POI asked for research proposal?

[macattack]

Hi all,

I'm applying to masters programs, and have been sending out email inquiries to potential advisors stating my overall research interests. I received a quick, positive response from one professor, stating that she is currently accepting students but that she would like to see my statement of research interests. 

This threw me off a bit, as she is the first professor I have been in touch with to request one. I was under the impression (perhaps wrongly so) that at this stage it was best to avoid being too specific. 

I'm feeling a little concerned now, as this is one of my top choice programs and I do not currently have one drafted. I also want to respond as quickly as possible. 

Have any of you written something similar at this stage? Besides my SOP which I am currently working on, I have never formally summarized my research interests. The only experience I have creating something like a research proposal was for a senior project I did during undergrad. I am considering replying that while I do not have one now, I would be happy to write something if she would give me some time. 

Thank you in advance for your advice! 

 

[TakeruK]

From what you wrote here, it sounds like the professor does not want something as detailed as a research proposal for a specific project. Instead, it sounds more like a statement of purpose, i.e. something you would already have to submit as part of your application anyways.

I think you should be able to write one within a week. If so, you can just send it to her within a week and not have to request extra time. You can say that you are working on one and it will be ready next week if you need to respond right away. You can also clarify whether she is seeking a short (1-2 paragraphs) statement of what research you're interested in, or whether she is referring to something like a statement of purpose as in the application package.

If it's not the same thing as a statement of purpose, I would say you should write 1-2 paragraphs (maybe 0.5-0.75 pages single spaced) that summarizes what kind of research you are interested in. A good way to approach this is to use the "inverted pyramid" method that you learned in high school (probably?) and start with the general topic you are interested in, then narrow down eventually to a specific research question. That is, although we often do learn more sophisticated and interesting ways to introduce an idea after high school, for something like this, I'd recommend going with a very simple style and just get your point across. Content over style in this context.

It would be a good idea, in my opinion, when you get to the specific research question, to be sure to introduce it as an example direction, not as something you must do in graduate school. You should tailor this statement to fit the school you are applying to, not just the specific professor that requests it. You want it to sound like you will fit well into the department (unless this Masters program has people admitting you by professor only), instead of only that professor. Also, if you make it sound eerily similar to the professor's CV, it will sound a bit awkward and maybe not sincere.

Finally, there's always a question of whether or not to have references. I think for this context, I'd lean towards citing some previous work to demonstrate your knowledge of the literature. But if you do cite some work, make sure these are "high level" broad overviews. For example, in my field, it would make sense to cite the first paper that found the very first "hot Jupiter" type exoplanet, or a recent review paper that summarizes our current knowledge of "hot Jupiters". But I would not cite a very specific paper about, say, the atmosphere of one particular hot Jupiter.

[macattack]

Hi TakeruK, 

Thank you for the insight! I sent along a brief (about 1 pg) statement of my research interests. My interests are closing aligned with her work, so the biggest challenge, as you mentioned, was avoiding being TOO specific in the potential direction of my focus. I did not end up citing outside sources.