Sample Letters to Potential Advisors
As referenced in Season 1, Episode 2 of The Psychology PhD Podcast.
Dear Dr. [Potential Advisor’s Name],
My name is [Student Name] and I am a prospective PhD applicant for the Psychology program at [University Name] for Fall [Year].
I have worked with the [Lab Name] Lab at [University Name] for over three years, under Drs. [Faculty Name #1] and [Faculty Name #2], studying the intra- and interpersonal factors that influence self-regulation and health-related behavior. Specifically, I am interested in exploring how social support (both perceived and received) influences dietary decision-making and other health-promoting behaviors, and how this in turn impacts long-term health outcomes. I currently work as a [Current Relevant Job Title] at [University or Research Institute Name], delivering tailored health interventions to diabetic veterans.
Not only am I interested in the topics you study, but in the methodological approaches you employ to investigate your hypotheses. Specifically, I am interested in the use of longitudinal designs, particularly through the application of daily diaries, to capture within-person behavior changes.
I am inquiring as to whether you are accepting PhD candidates for Fall [Year]. I understand that it is a busy time of year, but I appreciate any time you can offer. If you would like to gain a deeper look into my research experience, I have attached my CV.
Sincerely,
[Student Name]
Dear Dr. [Potential Advisor’s Name],
I hope this email finds you well! My name is [Student Name], and I am reaching out because I will be applying to the Psychology PhD program at [University Name] this fall, and am very interested in joining your lab as a graduate student.
I completed my BA in Psychology at [University Name] in [Graduation Year], and have since been working as a [Current Relevant Job Title] for [Faculty Name #1]. During my time in her lab, my work has focused on post-encoding consolidation, looking at mechanisms (such as increases in resting-state functional connectivity) that may help facilitate the reinstatement of multivariate encoding patterns during retrieval, and thus benefit memory performance. Prior to working with [Faculty Name #1], I completed an undergraduate thesis project under the guidance of [Faculty Name #2], which aimed to identify subsequent memory signals using EEG and use them to augment a computational model of language-learning. I have attached my CV below, should you like any further information about my research experience.
Your lab’s work on characterizing the brain regions and computations that support human memory has been highly influential in shaping my understanding of, and interest in, the field thus far. I’m particularly interested in how the MTL and parietal memory systems you have described interact with each other to support learning, and how these interactions change throughout the “lifespan” of a memory, from encoding to consolidation to retrieval.
Needless to say, I’m excited by the prospect of deepening my knowledge of memory research in your lab. As such, I wanted to inquire if you will be accepting graduate students for the fall of [Year]? Thank you for your time. I look forward to your response, as well as any opportunity to discuss research ideas or opportunities with you in the future.
All the best,
[Student Name]
Dear Dr. [Potential Advisor’s Name],
I am a student in the post-baccalaureate program in Psychology at [University Name]. I joined the program in January following receipt of my Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from [University Name] in [Graduation Year] and nearly nine years of professional experience as a brand marketer. I am keenly interested in motivation and self-regulation, particularly in regards to the selection and successful pursuit of personal goals, and hope to build a career in academia researching these topics.
I find your work on motivational readiness and goal systems theory both deeply interesting and in alignment with my own interests. During my time at [University Name], I have had the opportunity to become involved in research on related topics under the direction of Dr. [Faculty Name #1]. I have been appointed [Current Relevant Job Title] on a study examining shared reality, the motivated commonality of inner states about a target. I have also proposed an independent project on motivational effectiveness exploring: (1) if the relative importance of truth, control, and value motives to a given individual is stable over time and, if so, (2) whether the degree to which a particular goal is anticipated to satisfy these three motives corresponds with feelings of engagement and ease in its pursuit. Interestingly, though I developed this project proposal before encountering your work on motivational readiness, it proposes a concept that is quite similar; I have attached a PDF of the proposal here in case you are interested in taking a look. I'd be interested to hear your perspective on using truth, value, and control effectiveness as the primary dimensions of one's Want and Expectancy vectors when calculating Match.
I hope this outreach is not too forward, but I am curious to know if you will be accepting graduate students in the coming application cycle. I plan to apply to Ph.D. programs in Psychology this fall and am very interested in the opportunity to join your research team! I have attached my CV for reference.
Many thanks in advance for your time and consideration. I hope we have the chance to speak about your research at some point soon.
Sincerely,
[Student Name]
Dear Dr. [Potential Advisor’s Name],
My name is [Student Name] and I’m currently lab managing in [Faculty Name #1]’s lab at [University Name], where I also worked in the lab as an undergrad with [Faculty Name #2]. I’m planning to apply to PhD programs in cognitive neuroscience this upcoming fall. I’m broadly interested in investigating the relationship between trait differences in affective tendencies and attentional deployment and other online processing, and how those differences interact with long-term memory, and I hope to find a research fit with your lab. For example, I enjoyed your recent review examining potential mechanisms for selective sleep-dependent consolidation of emotional memory. Particularly, the proposal that targeted REM sleep deprivation post-traumatic event might adaptively disrupt ACh-dependent consolidation stands out to me as a unique (if not unorthodox) potential application. Would you expect that the disordered sleep patterns often associated with depression (for example) have direct effects on REM-dependent emotional memory consolidation that then worsen depression’s symptoms?
I look forward to submitting my application to your program if you’re taking students. Are you planning to take new PhD students for fall [Year]? Please let me know.
If you plan on attending [Conference Name] in [Conference Location] in a few months and will be available to meet, I would be happy to chat with you briefly there.
Thank you!
[Student Name]
Dear Prof. [Potential Advisor’s Name],
I am contacting you about openings for graduate training in your lab for students starting Fall [Year]. I have a strong interest in the cognitive neuroscience of memory and think your lab would be an ideal place to get graduate training in this arena. I have found my own thinking about the functional organization memory highly influenced by your [Year] [Journal Name] paper on short- and long-term memory overlap as well as your recently proposed BIC model.
To give you a brief sense of my research background, I completed an honors thesis with Prof. [Faculty Name #1] at the [University Name], where I also worked closely with [Faculty Name #2], investigating semantic false memories across short- and long-term delays and am currently completing an RA-ship with Prof. [Faculty Name #3] at [University Name] where I have been using behavioral, fMRI, and ERP methodologies to study emotional memory across the adult lifespan (18-85). Although I continue to be fascinated by how emotion and aging influence memory, my main desire for graduate school is to gain strong training in the cognitive neuroscience of memory. I have attached a current CV which includes more details of my research interests and experiences.
I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss your lab's research as well as the potential overlap in our research interests. I will be attending [Conference Name #1] as well as giving a poster on some of my research at [Conference Name #2] and was hoping you might have some time in your schedule to sit down and talk at one of these venues. If not, I would love to know about any of your students who are attending or giving posters so that I could talk to them about their research and experiences in your lab or, if neither of those are possibilities, I would be happy to correspond more about potential graduate positions in your lab via email or phone.
Sincerely,
[Student Name]