Cold Emailing
Templates and examples for reaching out to professors, alumni, and professionals.
The structure that works
Subject line: specific and short ('High schooler interested in your research on X')
Paragraph 1: who you are and why you're emailing (2 sentences max)
Paragraph 2: what specifically interests you about their work (1 specific detail, not generic)
Paragraph 3: what you're asking for (15-minute call, lab tour, advice on next steps)
Sign off: thank them for their time
Templates
Template for a professor: 'Hi Dr. X, I'm a junior at Y High School. I'm interested in [field] and read your paper on [specific thing]. I'd love to learn more about your research and how I might get involved. Would you have 15 minutes for a call or coffee? Thank you for your time.'
That's it. 4 sentences. No life story. No flattery. Specific ask.
Quick checklist
- Subject line is specific
- First paragraph is under 2 sentences
- Mentioned something specific about their work
- Asked for something specific (15-min call, not a job)
- Under 200 words total
- No typos