Neil Howatt

Subject: Prospective PhD student Dear Professor Howatt, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "Canadian Surgery Forum: Abstracts of presentations to the Annual Meetings of the Canadian Association of Bariatric Physicians and Surgeons, Canadian Association of General Surgeons, Canadian Association of Thoracic Surgeons, Canadian Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Society, Canadian Society of Surgical Oncology, Canadian Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, London, Ont. Sept. 15-18, 2011." (2011), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]