Advertised PhD Positions Vs Direct Emails to Potential Supervisors. Which is Better?

In my last article, I shared some grad school application hacks, especially the pros and cons of direct contact with PhD Supervisors and applying to advertised PhD positions.

In this article, I will share my experience using both avenues and provide tips on how you can make the most of either.

 My Experience With Sending Emails to Potential PhD Supervisors

I started using this channel sometime after I completed my Bachelors. Out of the three (3) PhD fully-funded studentships I got at the time, two (2) were through direct contact. I received around five (5) kinds of responses to this approach. 

1. Silence (no response). Yes, silence speaks volumes. Several factors can result in this. It could be that the academic missed my email. Many academics receive hundreds of emails per day, and mine may have gotten lost in the crowd. Another possibility is that the way I composed the email, from the subject line to the body of the email, did not compel them even to read or reply.
2. The academic was interested in my application but had no studentships.
3. They were not taking any students at the time.
4. My research interest or my profile did not match closely with their interest.
5. The final and the desirable kind was: they were interested and willing to supervise me, had studentships (or avenues for studentship), and would like to continue communication with me.

To get a desirable result in emailing potential supervisors; it is important you learn how to use Google for graduate supervisor search and the perfect subject lines to use in your email. This will help you in securing the professor’s approval on first email contact.

My Experience With Applying for Direct Advertised PhD Positions

For advertised PhD positions, I applied for positions that were open to international students and that were either fully or partly funded. Fully-funded, in this sense, means tuition fees were paid at an International rate with a stipend included.

For partially funded studentship, the tuition would be paid at the UK/EU rate. I mostly used jobs.ac.uk to search for positions. Check this article for top 5 websites to find Advertised PhD research positions.

Final Tips For Graduate School Application

• For direct emails, check the website of the faculty before contacting them. If it states that they are hiring, then referring to the information on their website when contacting them, gives you an edge. If they have a link for you to apply for an open position, you can email them with informal enquiries referring to the job.
• Even with advertised projects, it is always a good idea to make informal enquiries to the potential supervisor before applying for the position.

In conclusion, to give yourself a better chance of getting a scholarship. It is better to apply to different positions using both methods: sending emails to potential supervisors and applying to advertised positions.

Let me know in the comment box below your experiences or questions relating to finding Ph.D. positions. If you have not been getting replies from potential supervisors, please try our tips and send a mail to a professor today!