I’m a fourth-year student who wants to gain some research experience before graduating. I tailored my emails and sent them to about 30 professors at my university. Unfortunately, I only received two replies, both saying they aren’t taking any research assistants, while the rest haven’t responded at all. It makes me sad because I spent a lot of time crafting those emails.
Now I’m considering sending more emails, but I don’t have enough time to read each professor’s research and tailor my email. Should I send more generic emails to increase my chances, even if it feels a bit like spamming? Thanks everyone for the help!
Comments
No.
Really, no. Broaden who you are looking into (ie, not only the popular professors), personalise and get input from other people before sending. Maybe it is just a rough time (out of your control), maybe those professors are busy (just bad luck) or maybe your personalised emails are hitting the wrong note (in your control). Only actionable point is feedback on your personalised emails and reach out to new professors.
It is not seen positively on this site.