networking calls with professors
Again, this is what I believe is the MOST important part of your application (even though it isn't even explicitly part of the application!)
So after your wonderfully worded networking email yields you some calls with potential mentors, you should really use this opportunity as a way to "unofficially interview" for the program before you even submit your application. I don't like to believe that a lot of things are black and white in this world, but these calls will give you SO much insight as to whether or not you have a chance at getting accepted, based on the vibe of the phone call.
With that said, there is no need to be nervous going into these calls either! Professors are VERY busy people, and if they've agreed to schedule this call with you, it means that they have looked through your CV and deemed that you are worthwhile to spend their precious time talking to. So that in itself is already a really really good sign of how amazing of an applicant you are!
Since I applied pre-COVID and before Zoom was a thing, back then the default was to do everything by a traditional phone call (yes I know, SO old school haha). I would schedule the calls for 30 minutes, but I recommend to actually block off an entire hour in your calendar for them, because sometimes these calls DO run long (which is a good thing!) and you don't want to be in the position where you are cutting the professor off to go to your next thing.
In terms of preparing for these calls, I would definitely urge to stay on the very light side. You want these calls to feel natural and conversational. You can read up a few papers that professor published, but honestly I never really did that and just went in knowing generally what they researched. Just make sure you can articulate your own research interests clearly!
I would say that 90% of these calls will feel like you're just chatting about research interests in a pretty casual way. But in the off-chance that you do get somewhat of an intense professor who tries to interview you, just take a deep breath and do you best to answer their questions. Again, this isn't a real interview, and if you don't walk away from the conversation feeling great, it is just a sign that this mentor may not be the best fit. Again, remember as much as you want to impress these professors on these calls, this is also a chance for you to suss out whether these people will be good mentors. So regardless of the outcomes of these calls - it is always a win-win scenario for you.
Another heads up - these calls can also be sometimes a bit awkward, and you may have to drive the conversation a bit. But also know that these professors have these kinds of conversations all the time, and should know how to approach them. But just in case, here is a template of how I remember most of my conversations going:
- A few minutes of the usual hello, intros, small talk
- I would then start by asking the professor to talk about their research. Professors LOVE talking about their own research they do, so having them first talk about their research (before you talk about yours) is just a great way to get the professor to open up.
- Then usually after they spend time talking about their research (which sometimes they can go on and on about!) they'll turn it over to you, and that's when you would give your little "elevator pitch" about who you are and then do a short summary of my research interests and experience.
- If you feel like everything above went well and you are really vibing with this professor, you then want to spend some time talking about their capacity to take on PhD students. I usually just directly ask if they are looking for advisees, if they say yes then I'll make some cute comment about how I feel like I've really connected with them and would love to work with them. And then usually the professor will jump in and agree, and you can confirm that you will write about them in your personal statement.
- I also usually like to try and weave in some personal stuff throughout the call (eg. hobbies, things about who I am as a person, my family, where I'm from, etc. just so I can be a little bit more memorable to the professor)
- Then I would just wrap up. If the professor asks if you have any additional questions, I might just end by asking what it is like being a PhD student in their lab/ in the program.
- Obviously end by thanking them a lot for their time!