So, How to approach a professor to be your supervisor?
Take it easy, I would say!
“If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.” -Seth Godin
You have to have a supervisor to be enrolled in a PhD program in Germany (and probably elsewhere).
From my experience, I would say you can reach out to professors in one of two ways: (A) direct contact with the professor / (B) applying to an advertised position that is part of a research project (which is clarified in type 4 of PhD options that I referred to in my previous article).
I receive too many messages that say, “I am waiting to finish writing my proposal, to approach a potential supervisor, or to start applying for PhD”.
I would say that, in both cases, you might not need to have a proposal. It depends.
And this is the first important thing that I would like to share. Having a proposal depends on the professor, the field, the call for a candidate, and your approach.
Personally, I recommend an alternative approach: writing an email introducing yourself and asking if the professor currently accepts students.
There are five reasons I do prefer approaching a potential supervisor without sharing a PhD proposal:
1. Building a rapport with the supervisor
I view an introductory email as an excellent way to break the ice and start a conversation. At the end of the day, while you are looking for a supervisor, professors are also interested in finding suitable and outstanding candidates.
Therefore, in your email, you can include more about your background and research interests. You might also attach your CV.
Additionally, you can ask if the professor currently accepts PhD students and if She/ He would like to receive a proposal, and how long they would expect it to be. In general, include one or two questions to trigger the conversation and keep it going.
2. Do not reduce your self to your topic
In today’s interdisciplinary world (my preferred way of seeing science and research), many positions are out there just at the intersection of diverse fields. You never know if the potential supervisor you are approaching has funding related to a specific project or not.
That’s why I would say that sending a proposal reduces you to your topic, while in fact, you should be betting on your personality. What you bring in is your attitude, mindset, accumulated experiences, and above all, how you weave your story (in your email).
3. You might sound too strict about what you want
Sharing a proposal (especially if it is too long) might make you not open to other ideas. One of the most important things that I cherish in researchers is curiosity. For sure, every researcher has specific areas of interest and expertise, but also, all researchers have to have this research logic and appetite for learning. Having personal capabilities + technical skills is the best-case scenario. But technical skills without personality would not work. So, send an email that reveals both.
Of course, if you have a specific idea that you would want to pursue a PhD on specifically, I would say you have to have a proposal.
Yet still, I am personally not with this approach; because as they say, do not put all your eggs in one basket. I see that it takes a lot of flexibility to work in research in general. The more flexible and open-minded one is the more opportunities to find secured funding.
4. The proposal will keep changing
Besides all the reasons mentioned above, I gotta share with you that your proposal will probably keep changing anyway. Over time, you will be surprised by the extent to which even your title or research question can keep changing. The initial draft does often not stay the same.
Probably, you have experienced this in your masters.
So what remains from your email is your attitude and the impression you (your email) have left.
The bottom line is that having a proposal or not, start approaching potential supervisors (with a well-tailored email). The most important thing is to keep moving forward!
PS: Opinions in this article are based on my personal views and experience; if you have a different experience, please feel free to share it.
At the Researchers’ Hub, what I am trying to do, is to deconstruct some myths around academia. I attempt to provide alternative views, approaches, and mindsets for a flat and fair education system. Unfortunately, these ideas are often not seen among researchers, leading to too many limiting beliefs and a struggle to pursue one’s studies.
