I am doing an undergrad in Computer Science, and am seriously considering entering in the honors program at my school. I fulfill all the requirements (certain courses, GPA, etc) and now I just need to find a professor that is willing to work with me.
An honors project at my school is a two-part process:
- First there is a Directed Study where the student and the professor work one-on-one to bring the student up to speed on the subject material that may be required for the thesis project. This happens over one semester like a regular course
- After the directed Study, the student sets to work on the actual project/research, and presents their findings whenever they have completed their project (usually two semesters).
I have read the backgrounds on all the professors in my faculty, and have identified half a dozen who do research which would be similar to my project.
My problem now is that I don't know how to "apply". I have prepared a one page "pitch" which talks about my background, my project idea, and why I think that professor would be a good fit (based on their research interests), which I was going to email to my half-dozen potential professors.
Is this too formal? Too informal?
Extra info:
- I go to a Canadian University.
- I study Computer Science.
- I am away on an internship, or else I would go talk to the professors in person.