Who and How to Ask to Find the Best Graduate Programs in Your Field of Study
This article is a part of a series on Finding Programs and Labs to Apply to. Figuring out where to apply is one of the most daunting tasks most grad-school-seeking folks run into. It is also one of the biggest deterrents: many people never get to grad school because they can’t find a school that will 1) suit their academic needs and 2) admit them! See here for the introduction to the series.
Now that we have figured out what you want to study (and why!), or we’ve at least narrowed it down to a few things… it is time to start your search for the holy grail of professors. This all starts with a giant list of potential programs and schools. Don’t worry too much about the organization quite yet. We will get there.
For now, your goal should be to fill that list with as many potential universities, programs, labs, and professors as you can find that may fit your interests. Worry about sifting through them a little later. There are a few different ways we are going to search for Principal Investigators (PIs).
Given that there are thousands of universities with over 2 million applications submitted every year for graduate programs in the US alone, what most people start doing first is the last thing you want to do:
Most people, when they start stressing about graduate school, start frantically searching Google for programs that fit their interests. If you’re lucky you might find a list of “ the 100 best graduate programs for XYZ” but what determines “best?” and who assembled that list?
This inevitably leads applicants down a slippery slope of searching school-by-school looking at each professor’s bio in the department of each university that has a program that sounds “good” to them.
This is what you want to avoid. This is how many people burn themselves out before they really start. There is just no way you are going to have time to look through hundreds of universities, thousands of professors, and expect to find “the one.” This is especially true if you are working a full time job or are going to school full time (or both!).
Luckily, you are not the first person to ever apply to a graduate program in your field, and you certainly won’t be the last. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Use your network. And, if your network is limited, then branch out.
Write a list of people to contact in your network
Stay organized. I personally love using spreadsheets. I use google docs so I can share with friends or family who are helping me. Keep track of names, affiliation (how you know them), contact information, if you’ve reached out or not, if they’ve responded to you or not, and any notes… this might look something like this:
Use Your Network
This is the most obvious place to start. Start with what you know. No need to put lots of effort into making new contacts if you already have a good relationship with people who can help you. And don’t feel guilty: Professors, graduate students, and professionals all love mentoring and will be happy to help you- especially if they see a little bit of their past self in you.
Who do you know that has been through this process before?
Start with any mentors you might have. Professors you’ve done research with.
Do you have a personal relationship with any grad students in their labs? Include them as well
What classes have you taken in your field? Write down the names of those professors, and try to hunt down their graduate students as well, maybe they were your TAs at some point.
Branch Out
It might sound forced or unnatural, but networking is what it’s all about. It is not unusual at all for strangers to reach out seeking advice from people they admire. And if you phrase yourself carefully, you might just find a new mentor who will open doors for you that you didn’t know were there.
Do you have any family members or friends who may have contacts in your field? Ask them for an e-introduction.
Professors that you took large lecture classes with but don’t have a personal relationship with will still provide help to students who ask. In fact, they usually love getting to know students more personally and are happy to mentor when asked.
Find people who are already out of grad school and are in the kind of career your see yourself in. They will have insider info on the programs that their department hires the most from. Ask to get coffee with them so you can pick their brain.
Look for grad students at your undergraduate university or the closest university to you. Many professors have pages that include short bios and contact info for everyone in their lab. Use this to your advantage.
Making the ask
Once you’ve got your networking list going, start sending emails like crazy. Here are some tips to make this process less daunting:
To make your life easier, come up with a template for yourself and use it for multiple people, only making slight changes for each person (be careful though, make sure you edit everything that needs to be edited!)
Make sure to tell them who you are and what you want: you are looking to apply to graduate school for ABC because you want to do XYZ.
When possible, speak to people in person- putting a face to paper makes a much more personal connection- take notes!
Be more professional and formal than you think you have to be. Use official titles until they tell you otherwise.
Be extremely grateful: These are people who are taking time to help you, and they have the potential to open doors for you. They may even recommend you without you knowing it- academia is a small small world
That being said, Don’t be nervous! Especially when talking to grad students- most grad students were in your shoes just a couple of years ago. They are laid back people just like yourself and probably share interests with you. Professors are there to help you academically, and most genuinely enjoy doing so
Here are some example emails to help you get started!
