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Yttan Posted 15 years ago
Letter Writing
PhD cover letter
Dear all, recently I applied for a PhD studentship and I GOT REJECTED! I suspect that the problem was my not-so-impressive cover letter, since I have very strong academic and research background. The following is what I wrote, and I would be glad if you guys can give me some comments on this letter and on how could I improve it. For your information, the university only required me to send them a cover letter, cv, academic transcript and details of referees. Thanks a million!
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My name
My address
Date
Members of Selection Committee
XXXX Institute/Centre/University
Address
Dear Sir/Madam,
Application for PhD studentship
With regard to the matter above, I am writing to apply for the PhD studentship jointly supervised by Profs. XXX and XXX in XXX Institute.
I have recently completed my undergraduate study in B. Sc. (Hons.) XXX in XXX University. I have obtained a CGPA of 3.XX (out of 4.00) for the degree, and will be graduating as the top-ranking student in my class in the coming convocation. During the final year of my undergraduate study, I specialized in XXX, and have completed a research project entitled “XXX”. Through this project, I have mastered a variety of molecular and cell biology techniques, which I believe would be useful for me in undertaking the PhD research project offered by your institution. In addition, I have had the opportunity to gain some hands-on experience in in-vitro culturing of cancer cells during my industrial training in XXX. I believe that my academic background and proficiency in research techniques make me a suitable candidate for the above-mentioned studentship.
My motivation in applying for the PhD studentship arises from my strong passion in the field of oncology. This passion has been developed throughout my undergraduate days, during which I have taken several academic courses whose modules placed some emphasis in aspects related to cancer biology and genetics. Apart from that, my enthusiasm for cancer research has been reinforced while performing my final year undergraduate research project, as I was dealing with a gene which is commonly over-expressed in many human cancers. I have also attended a number of talks and seminars on cancer-related topics over the past two years, which have further strengthened my interest in this field.
While searching for a suitable PhD studentship in oncology, the research project offered by Profs. XXX and XXX has particularly captured my attention. This is because of its focus on XXX, an important theme in cancer research due to its possible implications in XXX. The lack of an understanding of how XXX are associated with YYY and with ZZZ, which could in turn lead to the development of cancer, has motivated me to undertake the PhD studentship. Based on my academic competency, I believe that I have the capability and potential to accomplish the PhD research project.
I have enclosed my curriculum vitae, academic transcript and details of my academic referees for your reference. I look forward to your reply and am available for an interview at your convenience. Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
My name
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My name
My address
Date
Members of Selection Committee
XXXX Institute/Centre/University
Address
Dear Sir/Madam,
Application for PhD studentship
With regard to the matter above, I am writing to apply for the PhD studentship jointly supervised by Profs. XXX and XXX in XXX Institute.
I have recently completed my undergraduate study in B. Sc. (Hons.) XXX in XXX University. I have obtained a CGPA of 3.XX (out of 4.00) for the degree, and will be graduating as the top-ranking student in my class in the coming convocation. During the final year of my undergraduate study, I specialized in XXX, and have completed a research project entitled “XXX”. Through this project, I have mastered a variety of molecular and cell biology techniques, which I believe would be useful for me in undertaking the PhD research project offered by your institution. In addition, I have had the opportunity to gain some hands-on experience in in-vitro culturing of cancer cells during my industrial training in XXX. I believe that my academic background and proficiency in research techniques make me a suitable candidate for the above-mentioned studentship.
My motivation in applying for the PhD studentship arises from my strong passion in the field of oncology. This passion has been developed throughout my undergraduate days, during which I have taken several academic courses whose modules placed some emphasis in aspects related to cancer biology and genetics. Apart from that, my enthusiasm for cancer research has been reinforced while performing my final year undergraduate research project, as I was dealing with a gene which is commonly over-expressed in many human cancers. I have also attended a number of talks and seminars on cancer-related topics over the past two years, which have further strengthened my interest in this field.
While searching for a suitable PhD studentship in oncology, the research project offered by Profs. XXX and XXX has particularly captured my attention. This is because of its focus on XXX, an important theme in cancer research due to its possible implications in XXX. The lack of an understanding of how XXX are associated with YYY and with ZZZ, which could in turn lead to the development of cancer, has motivated me to undertake the PhD studentship. Based on my academic competency, I believe that I have the capability and potential to accomplish the PhD research project.
I have enclosed my curriculum vitae, academic transcript and details of my academic referees for your reference. I look forward to your reply and am available for an interview at your convenience. Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
My name
Top answer
Dear Yttan, I read your post with interest. While your letter certainly contains many areas that could be improved, there are several questions I would like to ask you before I commit to helping you write a better version. Quite frankly, the letter is not all that bad but I'll need you to share certain information that you might not wish to bring to the public's attention before we can move forward.
- Dear Yttan, I read your post with interest.
- While your letter certainly contains many areas that could be improved, there are several questions I would like to ask you before I commit to helping you write a better version.
- Quite frankly, the letter is not all that bad but I'll need you to share certain information that you might not wish to bring to the public's attention before we can move forward.
- Naturally, any communication between us would be kept in the strictest confidence.
- I am a retired trauma surgeon and I hold a PhD in biomedical publishing.
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3 Answers
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Dear Yttan,
I read your post with interest.
While your letter certainly contains many areas that could be improved, there are several questions I would like to ask you before I commit to helping you write a better version. Quite frankly, the letter is not all that bad but I'll need you to share certain information that you might not wish to bring to the public's attention before
I read your post with interest.
While your letter certainly contains many areas that could be improved, there are several questions I would like to ask you before I commit to helping you write a better version. Quite frankly, the letter is not all that bad but I'll need you to share certain information that you might not wish to bring to the public's attention before
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Dear John,
I have emailed you the actual version of my cover letter.
Thank you.
I have emailed you the actual version of my cover letter.
Thank you.
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Dear all,
I have been accepted by another institution and the letter above is not needed anymore. I sought for comments because I would like to know what went wrong with this letter, so that I, and other members of this forum, can learn how to write this or a similar letter in the future (I, too, wrote the above letter based on the comments i read on other threads). However, an experience
I have been accepted by another institution and the letter above is not needed anymore. I sought for comments because I would like to know what went wrong with this letter, so that I, and other members of this forum, can learn how to write this or a similar letter in the future (I, too, wrote the above letter based on the comments i read on other threads). However, an experience
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