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Contacting supervisors for Masters - help/advice?

I have been considering to do a masters for a while. A lot of courses follow a usual application process but some (especially the research ones) require you to contact a supervisor before you apply. Could anyone possibly give me any advice on how to go about doing this?

What I'm confused about is, do I basically give them a research proposal directly or just introduce myself and say that I would like to be supervised by them? I know they're probably busy and possibly have loads of potential students emailing them so I don't want to piss them off haha. Any pointers and tips would help massively! :-)

Reply 1

Lincoln-B-Finch

Original post by janijay

Full disclosure: I've never emailed a prospective supervisor before. Below is advice I've seen other posters on TSR give in relation to similar questions in other threads.

"My current understanding is that you introduce yourself, demonstrate your interest for their research, and attach an academic CV"

"You can also quote a couple of recent papers you were interested in, which might even include one which your supervisor might have wrote (Academia & ResearchGate to the rescue). It really helps to convey that you are staying updated and could further solder your research interests with theirs."

"Especially if it's a paper they wrote, I'd just refer to it as 'your 2019 paper on the XYZ project,' and if it's another person's paper, something like 'so and so's recent paper on XYZ topic' - most academics receive a really high volume of emails daily, so you should try to keep it as short and sweet as possible. I don't think they'll feel compelled to go look up the paper you're referring to if they're not already familiar, so they don't need a full citation or bibliography. This is really the one case where less is more!"

"Exactly, it's more about selling yourself and your research interests... Here's what I wrote, if it helps:

Dear Dr X,

My name is X, and I have recently graduated from the University of X, with a BA in X.

Having corresponded with your colleague, X, over email, and, more recently, spoken to your PhD student, X, they encouraged me to get in touch with you as I am hoping to apply to Cambridge for an MPhil in X, with entry in October 2020.

My undergraduate dissertation was entitled 'X?', and for MPhil, I am hoping to either select a section to analyse in depth, and possibly in comparison to Z. I am still in the process of deciding exactly where to focus my research for the MPhil, and, as such, any advice on whether or not this would be a feasible topic, or that you would be willing to supervise, would be much appreciated.

Thanking you in anticipation.

Yours faithfully,
X"

"... I wouldn't advice you to do it so formally, more "I really enjoyed your recent paper on xxx" and tie it in briefly with your interests
The example posted above is very similar to the e-mail I sent my prospective supervisor! Also, if they are interested, you will be able to go much more in depth with your specific interests and readings if they set up an informal interview/chat, or in the personal statement and research proposal (which they would see when you list them as your supervisor in the application ). Good luck!"