A professor you’ve worked closely with:
Hello Professor Anderson, I wanted to take a minute to thank you for your guidance and mentorship throughout my undergraduate years. Working in your lab has been extremely eye-opening to me and has taught me just as much as any class I’ve taken. As my graduation approaches I am thinking about the possibility of applying to graduate school. I would like to study genomics in an ecological setting, as I would like to pursue a career in conservation genetics.I was hoping we could schedule a time next week to talk in person about my goals in academia. I’d like to get your advice on graduate programs and labs to apply to. Please let me know what times might work best for you. I am free M/W/F 10am-2pm and Tu/Th 12-4pm.Looking forward to it,SamA professor you have not worked closely with:
Hello Professor Petrov, My name is Rebecca Berger, I took your Organic Chemistry lecture class last year and received an A. I am currently a junior and am thinking about the possibility of applying to graduate school for organic chemistry. I would like to pursue a career in synthetic chemistry. I know you don’t know me personally, but I was hoping you might be willing to schedule a time sometime next week to meet. I would love to get your advice on my career goals and graduate programs I should apply to. Please let me know what times might work best for you, or if you have office hours I could come to.Thank you very much in advance,Rebecca BergerA graduate student you don’t know:
Hi Alex,My name is Anna Rose and I’m a graduating senior at UM in the Biomedical Engineering department. I recently met with Jake Reynolds, and he mentioned that you study fluid mechanics in Dr. Nazari’s lab. I am looking into applying to grad school for fluid mechanics as well. I was wondering if you would be willing to meet with me to talk about your experience with grad school? I know you are probably very busy, so I completely understand if you don’t have the time.Thank you so much for your time, and I hope to hear from you soon.Best,Anna
A contact who is an industry professional
Hello Lee, My name is Jason and I am a recent graduate from the University of Chicago. My Aunt, Caroline Jefferson, gave me your contact information and encouraged me to reach out to you. I studied computer science at UChicago and am considering applying to graduate school this year. I understand that you did a masters in computer science and are now working as a lead UX engineer. I was hoping you might have time to schedule a quick phone or video call next week. I’d love to get your advice on my graduate school and career goals. I would like to hear more about your experience with graduate school. Thank you very much for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.Best,JasonThe Questions to Ask:
Asking the right questions and phrasing them correctly can lead to lots of open doors. As we’ve talked about before, academica is a small world when you get into the realm of graduate degrees. Everyone knows everyone in a given field by just a couple degrees of separation, and this makes the process of finding your dream lab much easier if you know what you are doing.
People love talking about themselves: Ask people about their personal story through academia. Ask them why they are passionate about what they study. This can help you figure out if what they do is what you want to do. It will also help you steer the conversation to get the most out of it.
What do you see yourself doing after graduate school (if you are talking to a grad student)
Ask them what universities, in their opinion, have the best programs for what you are looking for (and why! Always ask why)
Ask them who are some of their favorite collaborators
Be direct! Ask them for a list of names of high impact researchers and labs in their field- it usually isn’t hard for a professor to rattle off 10 names of great labs off the top of their head - often they will name collaborators, and may be able to send an email introduction for you!
Ask them whether the people they are suggesting are also good educators. In their opinion, do they care about mentoring their graduate students?
On that note, ask about the culture in the labs they are recommending. Are the graduate students happy? Does the professor allow for enough of a work-life balance? Or do they work their students to the bone? You might not mind one way or another- but you should know what you are getting yourself into, right?
Finally, Who else can I reach out to? Could I speak to some of your current or past grad students? Are any of your past grad students working in industry now? What are they doing outside of academia? Could you put me in contact with them? Do you have friends at other schools who you could put me in contact with?
Final Tips and Advice:
Always follow up- people forget to respond to emails, especially when they are not pressing, it happens. If a week goes by and they haven’t replied- following up can’t hurt.
Send thank you notes or emails- make sure people know that you are appreciative of their time and help
Don’t be nervous! Everyone you talk to will have been in your position at one point or another. They will know the application process can be a nightmare, and most people will be happy to help you.
Take notes! Every time you speak with someone about graduate school you should have a notepad and pen handy to write down all of them gold they are going to tell you.
Think big. Every person you talk with has a wealth of knowledge, contacts, and resources that can help you. Be sure to ask about more than just a list of schools to apply to. Use this opportunity to narrow down on the kinds of specialties you might want to pursue. Ask them about their long term career plans, and ask them what they think about yours. Get a feel for the different kinds of grad programs in your field, as well as the different kinds of jobs you might be able to pursue after grad school (which may still seem very far away, but it is not)
Stay organized. We will go into this in more detail in our next post, but in general- don’t forget to transcribe info from your notepad into a nice organized spreadsheet!
