University of Michigan - Flint

The first step to developing the off campus proposal is to receive specific and definite information firming up your contacts. You will then receive information about the off campus mentor, about the site itself, about the research and other projects underway. If you are attending another university and taking courses, or participating in a study abroad program, an internship, or some form of assistantship in a place of business, a charitable foundation, or a laboratory you will be able to access specific information about the site, internship or assistantship.

You will need to keep several contacts “alive” in case one of them falls through, something that can happen even at the last minute. Only once you have decided finally where you will go is it time to develop your proposal.

Writing the proposal requires the careful presentation of specific kinds of material, all of which is described on the pages that follow. This is not an easy task. But if you undertake it in an organized way, you will find it far more easy to complete.

Remember that this kind of research experience gives you an entirely new view of education, of the subject your are studying, and of your own role in your education. You become a much more active participant, rather than a more passive receptacle of the facts and knowledge that are simply handed to you. The experience will change your life in many ways. Students testify that the experience challenges them, but that it is well worth the time, effort, and overcoming obstacles that are always on the path less traveled.

In order to get good results from your contacts at university campuses, places of business or organizations, you will need a letter that is brief but informative.

A. Content:

1. Address the message to a specific professor, not to whom it may concern. If possible, indicate why you selected this person.
2. You will need to catch the reader’s attention with your header, clearly indicate that you are fully funded research assistant
3. Give your name and status, as well as the degree you are pursuing. Explain exactly what your are doing and why as a member of the Honors Scholar Program. See samples. This is a standard paragraph.
4. Re-emphasize the fact that you are fully funded, and will be a “free” research assistant, intern, or assistant of any other kind
5. Indicate your specific major and field(s) of interest, keeping it broad enough to allow for a match with your contact, yet specific so that you indicate the seriousness of your studies.
6. Try to provide specific information that will catch the reader’s interest, for example special projects or skills, special interests etc. any independent research you have carried out, work as a research or lab assistant.
7. Tell the time period you have in mind, and request a response from your contact.
8. Conclude the letter as indicated in the samples.
9. Attach a list of courses and grades in your subject (Use A, B, C since these are universal values), including courses you plan to complete before the off-campus study takes place.
10. Attach a full resume either in the body of the letter, or as an attachment, and offer to sender further information, as well as letters of recommendation from a professor in your major and the director of the Honors Scholar Program.
11. Conclude with a thanks, and with “Sincerely,” followed by your full name.

B. Format

Use a neat, formal letter format
This is email, and tends to be informal. However, you should put your message in the form of a letter that is well-written with carefully thought-out sentences and paragraphs.

Check spelling
Professors will not take you seriously if you misspell even a single word.

Address the letter to a specific person
It takes only a few moments more to change the salutation, and to add a sentence referring specifically to the professor you are attempting to contact.

How To Make Your Search Effective

Find the closest match to your interests
Do not begin with a specific project in mind, but rather keep several possible areas of interest in mind. Find a professor working in a field as closely related to your interests as possible. Alternately, find an internship for foreign study program as closely related to your field as possible.

Be flexible
Do not fix on a single country or a single project. Work in several possible areas rather than just one to increase your possibilities of finding a good contact.

Be patient
Send five or ten messages a day for a period of several weeks. Don’t expect an immediate response. This takes time and patience. Most students who find excellent contacts find only disappointment with their first few attempts at contact. Most students send 60 to 80 messages before getting a good contact.

How to Make Your Search Efficient

Develop a system

Put the letter and your resume on a file, on a floppy disk to find it easily.
Copy onto your clip board on the computer.
Keep list of addresses in front of you.
Address each message personally to the professor.
Paste the letter from the clip board. If necessary make small adjustments.
Send the message.
Repeat steps above for remainder of addresses.
Put resume in the text of email, not in an attachment
Bear in mind that contacts from other countries or even in the United States and Canada may not be able to open your attachments. Try to include as much as possible in the body of the letter. Send a second message with your resume in the body of the email in order to ensure that the contact can read it.

SAMPLE EMAIL MESSAGE

Re: Fully Funded Research Assistant Available
Dear Dr. Owens:

My name is Kristen Slosser and I am a second year undergraduate Honors Scholar student at the University of Michigan-Flint pursuing a degree in history. As a member of the Honors Scholar Program, I am required to perform research at an off-campus institution for a length of time ranging from two weeks to one year. This research is fully funded by my school, and I would be, in essence, a free research assistant.

While my major is History, I am also minoring in British Literature, Writing and Anthropology. My special subject of interest in Celtic civilization, but I am also interested in ancient history of any sort. European military history is one of my favorite fields. As I am considering these along with any classical and ancient historical subjects as possible research fields, I would be grateful to know whether you have any need for a research assistant at any time between summer 2002 and summer 2003. If you will be in a position to accept a research assistant and would consider me as a potential candidate, I would be happy to provide any additional material such as academic transcripts or letters of recommendation that might aid in your decision.

Below is an extended resume, and a list of courses I have taken and grades I have received to give you an idea of my academic background. I have also included a list of courses I plan to take in the coming year at the University of Michigan-Flint.

Thank you very much for your time and effort on my behalf.

Sincerely,

Kristen Slosser