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Is it always better to mention specific professors in SOP?


econApp2018

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Hi guys,

 

I am finishing up my SOP for all my applications.

Originally, my plan was to mention one professor at each program in my SOP.

At some schools, there were actually at least one professor whose research is very aligning with my future interests.

In that case, I obviously mentioned their names and their works.

However, at other schools, there are professors who definitely seem to be capable of advising me but not researching the very specific topic that I plan on researching.

Obviously, my research interest might change over time so I don't want to just cut out those schools that do not have professors who are researching in that very specific topic.

But as I am writing, I realized that it doesn't really make sense to mention their names if their work is not specifically aligning with my future interests that I mention in SOP.

 

What do you guys think?

Should I just talk about my future interests and end it there?

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It seems like listing 3-4 professors would solve this.

 

That's true. However, if you list 3-4 professors, you run the risk of coming off as simply name dropping, since you'll need to elucidate why you wish to work with said professors, and how their interests align with what you hope to pursue. I'm operating on the assumption that most departments don't have multiple people working in the exact sub-section of any one field.

 

Simply put, it's easier to craft a 'story' when you're talking about one professor, but it becomes markedly tougher when you're trying to weave together the interests of multiple people. You risk coming off as being superficial and potentially naive. At least, that's what I think. It's also one of the reason why some people don't name-drop in their SoPs.They wish to hide their types, till after they get accepted.

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That's true. However, if you list 3-4 professors, you run the risk of coming off as simply name dropping, since you'll need to elucidate why you wish to work with said professors, and how their interests align with what you hope to pursue. I'm operating on the assumption that most departments don't have multiple people working in the exact sub-section of any one field.

 

Simply put, it's easier to craft a 'story' when you're talking about one professor, but it becomes markedly tougher when you're trying to weave together the interests of multiple people. You risk coming off as being superficial and potentially naive. At least, that's what I think. It's also one of the reason why some people don't name-drop in their SoPs.They wish to hide their types, till after they get accepted.

 

By "They wish to hide their types", do you simply mean not mentioning specific names or specific research interests at all?

After all, is it more common to not mention any names in SOP, although it would be pretty obvious which professors that you can possibly work with after talking about your research interests?

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When I am reading apps, many applicants list names that don't make any sense. Folks who have left or people who don't fit the research areas the students say they are interested in. I mostly ignore it, but it certainly doesn't help the application. My advice--if you really have a reason for wanting to work with a particular faculty member it's fine to mention. But trying to game the process doesn't work.
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By "They wish to hide their types", do you simply mean not mentioning specific names or specific research interests at all?

After all, is it more common to not mention any names in SOP, although it would be pretty obvious which professors that you can possibly work with after talking about your research interests?

 

By hide their types, I mean a hypothetically naive candidate avoid name dropping, to svoid conveying the fact that they are of poor type, till after they get admitted.

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Honestly I've heard so many contradictory things about this, from professors and people online... I get that mentioning specific professors can seem obsequious, presumptuous, or even ignorant, and that there's a good chance you might not work with those professors if you are even admitted. On the other hand, I do think it's a nice signal that you're not just submitting a form SOP, but have taken the time to really consider why you are applying to that program and that you have actually looked at some of the research going on.

 

I included a small section in almost all of my SOPs where I talked about why that program in particular appealed to me, and mentioned a few professors whose work I was drawn to. My sense of it is that it very likely doesn't matter one way or the other -- worst case scenario, the reviewers might be a little exasperated or annoyed and ignore that section. Best case, they take it as a nice little sign that you really are trying to apply to *their* program (I think this could be especially nice for the "safer" lower ranked and smaller programs, maybe not so much for a Harvard). But the SOP is just one factor out of many, and whether you talk about professors or not is just one factor for that, so I doubt it will make or break a decision one way or the other.

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When I am reading apps, many applicants list names that don't make any sense. Folks who have left or people who don't fit the research areas the students say they are interested in. I mostly ignore it, but it certainly doesn't help the application. My advice--if you really have a reason for wanting to work with a particular faculty member it's fine to mention. But trying to game the process doesn't work.

 

Thank you for your input starz.

If I mention one professor for the reason that you mentioned above but that professor happens to be leaving, would that lead to a negative impact on my chance of getting admitted?

