MS/PhD in USA | How to Write Good Emails to Professors

Summary

In this educational video, Chaitanya Samhara from the University of Texas at Arlington addresses the common issue of students not receiving responses from professors due to poorly written emails. The video provides a detailed analysis of two poorly constructed emails, highlighting mistakes in grammar, formatting, and personalization. It then contrasts these with an exemplary email, demonstrating how to effectively communicate with professors. The video serves as a guide for students to improve their email etiquette and increase the likelihood of receiving a response.

Takeaways

• 😀 Professors receive numerous emails daily, and they quickly decide whether to respond or not based on the quality of the email.
• 📝 Many students send poorly written emails with bad grammar and content, which is why they often don't receive responses.
• 🔍 The script provides three real email examples to illustrate the differences between bad and good emails.
• 📖 The first bad email example has issues with capitalization, addressing the professor generically, and basic grammar mistakes.
• 📧 The second bad email example includes incorrect name usage, inappropriate familiarity, and lack of clarity in the request.
• 👍 A good email example is provided, which is well-structured, clear, and shows respect and understanding of the recipient's work.
• 💡 The good email example demonstrates how to establish credibility, express genuine interest, and connect with the professor's work.
• 📝 The importance of proper grammar, punctuation, and clarity in email communication is emphasized throughout the script.
• 🔖 Attaching a resume and mentioning it clearly in the email is a good practice, as shown in the good email example.
• 📈 The script suggests that tailoring each email to a specific professor and showing genuine interest in their work increases the chances of a response.
• 🌟 The script concludes with a recommendation to not copy-paste emails but to personalize them based on one's own credentials and research interests.

Q & A

Why do some students not receive responses to their emails to professors?

Students may not receive responses because they send poorly written emails with bad grammar, incorrect salutations, and a lack of personalization, which can lead to professors ignoring or deleting them.

What is the importance of capitalizing the first letter of the first word in an email?

Capitalizing the first letter of the first word is a basic grammar rule that shows professionalism and respect. Failing to do so can make the email seem unprofessional and less likely to be taken seriously.

Why is it crucial to address the professor by their correct name in an email?

Addressing the professor by their correct name personalizes the email and shows that the student has taken the time to find out who they are contacting. Using a generic 'Professor' without a name can make the email seem impersonal and mass-sent.

What mistake did the student make by saying 'I'm pretty much interested' in their email?

The phrase 'I'm pretty much interested' implies a lack of strong interest or enthusiasm. It's better to express keen or definite interest when communicating with a professor to show commitment.

Why should students avoid using their nickname or informal email addresses when contacting professors?

Using a formal email address that includes the student's full name is more professional and appropriate for academic correspondence. Informal or nickname-based addresses can come across as unprofessional.

What is the significance of the spacing after a period in an email?

Proper spacing after a period, which should be one space, is part of standard English punctuation and formatting. Incorrect spacing can make the email look poorly formatted and unpolished.

Why is it beneficial to mention specific work by the professor in an email?

Referring to specific work by the professor shows that the student has done their research and is familiar with the professor's work, which can help establish a connection and increase the likelihood of a positive response.

What does the acronym 'UGC' stand for in the context of the email?

In the email, 'UGC' stands for 'University Grants Commission,' which is an organization that provides grants for research projects in India.

Why should students avoid using contractions like 'don't' in formal emails?

Using contractions in formal emails can make the language seem informal or casual. It's better to use the full form of words to maintain a professional tone in academic correspondence.

What is the purpose of attaching a resume to an email when contacting a professor?

Attaching a resume provides the professor with additional information about the student's background, qualifications, and experience, which can support their request or inquiry.

Why is it important to proofread and check grammar before sending an email to a professor?

Proofreading and checking grammar ensure that the email is free of errors, which can detract from the student's message. A well-written email reflects positively on the student and increases the chances of a favorable response.

Outlines

00:00

📧 Improving Email Communication with Professors

The speaker, Chaitanya Samhara, a faculty member at the University of Texas at Arlington, addresses the common issue of students not receiving responses to their emails to professors. He critiques the poor quality of many student emails, highlighting issues such as lack of capitalization, generic greetings, and poor grammar. Samhara provides examples of bad emails and demonstrates how they could be improved. He emphasizes the importance of personalizing emails, using correct grammar, and expressing clear and concise intentions to increase the likelihood of receiving a response.

