Letter of thanks to PhD supervisor, and request for a meeting

[grad_stu]

Hi,

 

I got a letter saying I have been approved for PhD starting this Fall. I now want to write a letter of thanks to my supervisor, and also request a meeting to set thing up. (Should I request a meeting before the semester officially starts?)

 

Please help me in drafting the letter

 

Thanks

[fuzzylogician]

Supervisor = advisor at the new school? What do you need a meeting for? Have you had any contact with this person after being admitted (and/or after accepting the admissions offer)?

[grad_stu]

Yes Supervisor = Prof (who is gonna supervise my research and approved my admission)

No, I have not been in touch with him, since I got my offer. This will be my first email

[fuzzylogician]

What is the purpose of writing? I suppose you can just write to say you've accepted the admissions offer from this school, are excited to attend next Fall and ask whether the prof has any recommendations for anything you should do over the summer (reading, preparation, etc).

[TakeruK]

What I did was tell the new supervisor approximately what date I expected to arrive at the new school (something general like "early/mid/late August/September", depending on your case) and said that when I do arrive and get settled, I'll send them a further message to set up a meeting. I think it's a little premature to set up a specific meeting date so far in advance, especially since the actual meeting time isn't that urgent. It is useful to have a meeting soon after you arrive though -- maybe you can even get some stuff started before classes begin! However, this meeting can be scheduled after you actually arrive! If you're arriving significantly early (weeks or months) then you should ask if you can start getting paid as an RA earlier too. 

[selecttext]

I think it shows initiative on your part to make contact, and see if he or she is open to a meeting, lab tour etc. You'd probably hash out a plan of study or at least figure out a reading list for the summer. There's no harm in establishing a relationship. Since I will be in the Toronto area anyways, I arranged for a meeting with my new supervisor so we can be acquainted and so I could meet his lab group. I will also be using that time to start looking for an apartment. 

Edited May 2, 2013 by selecttext

[grad_stu]

I think it shows initiative on your part to make contact, and see if he or she is open to a meeting, lab tour etc. You'd probably hash out a plan of study or at least figure out a reading list for the summer. There's no harm in establishing a relationship. Since I will be in the Toronto area anyways, I arranged for a meeting with my new supervisor so we can be acquainted and so I could meet his lab group. I will also be using that time to start looking for an apartment. 

 

Yeah thats exactly what I am looking for. How do I formulate my first email, requesting for a meeting?

[selecttext]

How far away is it. It would be a little weird to send an unsolicited email asking the guy to fly you out. If you will happen to be in his vicinity, I would send an email thanking him for agreeing to your supervision and that you will be available around such and such date if he would like to meet. Otherwise, I would just wait until you are contacted.