Next Steps

Make a note of their email addresses and what their research is. Some applications may ask if you’ve contacted any professors in the department! Send an email to 2-3 prospective advisors from each school that’s currently on your list. This does add up quickly, but once you have a solid draft going, it shouldn’t take too long! In the email, you should include:

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1. Your name, current school, current major, research background

2. The program you want to apply for

3. Why their research interests you and why you think they would be a good fit

4. Ask if/when they are available for a Zoom meeting. Provide your availability, and be flexible! If they cannot find a time that works, ask them questions via email.

5. Attach a copy of your current CV

6. You can send a followup email if you wish, but no earlier than a week later. Depending on when you send your email, they could still be on holiday.

Email this list of schools to the professors you asked to write your letters of recommendation. Something you can do to keep both you and your professors organized and sane, is to create a spreadsheet. In this document, have: the name of the school, the application due date, and a date for them to fill out for when they’ve submitted their letter. You can always tell professors later if you’ve added another school to your list, and if you do, send them an email so they’re aware of the change!

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Additionally, remember to keep your CV updated, as again you'll need it for your applications, and you don't want to submit a version that doesn't include everything you've done. Imagine you published something but your CV isn't updated? No one would ever know!

Something that is very important to be aware of is what fellowships or grants you might be eligible for, and when you are able to apply. A very common one is the NSF GRFP, where you can apply either once during your senior year of undergrad and once during your first year as a graduate student, or only once during either your first or second year as a graduate student. Here's a link to a list of fellowship opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students. Just be careful to read both the requirements and eligibility statements very carefully!

Assuming you’ve started writing your statement of purpose/personal statement/research statement, have some of your friends and professors read through it! They will catch inconsistencies much better than you’ll be able to, and point out things you should either add or leave out. Learn more about each type of statement here!

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Quick Tip: Any statement you write has to be personal to you. If I could copy and paste something that you wrote into my own statement and have it work out, then it's not personal enough. I'm not saying you can't have general sentences in there, but it should be focused on the specific things you accomplished throughout your undergraduate career that set you apart.