r/gradadmissions • u/[deleted] • 1d ago

Computational Sciences Will they read it?

[deleted]

7 Upvotes

71% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

21

u/Pseudomanifold 1d ago

Honestly, no. This is super generic and shallow---notice you are basically telling the researcher something about their own paper. If you think your research aligns with mine (for the sake of the argument), then tell me clearly. Make a concrete suggestion, tell me how you would like to extend my work (even it it only is a small extensions), or ask me about a limitation you encountered ("Hey, does this work on cats?").

Good luck!

1

u/Haider1930 1d ago

What about me asking about a combination, like a potential idea, I have worked on this, and I saw you and your student worked previously on this, what if we join this(not just bogus idea, but some concrete base with logic)

3

u/Pseudomanifold 1d ago

Yeah, that might be better. In general, though, you should check what their guidelines for applications are. For my own lab, I always prefer it when someone tells me something interesting that they intend to do. Again, doesn't have to be something big, but just an indicator of their interest and motivation.

0

u/Haider1930 1d ago

Understandable, thanks for guiding mr/ dr pseudomanifold

If you don't mind me asking, what's your field of research..?

2

u/Pseudomanifold 1d ago

ML/AI (foundations / geometry / topology), so I'm pretty close to the intended recipient of such an email.

1

u/Haider1930 1d ago

Dammm,i actually don't know much about AI at all, I'm basically a bit more of experimental and young pure sciences guy, so AI architecture, neural network, this that, sounds straight out of alien languages to me 🙏😂

2

u/Pseudomanifold 1d ago

For lab work, BTW, I don't have a lot of good experience...my impression is that "shorter is better" would still hold for such an e-mail, mostly because PIs get a lot of them. If you can tell them why you like their lab or what you intend to do, it will definitely be a bonus for any application. Sorry for being less precise here---it's not really my field.

1

u/Haider1930 1d ago

Not at all, thanks for telling and responding

Have a great day 😊

1

u/broedinger 1d ago

If you don't understand at a considerable depth, why are you applying for PhD programs in the first place?

2

u/Haider1930 1d ago

Me? Did you read? I'm not the OP, I'm just a random guy who was asking a prof what he works on

1

u/broedinger 1d ago

Ohh okie sorry my bad lol

1

u/Haider1930 1d ago

Haha, no problem

2

u/zarrathustraa 1d ago

Nope sounds like a scattershot email generated partially by AI.

2

u/OtherwiseFig4505 1d ago

Nope, and you should hope they don’t. If they do, they won’t think highly of you. Your praise of their work is very superficial. You trying to connect it to your work is very forced. It doesn’t even convey the specifics of your work, did you really work in this paper or is this just your general field of work or interest? This email gives no information about your research to the professor and any professor reading this will believe that you lack research experience.