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I pay very little attention, so it wouldn't matter. Can't speak for what others do.

 

Thank you again.

What would be the most important part of the statement then?

Future interests? I feels like other than future interests the rest section is rather very general, talking about coursework and research experience?

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To me, very little of the statement is important...but others differ.

 

Talking about specific research you have done is sometimes valuable. If you have a credible reason for signaling that you would accept an offer to join the program, like "my husband will be a second year PhD student in microbiology at your University," that can help.

 

This is also the place to explain something special that looks like a problem. For example, "You will see that I got B's in linear algebra my sophomore year. I was being treated for cancer. Fortunately, the treatment was successful and you will see that I got an A+ in real analysis as a junior." [showing you have overcome the problem is important here. Otherwise, leave it alone.]

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To me, very little of the statement is important...but others differ.

 

Talking about specific research you have done is sometimes valuable. If you have a credible reason for signaling that you would accept an offer to join the program, like "my husband will be a second year PhD student in microbiology at your University," that can help.

 

This is also the place to explain something special that looks like a problem. For example, "You will see that I got B's in linear algebra my sophomore year. I was being treated for cancer. Fortunately, the treatment was successful and you will see that I got an A+ in real analysis as a junior." [showing you have overcome the problem is important here. Otherwise, leave it alone.]

 

Thank you so much for your insightful advice!

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  • 3 weeks later...

We read the SOP to get a sense of your general areas of interest (so we know if you are a good fit with our department) and whether you can communicate clearly. No need to name professors.

 

In many cases, naming professors backfires because three professors work in very different areas, or one is retired, or doesn't work with graduate students, or isn't research-active, etc.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just think about this: will they reject you if you don't mention at all who you want to work for? I guess the answer is probably no. I do agree that simply name dropping will make you look ignorant since you probably didn't read through carefully the research of the person you mentioned. Additionally, simply name dropping will take up space where you could have said more about your research interest. It would probably save you much more time by not including names of the professors.

And also, I've heard that for top schools, they only care about your SOP once they decide to admit you.

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I pay very little attention, so it wouldn't matter. Can't speak for what others do.

 

And what are your thoughts on reaching out to professors before the application expressing interest, asking whether they are accepting students or not and similar questions?

Thanks!

Edited by mkumar49
minor grammar error
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And what are your thoughts on reaching out to professors before the application expressing interest, asking whether they are accepting students or not and similar questions?

Thanks!

Please, please do not. All this shows is that you do not know how American economics departments work.

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^I don't think applicants should necessarily be dissuaded from asking such questions. After all, they're paying an application fee, and it's somewhat justifiable to ask such a question if there are only 2-3 potential advisors in a department. If an applicant wants to ask a professor personally about his status, and a professor is willing to respond, that's not a problem.

 

But to the original poster of that question - it's important to recognize that most Econ PhD students start specializing in a field only after their 1st year coursework and qualifications, and build up their dissertation committee in their 2nd or 3rd year. If you reach out to a professor directly before applications, or before admissions decisions are released, your expression of interest will be regarded as very premature by most economics professors. This means you're unlikely to receive responses, and perhaps more importantly, it doesn't give you any advantage in the admissions process.

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MIT:

Can I visit your department or contact faculty before being admitted?

No. Official department visits, including faculty meetings, are arranged after students have been admitted.

 

Stanford:

Can I tour the department or meet with faculty prior to admission?

No, due to the volume of applicants to our program, we do not schedule tours, interviews or meetings with prospective applicants.

 

NYU

Does it help to be in touch with an NYU faculty member in advance?

Yes and no (mainly no). Very often a faculty member gets email from an applicant saying that he wants to work with that faculty member. But this isn't possible until the applicant enters the program, takes the core courses, passes the qualifying examinations, and only then is a thorough assessment carried out (including a lot of self-assessment) and an advisor chosen. So don't use this as a way of trying get a professor to support your application.

Of course, it may be genuinely the case that your own interests lead you to interact with one of our faculty members, quite apart from the question of admissions. In that case your queries will almost always be met with a suitable response. The point is that in most cases, it is easy enough to separate a real research inquiry from a message designed to try and obtain admission.

 

Contacting the staff person in the graduate office is fine.

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