How to write to a prospective PhD (or Post-Doc) supervisor

I’ve noticed recently that a lot of people make their way to this site while searching for advice on how to write to a potential PhD supervisor. I’ve also noticed that many of the letters/emails that I personally get on this topic are actually irrelevant to me, poorly written, or both. So, I figured it might be a good idea to put a little bit of advice out there to help students who are trying to get into a PhD (or Masters) program. All the same principles also apply for those seeking post-doc supervisors.

There are two categories of people writing these letters – those who need financial support for their graduate program and those who don’t. If you have a big scholarship, or if you’re independently wealthy, you fall into the second category and it’s important to mention it right at the beginning of your letter. Believe me – that will get you noticed! The reason is that the other 99% of people are looking for a supervisor AND for financial support, and there’s just not enough money to go around. Letting a prospective supervisor know that you are not looking for money increases the likelihood that they will read the rest of your letter and, as a result, it improves your chances of getting admitted.

You might be wondering, “Do I even need to write letters to potential supervisors? Can’t I just fill out university application forms?” The fact is – hundreds of people apply for each spot and if you just fill out the application form without actually contacting any of the professors at the university in question, then you’re not likely to get noticed. Furthermore, most graduate students (especially PhDs) and Post-Docs are admitted because a particular professor has expressed an interest in recruiting them, so if you’ve not been in contact with a professor, chances are, nobody there is going to push to get you admitted.

The next obvious question is whether you have to write an actual letter, or will an email do? The answer is ‘both’. You should do it by email, but write it in the form of a proper letter. Specifically: make the subject line informative, use a proper salutation, write in proper paragraphs, organize your thoughts, make sure the spelling and grammar are perfect, and end it with a proper closing. Essentially, you are applying for a job and so, in a way, your application form is analogous to your resume and your letter to a prospective supervisor is equivalent to the corresponding cover letter. Like those who write a good cover letter when applying for a job, students who write good letters to potential supervisors are more likely to get noticed.

You can go ahead and read about writing an effective cover letter to get some basic advice on witting to a potential PhD (or Post-doc, or Masters) supervisor. Here below are some more specific tips for you. (You’ll notice a bit of overlap.)

Do Your Research

It’s important to …

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Want to read the rest of this article? Are you looking for examples? Please check out the booklet below – it is now FREE!

Hope you find it helpful!

 

This little booklet includes the complete article containing specific and detailed advice on how to write to a prospective PhD supervisor, along with two detailed examples (one bad and one good), each with a full critique to help you when developing your own letter.  Click here to get your copy.