Yet another uber-intelligent question

[hejjhog]

So I'm applying to school X, it's my first choice and all.

The professor I want to work with, to whom I have written and expressed my interest and to whom I've sent LoRs, has requested a phone interview. Today he he emailed me with the following:

Dear Me,
Can you talk tomorrow (Friday) at Y PM?

This probably sounds really stupid, but

Comments

[lostreality]

Dear prof x,

Ypm sounds great- talk to you then!

Take Care,
galadriel

and an uber-intelligent respone

[hejjhog]

Is "talk to you then" really appropriate? It strikes me as a bit informal...

Re: and an uber-intelligent respone

[lostreality]

Hmm i don't know, that's how I regularly respond to emails from my advisers setting up meetings, and they respond in similar ways. You could say something like

"ypm sounds great- looking forward to speaking with you then!"

if you want to be more formal. :)

Re: and an uber-intelligent respone

[hejjhog]

Well, that's just it - he isn't my adviser yet, he's my POTENTIAL adviser.

[smyleykyley]

Just be yourself! Enthusiasm is a really good thing. Try not to stress to much, and be yourself most importantly.

[hejjhog]

Yeah, I'm hoping that my enthusiasm will get the better of my nerves =)

[smyleykyley]

Oh, god, do I hear you on this one.

I work with professors now, though I'm not a grad student yet, and let me tell you they are people too, you know? In my job, I'm a textbook sales rep, and I regularly go around just knocking on doors during their office hours and they still talk *me,* very graciously I might add. You have something even more valuable to offer them, and too contribute. Remember that! Hopefully it will calm your nerves. :)

[smyleykyley]

and to* contribute. :)

[floraldeoderant]

In my experience, professors tend to be waaay more interested in *what* you're doing rather than "how you phrase 'yes.'" Especially at the grad level. So yeah! Don't stress it, and be prepared to talk about not just you, but what you wanna study!

Good luck!

[hejjhog]

Thanks!
And I feel quite prepared to talk shop, since what I want to do is basically a logical continuation of what I did for my junior thesis.

[brittdreams]

I agree with floraldeodorant. As long as you say yes and confirm both the time (and the time zone!), everything will be fine. Your response should be brief and to the point.

P.S. If you're rereading articles to prep for this conversation, I wouldn't bother. Most advisors aren't expecting you to be intimately familiar with their work before you even apply. My current advisor (I'm a PhD student) doesn't expect his students to read most of his published work and will actually tell you which paper of his you need to cite if/when it's relevant. (Same guy was actually impressed that I'd read his book when I started, even if I'd read it for class.)

Point is, stop freaking out. Calm down. Be yourself. Listen and take notes on the call. Have some questions prepared to ask (check the tags if you need ideas).

[hejjhog]

We've negotiated the time zone issue, so that should be OK.

And even though the professor I'm contacting is a prolific publisher, I've managed to read ~60% of his articles published within the last 5 years - my junior thesis focused on a spin-off topic of his major field of study.

Point is, stop freaking out. Calm down.
Yeah, I KNOW I need to do this. And I always have tons of trouble actually doing it, whether during exams or interviews.

Have some questions prepared to ask
Actually, I put together a list of questions two weeks ago. I'm that anal =)

[roseofjuly]

LOL, I still haven't read all of my advisor's articles. I had no idea who he was when I even met him. I'm working on it, though.

[fullofpink]

One of my professors always stress that if you are confirming an appointment then you should email them back restating the appointment date and time with an acknowledgment that you can definitely make it. So,

Yes, I can definitely speak with you Friday, September 25 at Xpm. For quick reference, here is my phone number again.

I look forward to speaking with you!
SIGNED.

I always assume that professors who write one-lined emails are not expecting a formal reply back.

[hejjhog]

Thanks, I'll try to make it something informal like what the above posters suggested and yet include both time and date and phone number.