I'm so happy this could help! And yes, you are in a perfect position to start setting yourself up for grad school now! You got this and good luck!

Hi Andrea, wow. Messages like this make it all worth it. Thank you so much for engaging and using my content! I know you'll do amazing! Feel free to suggest any other content that can help on your journey.

That's a great question, Christina! Thank you for the question! I would say just shoot and ask! When I'm approached I appreciate being given enough time to answer. Some people reach out with expectation of an instant response - especially if they have a deadline - but that is not fair to the person you're asking. I think just asking politely goes a long way instead of demanding guidance and help. I'm much more responsive when I'm not approached with imperatives (e.g. Tell me how to do this!). Also another thing that helps is you asking as many people as you can. That way you are not dependent on just one grad student who may have their own pressing deadlines.

Thank you so much!

It sure is intimidating! One of the things I did was have a potential advisor reach out on my behalf. Sometimes it helps to have them use their rank to help get the professors attention. However, it is still a great idea to also reach out for yourself! I would say keep it limited to these points 1. Give succinct summary of your background: school, major, year, and relevant research experience (e.g. I worked at NASA one summer in cryogenics and am fascinated in your research in it). 2. If applicable, highlight what aspects of their research in which you're interested 3. What you are looking for? (e.g. specific grad school opportunity, learning about positions offered in their lab, asking what they look for in a grad student, a discussion about their research) Hope this helps a bit!