Is it always necessary to contact the main supervisor before filling in the uni application form? my friend says if you don't you just get immediately dismissed ? is this true if so what kind of things should i write to them other than i'm interested in you're research?

If you are submitting your own proposal, then yes you should contact the supervisor first, normally. It depends on which application form to you mean.

I was accepted on to my PhD programme by my supervisor, and then I had to through the formal, online application process to the university.

You can look up on this forum, or a search engine, what to write in a PhD proposal to a potential supervisor. Basically you need to say your experience, why you want to a PhD and at that uni and with that supervisor, why you would be a good candidate and what you want to research and why.

Good advice. However, be sure to drop a "warm up" email asking if this kind of informal interaction is ok. LSE for example has a person who handles all the pre-application Q&A for the department I was interested in, not allowing direct contact with "potential supervisors". So while it is common, some Uni's will have some type of "selector" they call them, assign a supervisor to you post-application.

Hi Kuragehime,

I should first clarify that I did a science PhD where the original research proposal was written by my supervisors in advance to get the RC grant. However, I applied for my project via CV and covering letter having seen it advertised on findaphd.com. Interview. Accepted. Then I had to apply for it formally on the university's forms. But no contact prior to application.

I did go through the rigmarole of contacting a number of potential supervisors "cold" with variable results. I didn't personally find it very productive, though one very kind professor at one institution said she had no openings but put me onto someone else who she thought did. That turned out to be a blind alley however.

So in answer to your question, no, you're not necessarily immediately dismissed with no prior contact. Though obviously, if you have to submit your own proposal, it works slightly differently... but it's surely still a part of an application process (?).

Hope this helps.

Hi
I contacted my supervisor before applying. It was actually a 'deal-breaker' for me if she had been unable to take me on as her reputation and expertise was what I really needed. I had a couple of preliminary meetings where I told her of my plans and how it related to her own work. I am not sure if my application would have been refused if I hadn't contacted her first but I do think that by us both knowing a bit about each other and our respective interests helped.
Once my application was approved I felt like we hit the ground running.
Good luck!