05:03

🔍 Analyzing and Refining a Student's Email

In this segment, the speaker continues his analysis of student emails, focusing on a second example. He points out mistakes such as incorrect salutations, lack of personalization, and improper use of spacing and punctuation. The speaker then offers a revised version of the email, demonstrating how to correct these errors and present oneself professionally. He advises students to avoid generic greetings, use full names, and ensure their emails are well-structured and polite to improve communication with professors.

10:06

🌟 Crafting an Effective Email for Academic Inquiry

The speaker examines a high-quality email from a doctoral student named Apurva, who is applying to American universities. He praises the student's clear subject line, proper salutation, and the way she establishes her academic credentials and research interests. The email is analyzed for its effective use of language, including how the student connects her research with the professor's work and expresses her interest in potential collaboration. The speaker also notes minor areas for improvement, such as clarifying acronyms and maintaining grammatical consistency.

15:06

💡 Enhancing Email Impact with Research Interests

In the final paragraph, the speaker discusses how Apurva's email goes beyond just stating her credentials and research projects. She demonstrates a keen interest in emerging research areas and expresses a desire to pursue these under the guidance of the professor. The speaker commends the student's approach of attaching her resume for reference and her polite and professional closing. He concludes by advising viewers to tailor their emails to reflect their own strengths and to connect with the professor's work to increase the chances of a positive response.

Keywords

💡Email Etiquette

Email etiquette refers to the conventions and standards for composing and sending emails. In the video, it is emphasized as a critical factor in professional communication, especially when contacting professors. The script illustrates poor email etiquette through examples of emails with bad grammar, lack of personalization, and incorrect salutations, which can lead to a lack of response.

💡Grammar

Grammar is the set of rules governing the structure of expressions in a language. The video underscores the importance of proper grammar in emails to ensure clarity and professionalism. Examples in the script highlight how incorrect grammar, such as missing capitalization and punctuation errors, can detract from the message's effectiveness and lead to emails being disregarded.

💡Personalization

Personalization in emails means addressing the recipient specifically and tailoring the content to the individual. The video script points out that generic emails that appear to be sent to multiple recipients can be off-putting. It suggests that personalization, such as using the correct name and referencing specific interactions, can increase the likelihood of a positive response.

💡Credibility

Credibility in the context of the video refers to the sender's ability to establish trust and authority through their email content. The script illustrates how mentioning academic achievements, research projects, and publications can enhance a student's credibility when reaching out to a professor, thus increasing the chances of a response.

💡Subject Line

The subject line is the headline of an email that summarizes the content and purpose of the message. The video emphasizes the importance of a clear and informative subject line in capturing the recipient's attention. It contrasts poorly written subject lines with one that clearly states the sender's identity and intention, which is more likely to prompt an opening of the email.

💡Salutation

A salutation is the formal address at the beginning of a letter or email. The video script uses salutations to demonstrate proper email etiquette, highlighting the importance of using appropriate and personalized greetings, such as addressing the recipient by their title and name, to show respect and establish a connection.

💡Attachment

An attachment in an email refers to a file that is included with the message. The video points out the importance of mentioning attachments clearly and avoiding confusion about their location. It contrasts incorrect statements about attachments with a proper method of indicating that a resume is included with the email.

💡Research Opportunities

Research opportunities are openings for involvement in scholarly research, often sought by students applying for higher education or academic positions. The video script uses this term to illustrate the purpose behind a well-crafted email from a student interested in a PhD program, showing how expressing interest in research can lead to fruitful academic connections.

💡Academic Writing

Academic writing is a formal writing style used in scholarly work, characterized by clarity, precision, and adherence to academic conventions. The video script critiques examples of poor academic writing in emails and provides guidance on how to improve the structure, tone, and language to align with professional standards.

💡Professionalism

Professionalism refers to the conduct, actions, and language that demonstrate a high level of competence and integrity in a professional setting. The video script emphasizes the importance of professionalism in email communication, particularly when contacting professors or other academic professionals, to ensure a positive and respectful interaction.

💡Response Rate

The response rate is the ratio of replies received to the number of emails sent. The video discusses how factors such as email etiquette, grammar, and personalization can significantly impact the response rate when contacting professors. It suggests that improving these aspects can lead to a higher likelihood of receiving a reply.

Highlights

Professors receive numerous emails daily and often decide within seconds whether to respond based on the quality of the email.

Many students send poorly written emails, which is why they often go unanswered.

Three real email examples are analyzed to demonstrate common mistakes and how to improve them.

The importance of proper capitalization, especially at the beginning of the email and after periods, is emphasized.

Addressing the email to a specific professor rather than a generic 'professor' is crucial for personalization.

