Should I say this in email to prospective advisor

[SetV]

I'll be applying to graduate school this upcoming Fall. I've been thinking about emailing some potential advisors, but I'm a bit clueless on exactly what to say. I understand I should say I'm interested in their research.

But then, should I also say I'll be applying to graduate school? And should I ask if he's taking graduate students the next year? Or should I wait and see if the professor replies back? I just feel that simply saying "Hi, my name is XXX YYY and I'm very interested in your work in ZZZ." seems too short to have any meaning.

[fuzzylogician]

I'll be applying to graduate school this upcoming Fall. I've been thinking about emailing some potential advisors, but I'm a bit clueless on exactly what to say. I understand I should say I'm interested in their research.

But then, should I also say I'll be applying to graduate school? And should I ask if he's taking graduate students the next year? Or should I wait and see if the professor replies back? I just feel that simply saying "Hi, my name is XXX YYY and I'm very interested in your work in ZZZ." seems too short to have any meaning.

Though I didn't do this myself when I applied, it seems to me that a sensible thing to say would be "Hi, my name is XXX YYY and I'm very interested in your work in ZZZ. I'm applying to TTT the coming fall and was wondering if you will be accepting students for your lab" or some such.

[joro]

Introduce yourself and keep it short. Don't turn this into a long email or else the Professor will probably just ignore it.

[Nibor6000]

I emailed a couple of people, explaining that I was applying to schools, interested in XXX and their research into that topic. I also asked if they had any openings in the lab for my application cycle. If you have good stats or experience, you can very briefly outline that. I think it shows that you are a serious candidate - I had relevant work experience and good stats. I would keep this all very short.

[American in Beijing]

I emailed a couple of people, explaining that I was applying to schools, interested in XXX and their research into that topic. I also asked if they had any openings in the lab for my application cycle. If you have good stats or experience, you can very briefly outline that. I think it shows that you are a serious candidate - I had relevant work experience and good stats. I would keep this all very short.

It doesn't necessarily have to be short. Sometimes long e-mails can be impressive, especially if you write them in an authoritative manner. During my application process, a grad student friend of mine was kind enough to show my an impressive introduction letter to a professor at her university inquiring about whether there was a space available. The professor to whom it is addressed was unfortunately going on sabbatical the following semester. However, he was so impressed by this e-mail that he forwarded it to everyone else in the department asking if there was someone available to take on this prospective student in his absence.

Dear Professor XXXXX

I completed my BSc form [Fancy School] and my MPhil in Environment, Society and Development from [Fancy School 2] under [professor] in [fairly recent year]. My dissertation there assessed the impact of eco-development on [Place]. It was very well received in [Fancy School 2] with a mark of 80 and I also published the article in [Fancy Journal].

I am writing to you to apply for a PhD under your supervision beginning from next year.

I have a very diverse experience working with community forestly, conservation, urban poverty and environmental economics in [two countries]. Presently, as a consultant at [Famous] study, I have had an opportunity to really work in depth on internalizing biodiversity and ecosystem values into international policies. While working here, I have specialised in carbon and forestry in particular and written a proposal, jointly with our Study Leader, on REDD-Plus. The guiding principles and framework of the proposal (attached) outline the structure of REDD-Plus post-Copenhagen and have been accepted very well by [Government Organization] and have also found commonalities with the Norwegian proposal on REDD-Plus. Key aspects of the proposal such as a Premium Market that would run adjunct to the compliance market and recognize and reward beyond carbon projects are being brought into the negotiation process and could potentially find a real momentum and be applied into the legal architecture of REDD-Plus.

We also recently engaged with [scholar] on this issue and I am in the midst of moving this further on a more [country]-specific REDD-Plus concept.

Based on this significant amount of experience on REDD, I am very interested in concentrating on how entreprenuers and the private sector (water harvesting projects, organic farmers, etc) could be brought into REDD-Plus in addition to the NGO and government-led projects that are more conventional and common REDD projects that are emerging. This would require considering the REDD-Plus policy and legal context that needs to be in place in India for instance. I have already worked on this broadly in the proposal document through devising a set of eligibility criteria that countries must have nationally before they can start generating carbon credits. It would be a matter of laying out the financial revenue stream, insitutions needed, how communities would receive payments and so on in the thesis. Indonesia to some degree is more advanced on REDD and it can be used to collect the data that can then be analysed and interpreted for a best practice type of country-level methodology on REDD-Plus.

I am very eager to begin the PhD early next year and would like to apply for funding opportunities as well as submitting my PhD proposal. Your supervision and advice would bring a lot of value to my thesis. Please let me know what the best way to move forward on this would be and your input would be really appreciated.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely and with regards,

[Most Amazing Grad Student Ever]

Obviously most of us are not as amazing as this guy is. But the thing to learn from it is the way he approaches the letter. He doesn't just say he's knowledgeable about the subject, he proves it. He fills the letter with as many impressive details as he can, and refrains from sucking up. He just looks professional, and I think that's what grad schools like to see.

