Bian Xiao suggested a title similar to "Exploring the possibility of doing research with you as a visiting doctoral student". This kind of title allows the other party to see the purpose of this email at a glance, and at the same time, the written text is more pertinent, making the other party feel that your attitude is pertinent. Of course, there are many kinds of titles, which can be written according to your own understanding, as long as the purpose of writing a letter is clearly expressed.
When the topic is finished, it's time to write the text of the magnetic letter for studying abroad. It can be said that there are many writing methods, so I will share my own writing methods with you. This is the magnetic letter I applied for joint doctoral training at that time, and I can make some changes according to my own needs.
Generally speaking, the full text adopts a five-segment structure:
Before the first paragraph, it is best to write the title of the other party: Dear Professor XXX, this is a more standardized writing. On the one hand, it shows that you respect others, on the other hand, it is not casual. Some people say that I have heard that foreigners always like to be called "Dr. XX". Indeed, doctors have a high status in the eyes of foreigners, so even professors are proud to be doctors. This style of writing is ok, but I recommend my style of writing. Don't write the names of old friends such as "Hello John" for the first time. Maybe it's better to write like this when you get familiar with it. Now I have a lot of correspondence with foreigners. I always write like "Dear Professor XXX" because I respect him. However, I also plan to change my name to "hi" or something after we really meet in the future.
The first paragraph mainly introduces yourself and the purpose of writing this letter, and the text needs to be concise.
"I am a second-year doctoral student at XXXXXXX School (China), and I am now applying for the XXXXXXX doctoral program. The committee told me that before submitting the application, I should contact a potential consultant who can guide my research in the United States. Therefore, I am writing this letter to you and asking if it is possible for me to do research with you under your supervision. "
This passage introduces which school you are a student and what you plan to do when you write it, which is enough. More personal information about you, wait until the other person is interested in you and let him see it in his resume. There is no need to introduce so much here.
The second paragraph mainly introduces your research topic and ideas. It must be remembered here that what I am introducing here is an "academic set", which means that before writing this letter, you already know that the other party is very related to your research field, and the other party should be able to cooperate with you to complete a certain research. So you need to mention your research topic and research plan in the second paragraph. Of course, in order to naturally bring up the research we have done, and at the same time "strike up a conversation" with the other party, we can start with "I read your paper during my master's thesis". This paper really inspired me a lot, and I successfully published my paper in XXXXXX journal. " This way, the other party will think that you are prepared. At the same time, some people think that your research directions are very consistent. At least, you have the same interests. After getting into the topic, you can introduce your research direction like this: "My current field of concern is xxxxxxxx". Next, mainly state your research content and research inspiration. I believe many people can write about this place, but whether you write in depth depends on the depth of your own research. If the other party is an authority in your research field, then whether the ideas you study are really innovative should be recognized by the other party soon. At that time, the second paragraph mainly introduced the concept of mean tail correlation coefficient put forward by myself in academic circles, and then briefly introduced the reasons for creating this coefficient and the intended application fields. The overall framework is as follows:
I read your thesis "_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _" during my master's thesis. This paper really inspired me a lot, and I successfully published my paper in the journal _ _ _ _ _ _ _. The field I am concerned about now is the research on the transmission path of international financial markets-based on time-varying copula and mean tail correlation coefficient. In this study, I intend to _ _ _ _ _ _. Then I will _ _ _ _ _ _ _. After that, _ _ _ _ _.
After the second paragraph, the other person should already know how you know him, why do you think he is suitable for you, what topic are you going to study with him, and what is the importance or interest of this topic, which is enough to arouse the other person's interest. Then you can start the third paragraph.
Now that you have said what you want to learn, the professor began to think: why did you choose you? Then in the third paragraph, we can begin to introduce the "achievements" that we are proud of. Of course, at our age, we may not be able to achieve anything that shocks the world. But you must make sure that you do better among your peers. There are some tricks in this place. For example, if you apply for a liberal arts teacher, you will get more attention if you have other qualities besides those of liberal arts students. If you apply for a science and engineering teacher and do a lot of research in non-science and engineering, you will also get extra points.
In fact, when I was building my resume, I began to pay attention to screening my scientific research experience very early. I did what was necessary and avoided what was unnecessary. My undergraduate degree has a computer background, and my master degree has a financial background. I applied for several mechanical patents when I was doing scientific research with my teacher, so many people think that I have dabbled in a wide range when outsiders read my resume. Indeed, on the one hand, it is influenced by the tutor's topic, on the other hand, it is also my choice according to my own needs. So in the process of finally applying for a tutor, I applied for both an economics teacher and a teacher with a background in statistics and computer, and both of them were accepted. Of course, many people may not have the opportunity to go to interdisciplinary research. I just want to express that you need to prove your innovation ability and scientific research ability. You don't have to prove it from your current major. You can prove it through many channels. I believe the teacher will understand.
After introducing your proud achievements in the third paragraph, I believe that your personal ability will have a preliminary judgment in the foreign guide's mind. At this time, if the other party really intends to recruit joint doctors or visiting scholars, it should be possible to make a general decision. But there are some other information you need to let the other tutor know, which is very important for the other party to decide to admit you. That is, the support of the National Scholarship Fund Committee, the recommendation of well-known experts who are closely related to you and so on. You can look at my fourth paragraph at that time:
It is worth mentioning that XXXXXXX will provide financial support for my research in the United States, including daily expenses and transportation expenses. You can learn more about me on my personal website:. I also attached my research objectives and recommendation letters from experts on XXXXXX for your reference.
Because I have a computer background, for the convenience of browsing, I made a personal website so that the other party can ask questions online through links. For students who don't have this condition, they can make their own resumes in PDF format and put them in the attachment together with the recommendation letter from experts. Foreign teachers can decide whether to view them or not. In fact, the recommendation letter from experts plays an important role in the decision-making of professors. If the expert you are looking for is not only closely related to you, but also recognizes your ability, I believe the other person will be very relieved. For example, if you get a letter of recommendation from an influential academician in your field, and the other party knows this academician, then I believe you are not far from admission.
The last paragraph is basically a courtesy to finish the work. My fifth paragraph then read as follows:
If you have any questions, please contact me through this email. Thank you for taking time to read my letter. I look forward to your reply. Thank you.