How often have you tried emailing someone you have no personal connection to? If you’re thinking “almost never,” you are not alone. For a lot of people, this is not something they need to do on a daily basis. But in your journey to find the perfect college or build a compelling admissions package dedicated to a specific field, you may need to seek advice from experts such as university professors.

Reaching out to someone you do not know for help or advice can feel challenging. This is because not only do you have no sense of what the person’s personality is or in what environment they will be reading your email, but you also have no way to properly gauge how they will respond to it. 

The good news is if you are clear and concise about why you are emailing a certain professor, in many cases they will try to help you as a prospective student. Keep the following tips in mind and use the templates below to draft your own unique email.

Initial emails to professors should be very simple: introduce yourself, explain why you are writing the email, and thank the professor for their time. 

Here are three templates for you to compare, with this first one taking a safe and standard approach. You’ll notice that there isn’t much emotion in the email, but it’s kept polite and respectful. 

Template 1. 

Subject: [Prospective student] Query about [subject] 

Dear [Professor name],

My name is [your name], and I am currently in my [year] year at [school name optional]. I have a deep interest in [field of interest] and read one of your recent publications, [title], and found it very inspiring because [reason]. 

I was hoping to learn more about [subject] and understand what types of questions I should be thinking about as a candidate for [program name] at [university/college name]. Of course, I realize professors have a very busy schedule, so I would be so grateful for any pointers or recommended resources for further studying. 

Thank you so much in advance for your consideration. 

Sincerely, 

[Name]

Template 1 is great to get info, but maybe you’d like to have more of your personality put into the email. Making sure to keep your excitement professional and your emotion appropriate, sending an email that sounds more like you will make it more memorable. Here is an example of another initial contact email template, but you’ll notice there is more of the student’s personality put into the writing – you don’t want to send a professor pages about yourself at first, but having a few standout sentences will help.

Template 2. 

Subject: [Prospective student] Interest in learning more about [subject] 

Hello [Professor name],

My name is [your name], and I am contacting you as a potential future colleague! *I hope* (a small line to inject some personality). I am currently in my [year] year in [school name optional] high school and have a strong interest in [field of study.] During personal research, I came across one of your recent publications, [title], and found it very interesting. I submitted a science project recently that worked with [topic], which is something you discuss in great detail in your paper.

I understand professors are very busy, but I was hoping to see if you would be available for a short meeting online. I would be very happy to be able to ask some questions about [subject] and learn more about the type of research you would hope students in my position would pursue in the future. If a phone call or email is more convenient for you, please let me know!

I sincerely appreciate your consideration.
Thank you, 

[Name]

Now that we have that down, let’s take a look at a third template that contains too much emotion and content that would be considered inappropriate. It is best to avoid emails that have this type of structure and tone.

Template 3.

Subject: Need information about your school.

Hello [Professor name],

My name is [your name], and I am trying to get some info about your school. I’m really excited to be a senior this year and I’m trying to find some info about schools so I can narrow down the list. I’m not totally decided on [school name], and I was wondering if you send me any information related to what it’s like to be a student there. It doesn’t have to be a lot of information, but just enough to help out a new student.

Thanks again!

I really appreciate it,

(Name)

The issue with sending an email out like this is that it doesn’t state why you’re specifically contacting this one professor. There is also a tone of general comfort and carelessness (note the grammatical error) that comes off as incredibly rude, especially if this is sent during a busy time of the semester. It’s ok to have fun in your email to show that you are interested, but it must be done in a way that is appropriate. 

Use your common sense. Draft an email that shows your enthusiasm but in a concrete way. The good thing about spending some time drafting a good compelling email is that once you’re done, you can use the same approach and draft others to send to the other schools you are looking at. 

This engagement will provide another layer of information to use in your selection. Just remember, be concise, be polite, and be yourself.