Hopefully this helps!

Edited June 25, 2010 by American in Beijing

[fuzzylogician]

If read, that email may be very impressive (though I don't imagine most people have quite that kind of background to write about).

The worry is that some professors won't read introduction emails from prospective students that are that long. I'm sure they receive several of those over the application period and have to divide their time accordingly. I think details should be sent upon request once initial contact has been established and the professor expresses interest.

[SetV]

Would it be better to start emailing professors early (i.e. July-September). I would think that perhaps that way I can beat the crowd, especially since it would be the summer so I would hope professors might be less busy. But do most people start emailing professors during the semester? Or are there a lot of people who start early?

Also, thank you all for your replies. They've been very useful

[socialpsych]

If read, that email may be very impressive (though I don't imagine most people have quite that kind of background to write about).

The worry is that some professors won't read introduction emails from prospective students that are that long. I'm sure they receive several of those over the application period and have to divide their time accordingly. I think details should be sent upon request once initial contact has been established and the professor expresses interest.

I agree with this, and generally with the advice to keep it short. Professors have a system in place for dealing with applications efficiently. They get a lot of them, and even so it takes up a ton of their time in the winter and early spring. The email above, while impressive and professional, also reads like an attempt to hijack more of their time, and that could be very irritating.

Also, a long email seems to demand a long reply (norm of reciprocity!), which professors are VERY unlikely to have the time or inclination to write -- so I would bet that short emails get many more responses.

Finding out whether POIs are taking a student is a good reason to email, IMO. But trying to make a substantive impression through cold-emailing seems very likely to fail. I say this now as someone who has been on the receiving end of a few such emails. Really, they usually end up ignored.

The big exception IMO is if you have any network connections with the person you are emailing, especially through your current or past research advisor, or if your advisor is someone famous that the person is likely to have heard of. Those kinds of connections can open a lot of doors. But still, what that gets you is the assurance of having your application read carefully, which probably would have happened anyway given your connections.

Everyone expects your application to do the talking. Let it. Be impressive in your SOP. If you email, do so (1) for your own information and (2) maybe to put your name in their heads -- nothing more. My $.02.

[DrFaustus666]

I think it's quite similar to applying for a job.

And ALL the books on applying for jobs say you should in some way show your familiarity with their program and research.

"Dear Professor xxx,

I read your [ date ] article in [ journal ] and am very much interested in research in [ similar or exactly the same subject ] and [ if applicable ] your [ study design / sampling methodology / you name it ].

Coincidentally, I [ have applied for / been accepted into ] the [ dept ] program at [ university ]. Since our research interests seem to be congruent, I wonder if you would have an opening for an advisee? ... etc etc "

That small courtesy, showing that you know something about them and are not just tooting your own horn might well set you apart from the crowd.

[rising_star]

Would it be better to start emailing professors early (i.e. July-September). I would think that perhaps that way I can beat the crowd, especially since it would be the summer so I would hope professors might be less busy. But do most people start emailing professors during the semester? Or are there a lot of people who start early?

There are different schools of thought on this. When I was applying to PhD programs, the profs in my MA program told me it was no problem to email professors during the summer and that I might be more likely to get a reply since they were less busy then. BUT, I wouldn't expect a reply simply because many universities don't pay faculty during the summer so any work they do is essentially for free.

Definitely email before September since you want to be able to eliminate schools that are no longer fits and potentially add additional schools before October when applications really get going and applications to external fellowships (ie, Javits, EPA STAR) are due.

Finding out whether POIs are taking a student is a good reason to email, IMO. But trying to make a substantive impression through cold-emailing seems very likely to fail. I say this now as someone who has been on the receiving end of a few such emails. Really, they usually end up ignored.

I totally agree with the first part of this. But, I do think that you can impress someone through a series of email exchanges, even without referencing their articles and their brilliant ideas. What you can do is ask questions about methodology, changes in the literature, etc that will help you know a few things: a) if your POI is up-to-date on the literature, if they are moving in a theoretical or methodological direction you are uninterested in, and c) whether that person can communicate big ideas succinctly. I think all of these things are important to find out. And your command of the literature/field may help you stand out.

The big exception IMO is if you have any network connections with the person you are emailing, especially through your current or past research advisor, or if your advisor is someone famous that the person is likely to have heard of. Those kinds of connections can open a lot of doors. But still, what that gets you is the assurance of having your application read carefully, which probably would have happened anyway given your connections.

