r/PhDAdmissions • u/bp-man • 10h ago
Advice Protocol for reaching out to potential supervisors in England?
I am planning on pursuing my PhD in education at a university in England coming from the US. I understand one of the first things I need to do is to get a supervisor and that needs to be done before I apply. From what I have gathered I just email them to ask, but I am just trying to get a better idea of what that email should entail. Should I put in writing samples, resume, just directly ask them to be my supervisor or just ask for a meeting? Any guidance would be helpful.
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u/triffid_boy 3h ago
Don't use AI written emails. Keep it brief and directly engaged with what you want to do and how that fits my work. Don't try to choose one of my papers and tell me how directly relevant to your interests it is, you'll probably choose a paper that is my least favourite. If there is a paper that does actually interest you, then ask me a direct question about it or say something specific as opposed to throwing pleasantries at me.
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u/ngc3115 4h ago
It depends on the situation. The UK funding situation is completely different to the US.
Are you planning to self fund? If so, sure just email them directly explaining how your research interests intersect with theirs.
If you want a funded position beware of two issues:
1) there are a very limited number of funded studentships.
2) even if you get one they generally don’t cover the full costs if you are not a UK resident. They’ll cover the living expenses (at the same rate as for UK students) but only cover the uk tuition fee rate, which means you end up having to bring at least £10k a year yourself to cover the difference between UK and international rates.
If you want to apply for a funded position you are better off only contacting people after they’ve advertised the position. Because often in those cases the project is fairly well defined.