<aside> 🖤 I found these on Reddit and hope they can help! I couldn’t find the original authors 😭

</aside>

I had a kind professor that encouraged me to apply to ROPs when I was in first year (aka last year)- although I believe he didn't supervise any this year. He was willing to give me advice on what to write. I doubt this is applicable for every professor, though.

(I also think he stalks this subreddit- so if you see this comment, hello!)

• Don't make it too lengthy. No one wants to spend time reading a bunch of garbage. You want to be straight and to the point.
• Qualifications: write here a summary, no more than 3 sentences, of what skills you have and maybe slightly mention previous jobs if relevant (i.e. I've volunteered at XXX lab.) Make it straight and to the point.
• Interests: apparently professors usually don't care about this section. To be safe, just write a few keywords that are relevant to the ROP description.
• Resume: show any previous projects/jobs that you've had that shows commitment, reliability, ability to work independently, and obviously whatever is relevant to the ROP. You might also want to briefly include your transcript (obviously you'd have to type this in.)
• Cover letter: this is where you can elaborate in detail and explain why you'd make a good fit, elaborate more about your resume and qualifications, etc.

Hey everybody,

I’m a research assistant at a lab at UTM, which means I have access to my lab’s official email address. What that means is that I end up seeing a lot of emails inquiring about possible positions at the lab, and I really don’t want to be harsh when I say this, but not more than maybe one email that I have read has managed to pass the very basics of what is required to make your application stand out. Every time I read one of these emails, I feel awful because I really want to email that person privately and give them a big hug, followed by a blow-by-blow of what they did wrong or could have done better - but I can’t do that because that’s not professional.

So instead I’m just going to put one very important standard bit of advice here on Reddit and hope that someone actually heeds what I have to say. As a person who applied to, got an interview with, and got accepted to 4/4 labs, I can safely say that I must be doing something right. I hope it helps you guys too.

So anyway, without further ado, here it is, my amazing super secret piece of advice:

Read up on work done by the lab you’re applying to.

I’m not kidding. Please, for the love of cookies, read a paper or two by each lab you’re applying to before cold emailing (or applying through any other means). It’s very obvious when a student sends out a general email with just the name of the lab inserted in to personalize it. Read up on the principal investigator (the professor who runs the lab), their work, the field of interest of the lab (most labs typically have more than one research question they are pursuing), and try and understand what the goal of the lab is as well as how it fits into your own personal and professional interests. Most emails we get start out with a generic, “To whom it may concern“ (or something along these lines, and say something generic like, “I was very intrigued by the work that the ____ Lab is doing,“ after which they launch into a whole speech about themselves which is clearly copy-paste. Don’t do that. Don’t. Read up, address the PI by name, and discuss in two to three short and concise sentences what about this particular lab compelled you to apply and how it may be important to you. You can even add how you can contribute to that lab with your skill set, especially if you already have certain skills that are relevant to it.

I know this sounds like a lot of work, but your success rate will improve by doing so. Think of these emails as a shorter version of a cover letter, and remember that lots of people want research positions, so you need to stand out if you want to have a shot at getting it. Your GPA won’t make you stand out. Your initiative, passion, and the ability to convey these through solid communication skills...these will make you stand out.

Also, one final quick tip: when you send a cold email, you typically attach a resume and maybe even a cover letter. Always make sure that these are short and to the point as well. Your resume should be max two pages and your cover letter max one. I‘d highly recommend using online resources like those offered by the RGASC to improve your documentation. They have great examples if you want to try on your own first, and of course you can book appointments with them to help you develop the skills to critically evaluate and edit them further.

That‘s all. Hope something here helps someone. :)