Scroll to see replies
•
Keep it respectful and succinct. These people are BUSY. 😊 They don't have time to read an essay. Be clear, to the point, express your interest and wanting to set up a meeting, and keep it at that. Make it easy for them to reply.
•
Especially for a research degree, make sure you've read 1-2 of their most recent papers. Mention your interest from reading one of those recent papers, including a specific point from it that interested you (to show you've done your research), to segue into your interest in working with them.
•
Send from your most "prestigious" email. Not everyone has this option, of course, but an institutional or company email is always going to be better than a personal one. At the time I applied, I was taking an online master's course at Johns Hopkins, so I sent all of my interest emails to supervisors from that email. They definitely paid more attention to these even compared to my friend who sent from her University of Michigan email! (I recognise this isn't fair at all but is unfortunately the way academia/the world works.)
•
Queue up the email to send at noon. This is often going to be their lunchtime so they therefore have downtime to check their emails. This was such a clever hack I got from a postdoc at Columbia and it really worked!
•
Polite greeting: "Dear Dr/Professor [x],"
•
Refer directly to their work: "I've been following your research on... [define research area in general terms]"
•
Point out your interest in the field and that you found a particular study of theirs interesting (max. published within last 5 years)
•
Tell them you're applying to [y] programme
•
Ask if they're able to supervise you: "Would you be able to supervise me?"
•
Tell them your specific interest: "I would be interested in working on [define project in general terms] and would like to discuss possibilities if you're [willing/able] to supervise me."
•
Attach your CV: "I've attached my CV for your reference."
•
Polite sign-off + your first & last name
Last reply 4 days ago
Part-time (online) Integrated Immunology (MSc) at Oxford UniversityLast reply 1 month ago
Oxford PG Classics open day, 25 November (for entry in 2025)Last reply 3 months ago
What counts as relevant work experience in an MPhil application?