?

TakeruK
Posts: 941
Joined: Mon Jan 02, 2012 3:05 pm

Re: Regarding admit...

Post by TakeruK » Mon Nov 04, 2013 1:30 pm

It might be a good idea in some cases, but it's not necessary. I tried to contact profs because I wanted to talk to at least one person from each school before committing the time and money to apply there. But that is mostly to help my thought process in creating the application, I don't know what affect it might have had on my admission outcomes. So, I think if you have reasons to talk to someone, then go ahead and do it, but you should not feel like you should just send an email otherwise you will be disadvantaged.

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WhoaNonstop
Posts: 853
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2009 1:31 am

Re: Regarding admit...

Post by WhoaNonstop » Mon Nov 04, 2013 1:36 pm

drs2872 wrote:Is it important to contact a professor before applying to University? What if I submit my application directly without contacting any professor? Will my chances of getting admit reduce?
I would only contact a professor if you're familiar with their work or if you've done similar work yourself in past research. If you do contact a professor, make sure you've familiarized yourself with their research. Basically, what I think the best thing to do is to show that you understand the fundamentals of their research and ask them specific questions about their research. I wouldn't linger too much on how bad you want to get into the school, etc. If you focus the email around them explaining what they love, it may help you out.

-Riley

drs2872
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2013 5:16 am

Re: Regarding admit...

Post by drs2872 » Mon Nov 04, 2013 11:24 pm

Thanks for replying :)



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