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Can I email University professors from other universities?

I know the answer to my own question, but I can't really state my true intentions within the limits of the thread title.

I want to further my understanding of a lot of different topics that run through my mind. I write all of them down, and analyse it. I then study each discipline to get some answers. A lot of the ideas I come up with are very "out there". I search for the answers extensively, but I can't come up with anything.

So, my question is, can I contact professors from other universities who excel at the field I'm studying to discuss possible resolutions to my thoughts? The real question is, will they be bothered by my constant questions? I imagine that I would need a lot of discussion to clarify these ideas, so I was worried that the professors might think it's a waste of time to answer questions from someone who isn't a student of their university.

Reply 1

El Salvador

21

Yes.

Don't know.

Reply 2

gutenberg

14

You definitely can, but I don't know if you would get many responses. University professors tend to be very busy people, and while they may look sympathetically on you initially, if you were emailing 'constantly' they would probably quickly tire of it, especially if you had no intention of doing further, formal study such as a master's or PhD. I imagine of those that would reply, they would probably point you in the direction of further reading to help clarify some of your questions, than getting into very deep discussions.

Reply 3

Klix88

17

I agree with gutenberg's comments. I've been in contact with several professors outside my uni during the course of my PhD at the suggestion of my supervisors, and they've all responded to a greater or lesser extent. I wouldn't expect them to enter into any kind of protracted conversation though.

It's worth sending an introductory email to see if they're interested. Once you've established contact and if they do seem interested, it might be worth asking if you can book an hour face-to-face meeting with them, to discuss your ideas. This would suggest that you will take up a limited amount of their time. They may not agree, but if you don't ask you don't get.

I wouldn't expect to enter into an extended email correspondence. A stream of constant questions is likely to result in them not replying, sooner or later.

Reply 4

spankythehippo

OP

Original post

by gutenberg

You definitely can, but I don't know if you would get many responses. University professors tend to be very busy people, and while they may look sympathetically on you initially, if you were emailing 'constantly' they would probably quickly tire of it, especially if you had no intention of doing further, formal study such as a master's or PhD. I imagine of those that would reply, they would probably point you in the direction of further reading to help clarify some of your questions, than getting into very deep discussions.

I actually do have an intention of pursuing a Masters and a PhD. But the questions that I will be asking have nothing to do with coursework. But it will go towards something productive.

Original post

by Klix88

I agree with gutenberg's comments. I've been in contact with several professors outside my uni during the course of my PhD at the suggestion of my supervisors, and they've all responded to a greater or lesser extent. I wouldn't expect them to enter into any kind of protracted conversation though.

It's worth sending an introductory email to see if they're interested. Once you've established contact and if they do seem interested, it might be worth asking if you can book an hour face-to-face meeting with them, to discuss your ideas. This would suggest that you will take up a limited amount of their time. They may not agree, but if you don't ask you don't get.

I wouldn't expect to enter into an extended email correspondence. A stream of constant questions is likely to result in them not replying, sooner or later.

Getting that face to face meeting would be a challenge, since all of the professors live overseas.

I think I'll dwell on my thoughts a while and read a bit more before I waste their time.

Reply 5

Snikle

9

Heh I got more replies when I was still in school, studying for A Levels, and asking all sorts of questions to help with my EPQ, than when I was studying for my undergrad. But the point is, yes, you can email and, depending on how busy the person is or how interested they are, they will/might reply. :smile:

Reply 6

gutenberg

14

Original post

by spankythehippo

I actually do have an intention of pursuing a Masters and a PhD. But the questions that I will be asking have nothing to do with coursework. But it will go towards something productive.

In that case you might have a bit more luck in getting responses, if you framed your questions as potential research topics or questions. I didn't mean to imply you had no interest in postgrad education, merely that most people emailing with those kinds of questions would be students thinking of potential subjects for postgraduate theses, rather than purely 'out of interest' questions. Good luck :smile:

Reply 7

poohat

18

Dont bombard people with stupid questions. If you know a decent amount about a field and there is something specific you would like to know (e.g. related to a recent paper they have published) then emailing and asking is perfectly normal. However if you are asking poorly focused questions that could be answered by either 30 minutes spent on google scholar or a few days spent studying a textbook, then you are likely to annoy them

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 8

Klix88

17

I would also take advice from your current staff. Ask them your questions and if they can't answer, ask them to recommend the expert(s) in that area and read what you can find of their work. If that still doesn't answer your question, then it should be fine to email them.

poohat's quite right - if you ask an academic a question which they think can be answered by reading their published work, you will be dismissed without further consideration (and possibly with scathing sarcasm!). It's a trap I fell into as an undergrad, although I'd just framed the question in too broad a way which allowed it to be misinterpreted. The response I had, still stings nearly four years later!

That's another suggestion - if you do reach that point, make your question as specific, focussed and accurate as you can.

Can I email University professors from other universities?

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