Grammar mistakes, such as missing spaces after periods, can make an email seem unprofessional.

Using phrases like 'pretty much interested' can dilute the message's strength and should be avoided.

Specifying a teaching assistant position and the semester for which one is applying shows clarity and intent.

Attaching a resume is a good practice, but clarity in communication about attachments is necessary.

Using 'thank you' or 'sincerely' followed by a comma and the sender's name is a polite way to close an email.

Avoiding the use of a nickname in the email address and using the full name instead is more professional.

A well-structured email with a clear subject line increases the chances of a response.

Establishing credibility by mentioning academic achievements and scholarships early in the email is effective.

Connecting with the professor by referencing their work and expressing genuine interest in it is a strong strategy.

Mentioning current and relevant research projects that align with the professor's interests can grab their attention.

Expressing a keen interest in emerging research areas and the desire to explore them under the professor's guidance is compelling.

Attaching a resume and mentioning it clearly in the email ensures the professor has the necessary information to consider the applicant.

Closing the email with a professional tone, expressing anticipation for a response, and signing off with 'sincerely' sets a positive tone.

Transcripts

how many times has it happened when you

sent an email to a professor and you

never heard back why does that happen

let me tell you why most of the times

you people send really really bad emails

they're horrible and no wonder why you

never get response for your emails so

let me show you three examples two

examples of bad emails and i will show

you how those emails could have been

written better and then i will show you

an example of a good email now remember

that all three emails are real emails

that professors had received

[Music]

