u/Airpodboi69

So I received advice from over thirty different professors across multiple fields about how to write a cold email for a research position inquiry. I used the advice and sent 5 emails to different professors in different universities, and what I got back in less than 48 hours was a reply from Princeton and a reply from ASU. The Princeton professor said I was really ahead, but sadly no position for a high schooler (I’m 15). The ASU professor offered for me to visit, meet the team, and talk about it further (But I had to decline cause it turns out that I was too far).

The reason I did all this, looking for advice and sending the emails was because I’m gonna go to college soon myself. I’ve been searching on what helps college admissions/later life stuff, and this is pretty popular. Trying to get that headstart I guess. 

So here it is, my ultimate list. Keep in mind that every professor is different, so it’s not guaranteed to be the same for all professors. But it is for a large majority of them. 

1: Make sure its direct, and not trying to persuade them in like any fashion, because at the end of the day, it’s your skills and passion that determine if they say yes or no. Don’t write stuff like “Your paper really caught my attention, and I would love to talk about it”. Instead, write something like “Would you have an open position in your lab for someone like me?”

2: AI. This is probably obvious, but if you use AI to write emails, then it’s probably going in the trash. They’ve most likely read enough AI generated emails/assignments from students, so they’ll know. Then your chances shoot down to zerooooo.

3: Mentioning their papers. If you decide to mention their papers, make sure they are recent (1-2 years), and SHOW that you actually read through most of it. If you just drop a name with little to no context, they will know that you’re trying to “game the system”. At least thats what the professors I talked to said. Ask detailed questions that only people who read it would know, and show true curiosity. 

4: Talk about yourself, not them. From the people I’ve talked to, they would very much like to hear YOUR story (like how you came to follow this major, why you chose that professor particularly, etc). Also make sure your intro is clear, like state your name and basic info so they know who you are roughly. 

5: The next two sentences could possibly be the very thing that determines whether you land a position or not. Include something like “If you’re not taking students, is there someone else you would recommend?” This opens up a whole new door; because professors talk a lot together, they definetly could know someone who needs a research worker. And finally, ask to be a volunteer, not a hiring position. It lowers the commitment way more for them, so better chances for you. Even if you don’t get paid, it should be worth it, because the whole point of working in research is to gain experience. 

I tried keeping them short, but alas, some are still quite lengthy. I really hope this helps someone write a better email. If yall have any questions/comments/concerns, more than happy to answer!

So I received advice from over thirty different professors across multiple fields about how to write a cold email for a research position inquiry. I used the advice and sent 5 emails to different professors in different universities, and what I got back in less than 48 hours was a reply from Princeton and a reply from ASU. The Princeton professor said I was really ahead, but sadly no position for a high schooler (I’m 15). The ASU professor offered for me to visit, meet the team, and talk about it further (But I had to decline cause it turns out that I was too far).

The reason I did all this, looking for advice and sending the emails was because I’m gonna go to college soon myself. I’ve been searching on what helps college admissions/later life stuff, and this is pretty popular. Trying to get that headstart I guess. 

So here it is, my ultimate list. Keep in mind that every professor is different, so it’s not guaranteed to be the same for all professors. But it is for a large majority of them. 

1: Make sure its direct, and not trying to persuade them in like any fashion, because at the end of the day, it’s your skills and passion that determine if they say yes or no. Don’t write stuff like “Your paper really caught my attention, and I would love to talk about it”. Instead, write something like “Would you have an open position in your lab for someone like me?”

2: AI. This is probably obvious, but if you use AI to write emails, then it’s probably going in the trash. They’ve most likely read enough AI generated emails/assignments from students, so they’ll know. Then your chances shoot down to zerooooo.

3: Mentioning their papers. If you decide to mention their papers, make sure they are recent (1-2 years), and SHOW that you actually read through most of it. If you just drop a name with little to no context, they will know that you’re trying to “game the system”. At least thats what the professors I talked to said. Ask detailed questions that only people who read it would know, and show true curiosity. 

4: Talk about yourself, not them. From the people I’ve talked to, they would very much like to hear YOUR story (like how you came to follow this major, why you chose that professor particularly, etc). Also make sure your intro is clear, like state your name and basic info so they know who you are roughly. 

5: The next two sentences could possibly be the very thing that determines whether you land a position or not. Include something like “If you’re not taking students, is there someone else you would recommend?” This opens up a whole new door; because professors talk a lot together, they definetly could know someone who needs a research worker. And finally, ask to be a volunteer, not a hiring position. It lowers the commitment way more for them, so better chances for you. Even if you don’t get paid, it should be worth it, because the whole point of working in research is to gain experience. 

I tried keeping them short, but alas, some are still quite lengthy. I really hope this helps someone write a better email. If yall have any questions/comments/concerns, more than happy to answer!