The best way for those connections to open doors is to have your current or past advisor introduce you to the new person(s) directly. Email introductions are often awkward and useless. As an applicant, you may want to reference your past/current research advisor in your emails to POIs since that will show them that you're serious. But, don't count on those connections alone to get your application a better review or to get your foot in the door. My MA advisor is friends with a prof I emailed when applying to PhD programs. The reply from that prof was the coldest, most sharply worded email I ever got and took both me and my advisor by surprise. Needless to say, I did not apply there.

[American in Beijing]

I think it's quite similar to applying for a job.

And ALL the books on applying for jobs say you should in some way show your familiarity with their program and research.

"Dear Professor xxx,

I read your [ date ] article in [ journal ] and am very much interested in research in [ similar or exactly the same subject ] and [ if applicable ] your [ study design / sampling methodology / you name it ].

Coincidentally, I [ have applied for / been accepted into ] the [ dept ] program at [ university ]. Since our research interests seem to be congruent, I wonder if you would have an opening for an advisee? ... etc etc "

That small courtesy, showing that you know something about them and are not just tooting your own horn might well set you apart from the crowd.

Still, I feel that most professors are very busy. Why would they remember to reply to someone who is not impressive-sounding? I feel like you have to toot your own horn a bit in order to get the response that you need. I sent a similar (albeit slightly less impressive, ) letter as the one written above to all of my PAs, and I managed to open a successful line of communication with 3/4 of them. I even got an interview with one because of it.

Obviously this letter isn't the whole of your application, nor does a positive response in any way guarantee you admission. However, it helped a lot for me.

[DrFaustus666]

Still, I feel that most professors are very busy. Why would they remember to reply to someone who is not impressive-sounding? I feel like you have to toot your own horn a bit in order to get the response that you need. I sent a similar (albeit slightly less impressive, ) letter as the one written above to all of my PAs, and I managed to open a successful line of communication with 3/4 of them. I even got an interview with one because of it.

Obviously this letter isn't the whole of your application, nor does a positive response in any way guarantee you admission. However, it helped a lot for me.

Oh I definitely think you should toot your own horn .... but professors like appreciation, they like to be noticed, just like anyone else does. I'm only saying that if you prove to them that you've read their work, it's better than just talking about yourself that's all.

Yes, you definitely need to summarize your strengths.

I DO think though, that the long and impressive letter several posts above is too much. That person should, in my opinion (after 20+ years of being a technical and business communications editor)----that person could cut the length of the letter in half and still retain the substance ! Just my opinion.

John

[American in Beijing]

I DO think though, that the long and impressive letter several posts above is too much. That person should, in my opinion (after 20+ years of being a technical and business communications editor)----that person could cut the length of the letter in half and still retain the substance ! Just my opinion.

Very true. Then again, we academics (hehe, I'm a grad student now! I get to say "we academics"!) are not exactly known for our succinctness. I have yet to hear a professor ask a question in an academic setting that was not preceded by a 5-minute ode to something that is only mildly related to the topic at hand. Perhaps by defying logic and expounding at length his love for the topic he's managing to prove that he belongs in an academic setting.

I do think you're right though. I think a letter should be succinct (especially if you, like most of us, are not as amazing as the guy above). At the same time, however, I would be wary of either being too concise (the professor may forget to respond to something that is not remotely memorable) or of turning the e-mail into a panegyric to the professor (you may sound like a suck-up).

[DrFaustus666]

Panegyric to the professor, eh? One must not appear to be a fawning would-be protegé, eh?

Hmmmm ... that's an idea that hadn't occurred to me.

Yes, you are right. While proving one's dedication to the cluster of subjects near and dear to the heart of the "target" professor, one must still take pains not to be too obsequious, sycophantic, fawning, or downright sucking up.

Point well taken !

I shall remember this when, God willing, my turn comes. (Long story, I'm an inveterate student who's not formally studying anything right at the moment, except how to "ace" the quantitative portion of the GRE.)

All good wishes!

John

[TheDude]

I didn't bring up their research in detail (i.e., I read this article in yearxxx) unless I used it as a reference in a manuscript. I did mention people's broad research work in relationship to what I've done and where I'd like to go. If I look a bit overboard in my one paragraph email to some it is sincere.

I think tooting your own horn should be done with subtitles as off-hand references in clauses mentioning other things.

Saying: I graduate from xxx IVY with a 3.9 GPA and was this, that and all other things is annoying. You can mention you have done research and actively been presenting or writing for manuscripts in a certain field and avoid sounding like you are already in their office for an interview.

So far my responses, which have been surprisingly many in a short time, have been to the theme of:

1) Not sure if we will have room for you

2) Not sure if we will have money to take students

3) Wow, your past research and future ideas would fit perfectly here please apply

4) Let's meet

5) Not taking students.

Edited August 5, 2010 by musicforfun

[DrFaustus666]

Again, your points are well taken.

Good luck to you!

John