this is chaitanya samhara faculty at the

college of business university of texas

arlington every single day professors

get tons and tons of emails okay most of

the times they open it okay but within a

fraction of a second they know whether

or not they want to respond to you and

because so many people write such

horrible emails with such horrible

content with horrible grammar nobody

wants to respond to those emails okay

they don't want to spend any more time

on you so they will immediately delete

that email or let that email become one

of those emails and pass that they had

received so without further ado let me

show you the first email that i had

received a few months ago okay okay so

let us take a look at this first email i

had received this email on august 31st

okay so the very first problem that i

notice here is to do with the first

letter of the first word at least this

first letter should be capitalized okay

it should be it should read as an r

regarding teaching assistantship ideally

speaking everything should be cap

regarding and this t should be cap

and this a should be also cap but if not

at least the first letter of the first

word should be capitalized

okay next

this student attached that resume that's

fine ut id uh i don't care about their

ut id but that's fine and the name also

okay now just look at this hello

professor

again this p should have been

capitalized

okay second thing that they are missing

is that they are addressing just

professor so i know that they just copy

pasted that email and sent it to

everybody right

now this is a bad idea you should always

individually send an email like you

should target an email to each

individual professor or else they have

no interest in reading your email okay

because we know that uh you just copy

paste it to everybody you don't you you

you did not even bother to find out who

i am

now what happens here is that

uh hello professor this is and this

student's name and notice this

there is

a period after a space

right here

okay

and then there is no space between that

period and i

this is

absolute basic of grammar in english

okay anytime you write a sentence

whenever you write a word you end it

with a period and then you give a space

here and then you start

your content

okay again same mistake made here as

well

okay so the period should have been here

and there should have been a space there

right here

okay

i am in my third semester of what you

did not tell me

okay next thing my major is computer

science okay that is okay and then again

the first

character he whenever you say i am

i should always be capitalized

i am pretty much interested in working

as ta

okay i'm pretty much interested what

does that even mean pretty much

if you don't know the grammar or the

language

well pretty much means that i'm somewhat

interested

okay i'm not keenly interested this

person is not saying that i'm keenly

interested okay

none of that language is coming across

and then again

my gpa is 3.2 okay again i would like to

apply for you should have an rta

position because

a teaching position

is your specifying that

in the fall 2021 semester again

below attachment is my resume bad

grammar you should instead say my resume

is attached with this email

again could you please check again the

same mistake and let me know if position

is available or not thank you professor

okay first of all here should be a comma

and then you should write your name abc

whatever your name is

okay

and then

uh you should instead say sincerely and

this if you want to say thank you

at least you have the decency to say

thank you

okay

and whatever professor's name is or you

don't even need to say that thank you a

comma and then write your name below

so this was an example of a bad email

second example of another bad email

would be this

okay so uh looks like i have not done

the best of the job when i tried to hide

the name but at least their full name is

hidden and this name smither here is a

pretty common name okay

now let us uh analyze this email

first of all

the person who she sent that email to

his name is his last name is parallel

okay so she

wrote the name wrong

to begin with

and then she says hope again same

mistake

hope

h capital hope you and your family are

doing well now what is wrong with this

this person does not know dr peral at

all

has never met him has never communicated

with him so you should never start with

discussing their family okay just say

that i hope you are doing well

okay

now hope you and your family are doing

well but

i would still let it go but ideally you

should not bring family to a stranger

then i'm smitha that is fine i was

interacting with dr chaitanya again look

at this

a space between period and c is missing

okay and ideally she should have written

my full name

okay and he suggested me connect with

you again

bad grammar

okay he suggested that i should contact

you

that's what you should have said and i

will uh show an email how it could have

been written to make it much better

i sent you a request on linkedin for the

same okay i need your guidance on few

things

on a few things but let it go for a

second

i got an offer for admission from oise

now what on the earth is oic we don't

know

okay you should have elaborated that and

then she says university of toronto for

the program curriculum and pedagogy for

the curriculum and pedagogy program is

what she should have said

okay and then she says i want to know

the options for the same both in usa and

canada after completing med now again

she should have just elaborated on what

it is and there is no such thing as mdd

it should have been m

key m capital e capitalized and then

small d

masters of education that is how it is

written okay

and then

in the end she says thanking you should

have been

thank you or sincerely

comma and her name

and one more mistake she made was that

she used her nickname family name

gmail.com you should always write your

full name

okay your first name dot last name or

something on those lines that is how

your email should read

okay now

how this email could have written if i

wrote this email this is how i would

have written this email okay

this is the email that she had written

okay and this is how this email could

have been written

dear dr paralkar okay i hope you are

doing well

again notice the space my name is this

and i live in whatever place you live in

i was interacting with doctor in that

case uh it was me so she should have

written dr chaitanya space samara

yesterday he suggested to me that i

reach out to you i sent you a request on

linkedin for the same or uh that is fine

then i would have said i request your

guidance on few things

i got an offer for admission from the

ontario institute for studies in

education i elaborated the whole thing

in brackets i write oise university of

toronto for the master's program

okay and then you're clearly indicating

that for the master's program m e d in

curriculum and pedagogy okay i would

like to know the career opportunities

for the same in usa and canada so now

you are explicitly stating that you are

looking for career opportunities okay

and so she wants to talk to this person

regarding what all options she can have

when she graduates okay

now in the end

i write here that looking forward to

hearing from you

sincerely and then write your full name

below

this is a much better way to write an

email by the way i wrote this email but

this is not exactly i would have written

that email but the point is that i

wanted to stay truthful to the extent

possible to that email that she had

written

okay so keeping her email format i

rewrote this email and shared this email

with her

and by the way to this person was a

senior to me by one year in college

and she reached out to me and asked for

help to connect her with somebody i know

okay now

now having seen two bad emails now let

me show you a very good quality email

okay

now even though this email is much

better than these two emails and this is

an email which would definitely evoke a

response from the reader

but this email also has some minor

issues so we will closely examine this

email and i will tell you on each line

why this is such a great email

okay now this email was sent by a

student a doctoral student

