How to Reach Out to Potential Ph.D. Advisors

Part 2 of the All About PH.D. Advisors Series | See Part 1

Ph.D. programs are more competitive than ever. More applicants are fighting over fewer spots and less funding. For many aspiring doctoral students, reaching out to potential advisors is a vital step toward investigating program opportunities, securing funding, and identifying a supportive advisor. However, emailing potential Ph.D. advisors can be an intimidating prospect to many graduate students. Students wonder how and when they should reach out to potential dissertation advisors, and what they should say when emailing potential advisors. Worry not, we’ve been there ourselves and done the legwork for you. If you’re wondering when and how to reach out to potential Ph.D. advisors, this post is for you.

How Does a Student Get a Ph.D. Advisor

As with many things in graduate school, there is no standardized path for how students are paired with a Ph.D. advisor [see also Part 1 covering the different types of advisors]. Some universities assign academic advisors to new graduate students with the anticipation that the student will choose a dissertation advisor as they complete their coursework and identify their research area.

Other programs will assign advisors based on the research interests identified in the student’s personal or research statement, and it is assumed that the student will conduct research within that lab unless something changes and other arrangements are made.

Why You Should Email Potential Ph.D. Advisors

Regardless of the process at the universities you are applying to, contacting potential Ph.D. advisors is important for most doctoral program applicants. It’s not just about getting your name in front of someone on the admissions committee ahead of time, although that doesn’t hurt, emailing a potential Ph.D. advisor in advance enables you to:

1. Get Insider Details

You can only glean so much about a program by reading its website and looking at the research being produced. Contacting potential Ph.D. advisors can give you a better feel for the culture, strengths, and weaknesses of your prospective program.

2. Learn More About the Research

Curriculum vitae and publications can give you a great deal of information about the types of work being done by faculty in your prospective program. However, they cannot tell you if a researcher is shifting direction, retiring, taking a sabbatical, etc. Contacting potential Ph.D. advisors can give you a behind-the-scenes look at what the future research of the faculty will be like.

3. Strengthen Your Grad. School Application

Whether directly or indirectly, contacting potential Ph.D. advisors can give you information that will strengthen your application. Discussing research and characteristics of the program can give you insight into program priorities and what the admissions committee focuses on. It can also help you tailor your application towards the interests of your potential advisor, making your application more appealing.

4. Determine the Funding Situation

Funding for your graduate degree is essential for many aspiring graduate students. Sometimes, it just doesn’t make fiscal sense to attend graduate school without securing funding. Contacting potential Ph.D. advisors can help you determine if funding will be available for you in the semester you are applying to [if ever] or if you are better off waiting until the next admissions cycle.

5. Get a Feel For Potential Ph.D. Advisors in Advance

The advisor-student relationship is the number one predictor of graduate student success. Moreover, an advisor can be an important advocate and resource after graduation, assisting in networking, writing letters of recommendation, and more. Contacting potential Ph.D. advisors can help you ensure that you have a supportive advisor who will mentor you in the way you need. It also can help prevent you from ending up the victim of an abusive advisor, which although uncommon, can happen.

When to Contact Potential Ph.D. Advisors

Many students want to know when to contact potential Ph.D. advisors. Although there are no hard and fast rules for deciding when the right time to reach out to potential advisors is, in general, earlier is better.

Early Exploration

While not required, prospective graduate students can begin reaching out to potential Ph.D. advisors during their undergraduate degrees. At this stage, contacting prospective advisors consists of career interviews, learning about what is involved in conducting research in the field, and asking questions about preparing to apply to graduate school. When you contact a potential Ph.D. advisor this early, be sure to keep in touch periodically (an email every three to six months should suffice).

Initial Inquiry (6-12 Months Before Applying)

Common guidance for when to contact prospective advisors is 6 to 12 months before the application deadline (early summer for December applicants). Generally, you want to email several potential Ph.D. advisors early enough that you can engage in a meaningful dialogue and establish a connection during the application process. You will also be able to explore the funding situations in your prospective research labs.

During the Application Process

While earlier is better, it’s not too late to email potential Ph.D. advisors during the application submission and review period. Contacting potential advisors during this period can demonstrate proactive interest and commitment. This can be advantageous if the program requires or encourages students to identify an advisor early on.

After Acceptance

Once accepted into a program, solidifying your advisor-student relationship becomes critical, especially if you’ve been assigned an academic or research advisor rather than choosing one (see also Part 1 on the different types of advisors and the process of getting one). Timely communication ensures a smooth transition into your graduate studies and research, so email your advisor once you’ve been accepted.

How to Reach Out to Potential Ph.D. Advisors

Many students are intimidated by the prospect of contacting potential Ph.D. advisors. They worry that they will come across as pushy or uninformed. Sometimes, they think they need to know everything about the faculty member before contacting them. It’s not true. Let us put your mind at ease, you don’t have to be perfect to contact a prospective advisor. Just follow these steps and you’ll do fine.

1. Verify that it’s Okay to Contact Potential PhD Advisors

Reaching out to potential Ph.D. advisors is a fairly common occurrence in the United States, but it’s not universal. If you’re applying to graduate schools outside of the U.S., check with the admissions coordinator to determine the custom.

Even within the U.S., the custom of reaching out to potential Ph.D. advisors in advance is not universal. Carefully review all program documentation and instructions online to verify that there is no prohibition on contacting potential Ph.D. advisors in advance. You can also directly contact the dean of admissions or any personnel designated as an admissions contact point and ask what the custom is in that program.

2. Identify Who You Want to Reach Out To

If you haven’t already figured this out, take the time to research the faculty in the program you’re applying to and make sure they are doing research you are interested in. If no one is doing the type of research you’re interested in, rethink applying to that program.

3. Research Their Publications

Read two to three of their most recent publications and any other papers of interest. For each paper, identify three to five things you found surprising or interesting and come up with two or three conversation generating questions about the papers. You do not have to read every paper they have ever written, this is not an exam.

4. Emailing Potential Research Advisors

Identify their email address through their program website, LinkedIn, or from a paper where they are the corresponding author. Then, plan to send the email Monday afternoon or during standard business hours from Tuesday through Thursday. Your email is less likely to get buried in the potential advisor’s inbox if you send it during these hours.

Begin the email by introducing yourself, mentioning your goal to apply to the program, and indicating an interest in their research. Use a personalized email subject line and details from the research you did on their publications to demonstrate you’ve done your due diligence before contacting them. Be sure to include why their research interests you and always end with a question about their research or the program.

When emailing potential Ph.D. advisors, remember that faculty are busy people. Keep your message concise and professional. The goal of this first email is to initiate a conversation that will give you more insight into working with them, upcoming funding opportunities, and the program in general. The first email isn’t meant to be a giant question-filled brain dump.

Use Our Email Templates

Would you like some email templates to see examples of how to reach out to potential Ph.D. advisors? You can get them by signing up to My.GraduateStudentSuccess.com. It’s free and easy.

1. Click the register button below and follow the registration instructions. All you need is an email address to get started.
2. After registration, you’ll be taken to a log-in screen. Log in with those shiny new credentials you just created.
3. After logging in, you’ll be taken to your Grad. Student Greatness Dashboard, where you can access all the exclusive membership resources (tip sheets, guides, forums, Discord channel, and more).
4. Explore and stop back often to check out new resources we are putting out all the time.

How to Reach Out to a Potential Ph.D. Advisor
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