How to Email and Impress a Professor for Research Assistantship Funding PT 1 | By Dr. Babajide Ojo

Instead of competing with the "crowd" for well-known scholarships, you may be better of sending out emails to specific professors or graduate coordinators before applying to any graduate program. Several mentees and I have used these tips at different stages of our academic career and I hope you'd find them helpful.
The sample email can be found in the full MS/PhD course here: niw.bestmanacademy.com
It is the most comprehensive, free, step-by-step approach to grad school admission and funding that you'll ever find.
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[@BestmanAcademy]

Here is the sample email and other documents for admission and funding niw.bestmanacademy.com It is the most comprehensive free step-by-step approach to grad school admission and funding. Good luck with your search!

[@BoluwajiPieters]

Thank you very much sir.

[@ogarelizabeth8084]

I stumbled on your post few days ago on Twitter and came right here to watch some of your videos. I must confess that you are simply the best Sir

[@BestmanAcademy]

Hello Elizabeth, Thank you for your kind words. I wish you luck in the process.

[@ogarelizabeth8084]

@@BestmanAcademy🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@olumidebenjami4]

Indeed the Bestman, thanks for this.

[@BestmanAcademy]

Any time!

[@tayoaderibigbe6125]

Thank you for highlighting them on the screen..

[@BestmanAcademy]

Glad you like them!

[@nasirarthur6197]

Your content is very well detailed. Thanks for sharing

[@BestmanAcademy]

Thanks. Glad you found it helpful.

[@Mzalendo2295]

Hello sir, your videos are very informative and address important aspects of getting graduate funding. Keep up the good work by giving us more tips🙏

[@BestmanAcademy]

Thank you, Jacob. I have tons of credible information to dish out. So, keep tabs on this channel. Cheers!

[@Mzalendo2295]

@@BestmanAcademy I will sir. I'm currently finalising with my masters and will soon be in need of these opportunities. Incase of question I'll get in touch.

[@dr.1956]

Thank you for this,I'll particularly like to know, is it always compulsory to email the potential research professor before applying to phd,nor just go ahead and apply ?

[@chinenyeeunice8072]

Good morning Dr. I am Accounting graduate from Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri and also a professional level student of ICAN. I have sent my certificate and transcript to Wes though my school is yet to verify it so Wes can commence with their evaluation process. How do we Accounting Students convince these supervisors, you know we don't really do research unlike those in sciences. It's kinda posing as an issue for me when writing my personal statement. Kindly advise.

[@bensonnsikakabasi3462]

Hello Dr. Can I attach my transcript along side my CV and send to a professor or project coordinator. Or I should send only one of them. Thanks. I await your response. Warm regards.

[@adesojiadegboyegaadelaja9109]

Where is the part 2

[@lovelearningayus1213]

I am trying to get a research assistantship position.

[@Bridgetugochi]

Hello sir, For instance if I want to apply to a particular department for admission and for scholarship , should I submit the same letter of motivation for the two different applications. Or should the sentences for scholarship motivation letter be different from the Normal admission application?

[@BestmanAcademy]

Hello Bridget, It may not be a great look if the 2 statements are exactly the same. But I can imagine there will be some items that will appear in both which should be okay.

[@orimolademoyinoluwa2169]

Hello sir, while writing to a professor, is it advisable to list out all his publications that I have gone through or to mention just the publication that matches with my area of interest?

[@BestmanAcademy]

Hello, Maybe one or 2 max that matches your interests.

[@lovelearningayus1213]

Hi

[@chibuzorahumaraeze418]

The university I'll looking at say they do not fund masters students unless from a professor via an RA

[@BestmanAcademy]

Then you'll need to contact a professor you may be able to work with. You can contact multiple professors in the department but do this one at a time. I'll post the second part of this video withinthe next week or 2, where we describe how to write this email paragraph-by-paragraph. Cheers.

[@adwoaisrael3259]

Hello Dr. I'm still doing my undergraduate I'll complete this year and I want to pursue my masters degree in fall 2023. I contacted one university and asked whether it's too early to contact a supervisor and the HOD told me it's not too early. But the problem is I don't know what to talk about in my email.

[@BestmanAcademy]

Hi! There is always something to write about. Check out the description for the second part of this video to get an idea of what to write in this paragraph.

