What format should a first email to a prospective graduate supervisor take?
I want to contact a professor in Pohang before applying to their lab. I have heard the format and form of address matter a great deal in a first email in Korea. How long should the self-introduction and statement of research interest be, and is it acceptable to write again if there is no reply?
1 Answer
Put the purpose in the subject line — that single decision matters more than anything else in the email.
Something naming graduate admission, the lab you hope to join, and your own name makes it far more likely to be opened. For the salutation, use the family name and given name together followed by the professor's title; that form is unremarkable and safe.
Keep the body short. Three or four paragraphs, readable on one screen without scrolling. The first gives your nationality, current institution, major and expected graduation. The second is the one that actually decides the outcome: name one or two of the professor's papers you have genuinely read, by title, and say how they connect to your own interests. General praise reads as a form letter; a specific paper reference reads as serious. Close by stating which intake you are applying for and asking whether the lab has space and what scholarship conditions apply to international students.
Attach your CV and transcript as a single PDF with your name in the filename. On language, English is fine if Korean feels risky. Science and engineering labs in Pohang often work in English, and accurate English makes a better impression than awkward Korean.
If there is no reply, following up once in the same thread after a week to ten days is entirely acceptable — professors miss email constantly and some are glad of the reminder. Beyond one follow-up, stop and look at other labs in parallel. And start this two to three months before the application deadline. Sent close to the deadline, positions are frequently already settled.