Hi Lizzie,

I don't have a solid research proposal yet, but I have narrowed down the general area I want to study. I have been browsing different university faculty lists and making note of those who have research interests that are aligned with my own...i.e. they study invertebrates, marine biology, benthic ecology, etc. I'm not just limiting myself to this area since there are several other people who have caught my eye that fall outside of this area of interest that I plan on contacting.

I worry about sending such a detailed message since many professors are extremely busy and get bombarded by tons of prospective students asking about their work, and I'm afraid they will just cast my email aside if it's too long. I have been trying to read up on each person, looking up their publications, etc. and skimming them so I have a sense of what they do. In my longer letter I introduced myself and gave a bit of background, said what appealed to me about their lab and work, and then asked if they were taking student applications for the following year, and in a shorter one I cut out most of my background info and just said what interested me about their lab and then asked if they were taking students. Not all of these people have a prospective student page so I feel like I'm stabbing in the dark...those who do have pages have all kinds of conflicting desires about how to introduce yourself...some people want a detailed email with an attached CV, others say not to bother sending a CV since they see it as presumptuous and they don't have time to read it...that's why I'm so confused here.

If I could just get a generic letter worked up that I can tailor to each person's lab and that has just the right amount of detail in it then I will probably have a better chance, but it's definitely hard to figure out that balance.

This year I finally made the decision to attempt to get into a PhD program (evolutionary biology/ecology, with a focus on marine invertebrates)...I wrote to a few profs asking if they were taking students in the coming year and I have gotten only one reply, from a person who is retiring :p. I spoke with a former advisor about my intro letter and she said to keep it short and succinct, but then reading a potential prof's prospective student's page I am reading that they want to see a more involved purposeful email explaining why you want to be there, give a research proposal, etc.

Now I'm just confused on how to write my letter and I'm starting to get really anxious and depressed about this whole process. I am sending emails off into space with no reply which I expected would happen, but I am starting to worry I will never hear from anyone.

Does anyone have any tips on writing an intro letter to a potential lab/advisor and how to follow up if you get no reply at first? I don't want to constantly spam someone until they reply but I know persistence will pay off in the end.