[@marissaraymond1741]

This was highly helpful Dr. Thank you! Please, can someone email professors when their transcript is not yet available?

[@BestmanAcademy]

Sure, you can.

[@marissaraymond1741]

@@BestmanAcademy thank you Dr.

[@danielemechete6448]

Hello Sir, thanks for the information. What if my undergraduate research is in a different field, do I still need to attach it?

[@BestmanAcademy]

For that, I'd suggest you attach a well-formatted abstract of your research. Format it as if you are submitting it for an international conference in your field.

[@danielemechete6448]

@@BestmanAcademy Alright, thanks.

[@alaoibukun8223]

I am on the verge of completing a masters program in civil engineering (transportation engineering), and I'd like to go for another masters in the same field (but with a focus on a related research area). Can I indicate this in my email to potential supervisors?

[@BestmanAcademy]

Maybe, as long as you are going to justify why you want 2 Master's in the same field.

[@thapasma]

Hi can we send emails to the associate professor for assistantship? I have no idea.

[@BestmanAcademy]

Sure! Assistant, Associate or Full Professors.

[@trchowdhury5200]

Hello. Some professors ask for Cover Letters. Does it mean the Email Body? Or we should write another Letter except Email Body?

[@BestmanAcademy]

I would put what you'd typically write in an email in form of a letter in MS word and attach to a short email. Your email would just have a subject like: "Application for xyz in your lab". The actual email should not be too long and not a repetition of what you have in a letter. Just a show of interest in the position and direct them to your attached official documents for the application. My next video will actually discuss my cover letter for the position that ultimately me to Stanford. You can use the idea for a PhD or postdoc. Look out for that.

[@chinmayeepriyadarshini9731]

Hello sir! This video is very informative. I am in the second sem of master degree and am willing to apply for PhD abroad so for now my transcripts and CV are not professionally ready. So in order to email a supervisor for the first time, is this the right time to do so? If it is, can I email him without CV?

[@BestmanAcademy]

I would advise you to attach your current CV. There are ways to indicate expected achievements, such as your master's degree or publications, on your CV. Your email would indicate when you intend to finish your master's and the semester when you hope to start your PhD. If you have the means, I would recommend you click the link below for samples from successful students. That link also describes how we format our CV in academia and how to follow-up an email in cases of no reply, negative reply, or even a positive reply. www.udemy.com/course/how-to-get-funding-and-mentoring-for-ms-phd-in-the-usa/?referralCode=3638E64E697CED172528

[@chinmayeepriyadarshini9731]

@@BestmanAcademy Thank you sir! for this valuable piece of information.

[@BestmanAcademy]

You're welcome. Just so you know, if you have taken/passed any of the standardized tests required, I may be able to give you free access to the course.

[@civilengineeringdzyn]

Good morning Sir, How can I attach my resume in the email, should I just send it as an attachment or share a link?

[@BestmanAcademy]

Hi! Send it as a word or pdf attachment.

[@orimolademoyinoluwa2169]

This video is quite informative. I am a graduate but I am yet to write my GRE, Can I start sending the emails and probably forward my GRE Result later.

[@BestmanAcademy]

Hello, Yes. But think about why a professor should grant you an audience. Do you have a strong GPA? Do you have a better research experience than most of your mates? If the answer to either question is NO, it means you only want to sell your POTENTIAL to be a good student and it will be helpful if you have all the requirements, including the required exams and docs, before attempting to send an email.

[@abdoumaravia4425]

perfect thank you so much.

[@BestmanAcademy]

Glad it helped!

[@poojaazad1573]

Hello Sir, I saw your vedio , it is really a great help for aspirants....sir kindly give me your email id or no so that I can contact with you. My email id( [e-mail]) Kindly revert me back I really need your help. Thanking you Indeed regards Aahana

[@BestmanAcademy]

@@poojaazad1573 I just sent an email.

[@ezimasamuel3345]

I contacted a professor and he replied that there's no opening for research assistantship position, what should I do?

[@BestmanAcademy]

Hi. Move on to other schools/profs on your list.

