Why won't professors respond to my e-mails?

Olymom
Sun, 21 Nov 2010 19:18:32 +0000

Some folks, by nature, look far down the road. Others concentrate on the very near future. If you are a freshman and you are researching what might be a senior project, then you are clearly in the first group.

I have one friend who loves to explore all the options. She is a bright, creative person – but she can burn up a ton of time as she explores even something simple – like where to go to lunch. All possible restaurants will be listed. The merits of Indian curry will be dissected and compared and contrasted with Ethopian foods , etc. It is through but exhausting to be around her (on some days).

So, if you are the sort that loves, loves, loves to explore many possible paths in detail, you may be advertising yourself as “a complete time sink.” A professor might be concerned that if she/he responds, then you will be camping on the doorstep every day for the next three years.

The solution might be to take some senior math students to coffee (you buy). You can tap into their expertise and experience and have some fun exploring paths with them. They may enjoy sharing their expertise and have (some) time to indulge in your brainstorming. Then you can move from there to contacting a single professor who you have identified as being most suited for the next phase of developing your project.