"honor to work with:" does that sound right?

[alexis]

I'm nearly completely done with my apps, and have my personal statement in near-final form, but I've been agonizing over this one bit that I can't figure out.

Basically for my top choice programs, where I feel I'm a really good fit at & the professors are amazing, I say something about how my research interests align with theirs, and how "it would be an honor to work with them" or "it would be an honor to have the opportunity to work with them." But even though I mean it (it would be an honor!) I feel like it comes off as cheesy/sucker-up-ish. I can't think of a better alternative, and I keep going back and forth. Anyone have any thoughts? (Or am I just being nitpicky and over-analyzing, which is definitely something I tend to do! )

[hamster09]

hmmm... i guess for me whenever a faculty interested me i tried to stay away from saying things like that. in general in my SOP i tried not to sound like im sucking up them.

so i always end up saying...Dr. X is a potential faculty that I would like to meet and possibly train with..his research on blah blah...

i dont know if that helps...

[captiv8ed]

Me, I am going for honor. If you have a super strong application, I don't think that using words like honor or privilege is going to be seen as sucking up too much. I ran such statements by a friend of mine who is a professor and she thought they were good.

[keylimekai]

I say go for it. Honor is a great word, and expresses your enthusiasm in an appropriate way.

[alexis]

Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it, I think I'll keep it in for now. (Still a week or two before I submit my apps, so plenty of time to agonize just that little bit more

[CrisCain]

I used "a pleasure to work with/among"

[alexis]

I used "a pleasure to work with/among"

Ah I like that! I will think about replacing my "honor" with "pleasure"...thanks for the tip!