at indiana university her name is apurva

and by the way she runs a channel called

we desified

it's a fantastic channel one of the best

channels i have seen when it comes to

the quality of the content that is

presented

that guides youngsters who are trying to

pursue their master's or phd in the

united states

okay so if you are looking for college

applications you should definitely check

this channel out called we desified okay

now this email is what she had written

when she was applying for american

universities now let us closely examine

word to word sentence by sentence okay

first of all prospective look notice the

capitalized p

okay

phd student for 2017 need information on

research opportunities so the very

subject line clearly

tells the reader who she is

and what she is looking for

okay so we know that this person is

being serious and therefore a professor

would naturally open that email so now

uh what is going on here is that

she says hello doctor

doctor that professor's last name i

believe okay and look at the comma here

okay

now hope you are doing well

perfect opening okay then see what she

does i have completed m a in economics

with a merit scholarship and hired first

class from the university of mumbai

india in may 2016. so she immediately is

establishing her credibility

okay that i have already finished my

masters and i had a merit scholarship

with the first class in graduation okay

and then she says i'm looking to apply

for the phd program at

this whatever university it is for fall

2017. now immediately

when she starts that okay this is my

background very beef background in one

sentence which establishes her

credibility and then she says that i'm

looking to apply for the phd program

okay now after this great opening look

at what she does next she

immediately connects with the reader she

says i have read your article and she

writes the whole article's title in

quotes

okay

fantastic job and really like your work

now notice

how smart this email is that i have read

your paper and i really like your work

so she is immediately connecting with

the person and then she says that i am

currently working in a similar area with

a research project related to whatever

that project was

first

she gave her credentials and then she

connected with him and praised this

person's work that she really liked this

person's work

and now she's saying that she's also

currently working in a similar area so

now the reader would be even more

interested okay she is being serious she

has read my paper as she claims okay now

by the way you should always read the

paper generally at least read the

abstract introduction and conclusion

portions

at the least before you write that i

read your paper and i liked it because

apart from these three sections when it

comes to methodology and some other

sections

you might not understand the whole thing

because you are not yet trained but at

least these three sections you should

always read when you claim that i have

read your people okay

now

uh then she says that i'm currently

working in a similar area with a

research project which is to be

presented

for an international conference at

oxford

in

the uk in july 2017 again

i have read your work

i liked it i am doing similar work and

not just that

i also have a research paper in the same

area which i'm going to present so which

means that she had already completed

that work

okay

and then she says that i'm going to

present that paper in uk

now

just having read these three or four

sentences

what do you think the processor would do

definitely take this email very

seriously now by the way it does not

mean that all processors would reply but

the chances of a professor replying or

wanting to reply after having read the

first paragraph of these three four

sentences is very high

now

then what she says is that i am also

engaged in projects like

whatever project this and that

which also has a ugc grant

okay so in this case what she could have

done better is that she should have said

university grants commission in bracket

ugc grant so that the other person knows

what ugc is about she's assuming that

the professor knows what ugc is so it is

always better to elaborate

okay then last year comma perfect my

paper titled in double quotes she has

written the whole title of the paper was

published okay

so using ugc grant she worked on

research projects and that project was

also published

very positive sign so this clearly shows

that this person is a very able

researcher and is

a great

candidate to apply for your phd program

okay

now additionally looking at the new

developments related to demonetization

and other financial prospects now i'm

becoming uh too picky but in because

likely that this email was sent to an

american professor this should have been

a z rather than

an s

d monetization

okay and before i forget there is a

small error that this person made here

she says that grammatically i mean i'm

also engaged in projects like

now projects it's a plural okay

then she shows that it's plural project

number one

project number two

okay

which also

has the ugc grant so which also has a

ugc grant is singular so she should have

written i'm also engaged in projects

like project number one and project two

that also had

a ugc grant or also had

uh because this is in past

okay so she should have said that also

had that also had university grants

commission and brackets ugc grant

additionally looking at the new

developments related to demonetization

other financial prospects for the indian

economy and global trade

i have developed a keen interest to

study in the area of international

economics so she is clearly saying that

by the way

you might have been working on certain

projects okay i have worked on similar

projects but there is this emerging area

of research that i want to explore that

is essentially what she's saying

and that is the home run okay that is

like a chaka in cricket

okay

because she is showing that you know

what i also have certain ideas about the

areas that i think should be explored

okay

so that will actually give a 10 on 10

for this statement

and then she says hence i would like to

learn about the research opportunities

to study and work under your guidance

sweetly written well written

and she's showing respect that under

your guidance i want to learn more about

research opportunities okay

then finally she says i'm attaching my

resume with this email for your

reference remember you don't know where

that attachment would show up in that

person's mailbox above below we don't

know so unlike the first email that i

showed you where this person says that

the attached email is attached below

right

where this person says that below

attachment is my resume but look at

where the resume is attached above on

the top okay so

she is easily avoiding that confusion

just saying that hence

sorry i am attaching my resume with this

email for your reference okay

now look at the ending looking forward

to your reply

okay or you can also say looking forward

to hearing from you we either was fine

and then sincerely and then she wrote

her email so now when you write an email

like this

look at all the things she did

establish her credibility

expressed interest in a sense that she

first related to the professor

and then

noted that i have read your work and

then she

establishes her credibility by saying

that you know what i have also

done similar work

and i have this paper paper one paper

two and then i'm going to present this

paper also and i have published papers

already now because of all this

i also have keen interest in an emerging

area of research and therefore i want to

learn about research opportunities under

your guidance

okay

this overall email is probably one of

the best emails you will find

now

after having seen this email i would

suggest that

you should not copy paste this email

content because most likely you do not

have such a strong background as this

student had okay so based on whatever

your credibility is relate to that

professor first establish a connection

and then write a proper grammatically

correct email and then the probability

that you will get a response from the

professor will be very high

okay thank you for watching jain and god

bless america

[Music]