Should I e-mail professors from other colleges about research?

[murmillo]

I'm considering math grad school right now. I attend a small liberal arts college, and there are virtually no research opportunities at my school. I've never done math research before, and I would like to get a feel for what it's like. Would it be a good idea to e-mail professors from a local university near my home and ask if I could help them with research? I'm not asking for funding, I just want to do math over the summer and think getting research experience would be handy. I've applied to some REU's, but I don't think I'm going to get into any. If I should e-mail professors, how should I go about it? Thanks in advance.

 

[fss]

Why not?

 

[ZapperZ]

I'm considering math grad school right now. I attend a small liberal arts college, and there are virtually no research opportunities at my school. I've never done math research before, and I would like to get a feel for what it's like. Would it be a good idea to e-mail professors from a local university near my home and ask if I could help them with research? I'm not asking for funding, I just want to do math over the summer and think getting research experience would be handy. I've applied to some REU's, but I don't think I'm going to get into any. If I should e-mail professors, how should I go about it? Thanks in advance.

Personally, *I* would not like to receive unsolicited e-mail or letter asking for such a thing. And I do receive such a thing periodically and I dismissed them right away. In fact, I forwarded them to our security division since we've been asked to do that.

What would be more fruitful is if you approach faculty members at your school, and ask for their recommendations (and possible introduction) to professors from other universities. Then such a contact would be not out of nowhere, and the recipient would at least recognize that this wasn't just a random e-mail sent by an unknown entity.

Zz.

 

[eri]

I agree with ZapperZ - go through your own professors. If they can't offer you anything, they might know someone who can, but don't just randomly email people you haven't met. They'll probably just ignore you.

 

[murmillo]

OK. I'm mostly interested in differential geometry right now and I asked my geometry professor, but she doesn't have any leads to professors at my local university, unfortunately. She also recommended against e-mailing professors. Well, I did well in my algebra course. I wonder if I should ask my algebra prof. about that?

 

[micromass]

Hmm, differential geometry?? Maybe you should have talk with some physics professors? Notably some people working in relativity. They do a lot of differential geometry, so they may have something for you or they may know some professors involved in differential geometry.

Otherwise, it'll be a good idea talking to your algebra prof. But I'm quite surprised, you don't see much people that are both interested in algebra and differential geometry...