[@ivyonking4297]

Hey sir I am from India I want to do msc by research in physical chemistry what exactly should I do to get admission in other countries can you help please I exactly don't know how to build great CV I do got prizes in university but for other projects based on other field can I attach about it in cv please hlep me I am confused

[@BestmanAcademy]

Thank you for your comment. There seems to be a lot to digest in your comment. It seems like you don't know where to start. If that's the case, please see my pinned comment above for a summary of the process. Then, I will be happy to shed more light on any "specific" questions you may have. I plan to talk about CVs soon. If you are in such a hurry, you can also find a section on CVs in my extensive course on Udemy bit.ly/2FV2Vsx

[@davidibrahim874]

Thank you so much this sir. I wanted your opinion on this. My undergraduate cgpa was 3.60 / 5. I personally feel its low to be attached with my application, what you feel about this sir? Thank you so much in advance

[@BestmanAcademy]

Hello David, In many cases, a GPA of 3.0/4.0 (or close) will be good enough, provided other parts of your application are solid. Why not try to convert your GPA to the US standard using this website and see how you compare? applications.wes.org/igpa-calculator/

[@davidibrahim874]

@@BestmanAcademy oh Yes WES! means a lot to me that you took time to reply sir. Just stumble on your page today and I wish I had earlier. Nevertheless I've gotten busy watching the videos and they would help me achieve my dreams. Thank you sir. God bless you

[@BestmanAcademy]

@@davidibrahim874 and you too. We are rooting for you.

[@atheist248]

Hello sir I form India I completely Master degree in Political science How to apply for PhD in USA Please sir help me

[@BestmanAcademy]

Thanks for getting in touch. Please see my pinned comment above for your answer.

[@omowoletomiwa301]

Pls do we have to indicate that this is my Research Abstract??

[@BestmanAcademy]

Yes. Or I might just use the term "writing sample"

[@kactusotus56]

Does this apply to canada aswell?

[@BestmanAcademy]

Sure! This would be helpful in any case where the professor has a large influence on who to employ as part of his research group. This is the case for most US and Canadian colleges, and few European countries. This may not help if you are applying for traditional scholarships like the Commonwealth or Erasmus scholarships where you get to choose a mentor after qualifying for such scholarships.

[@kactusotus56]

Ok thank you. Please can you send me your email so i can send you a draft of the email? Thanks.

[@BestmanAcademy]

Thanks for watching! Here is the second part of this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZq8gq2Mj9tlr7M Below is a summary of our recommended approach to fulfill your MS/PhD dreams (in the USA). For more details, check out videos on this channel and Subscribe for more. 1) Decide on the course(s) or your research interest(s). 2) Decide on the potential universities you can apply to. Create a list of about 3-5 universities/departments you can apply to. Videos on how to search quickly: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iaKknpdqbLuVjLM kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHLSfqSIe8uNnNk 3) If you are looking for funding, ensure any university on your list above is a top university that attracts a lot of funding form federal agencies. So that you do not waste time, we are collating top funded universities by state and presenting them on this channel. Example video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHLUeJ2Pl7Z1r5I 4) Review and understand the admission and any funding requirements listed on their web pages. If they do not explicitly talk about funding possibilities on the departmental website, it is best to ignore the university if you are looking for funding. Here is a video on the common admission requirements: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j57In3uVh9uehas 5) Start fulfilling and collating documents required. Start preparing for any required exams, if applicable. We have started presenting programs that do not require GRE on this channel. Example video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIW3k42va9edmtU 6) Work on putting your statement of purpose or personal statement together. For detailed lessons on how to write this document, start with this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnizXmqKhNqXl8U 7) After doing the aforementioned points, (or some of them), start reaching out to professors that can be your mentor and/or grad coordinators of each department on your list of universities. This is very important even if admission and funding is automatic (it rarely is). I have talked about why and how to do this effectively on this channel. See the free lesson: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hqrbpGl5bt-GoM0 or the full lesson here: www.udemy.com/course/how-to-get-funding-and-mentoring-for-ms-phd-in-the-usa/?referralCode=3638E64E697CED172528 8) Some schools or professors may want an interview, some may not. We will talk about passing graduate school interviews soon. A lot more knowledge will be delivered on this channel. So kindly subscribe and hit the notification bell. Follow us on Instagram (@bestman_academy) and Facebook (Bestman Academy) for spontaneous tips.

[@maureenonyeloili2607]

God bless the day I stumbled on your channel. You are just giving the targeted 1st class information. I will share my testimony with you soon

[@BestmanAcademy]

@@maureenonyeloili2607 Amen! I'm rooting for you.