David Evans -Advice
University of Virginia
Department of Computer Science
Like most professors, I get severalhundred emails a year from prospective students interested in coming to UVa forgraduate school and joining my research group. I try to reply to all messagesthat are not obviously spam, but find most messages I receive make me lesslikely to want to accept the students sending them. This page provides someadvice for prospective grad school applicants considering emailing me, but mostof it probably applies to any other professor you want to contact also.
像大多数教授一样，我每年能收到几百封电子邮件，都是来自想来我们大学读研的，想加入我的研究小组的学生们。我试着回复所有邮件除了那些明显的垃圾邮件，但是悲催的是，大部分邮件比垃圾邮件还不如，让我压根没有兴趣回复。所以，针对考虑发邮件联系导师的研究生申请者，我详细的提供了一些建议。
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Who To Contact
Its a really badidea to send spam emails to long lists of professors. These emails will neverhelp you, and some professors will maintain blacklists of applicants who dothis to make sure their application is rejected without consideration.
如果你想和找工作一样，海投，把你那相同的垃圾邮件发给大量的教授，毫无疑问，这是个一个非常糟糕的主意。这些电子邮件永远不会帮助你，更惨的是，一些教授会将这些申请者拉入黑名单，你们的申请不需考虑，直接拒绝。
Your goal in sending email is not to contact as manyprofessors as you can, but to identify a few professors who you might want asyour research advisor and then to find which of those seem most promising asadvisors and convince them that you would be a worthwhile student.
你的目标，不是尽你所能的发大量邮件给无数的教授，而是，先确定少数一些可能有希望成为你的研究导师，然后从中，找到最有可能，最有希望的导师，用你的三寸不烂之舌，说服他们，告诉他们，你将是一个有价值的学生。
You should only contact professors with whom you have agenuine interest in working based on knowing something about them and what theydo. You can find out about professors' research by looking at their web pages(professors who don't have web pages about their research are either notinterested in recruiting students, not doing any research, or so famous theyprobably have someone to filter their email for them).
你应该只联系那些你真正感兴趣的，想一起工作学习的教授，了解他们和他们所做的研究项目。你可以通过他们的网页，了解教授和他们的研究项目 (有些教授没有在网上介绍他们的研究，要么是不招学生， 要么是不做任何研究，要么是他们太有名了，有人为他们过滤电子邮件)。
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Do Your Homework
Before contacting a potential advisor,do your homework: read the advisor's home page.
联系一个潜在的导师之前，一定要多做功课：仔细查阅导师网上的主页和至少一篇最近的论文。
If doing this doesn't give you any interesting ideas,this is probably not someone with whom you want to do research so you shouldn'twaste time contacting her or him. If it does, send a short introductory email.
如果这样做还是不会给你任何有趣的想法，这教授可能不适合你，所以你不应该浪费时间联系她或他。如果这个导师适合你，接下来，发一个简短的介绍邮件。
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First Email
A typical message should go something like this：标准模板来了~
From: Flipper Wordsfish <flipper@adou.edu>
Subject: Student Interested in TSU Problem
Dear Professor Nemo,
I will be finishing a BS degree in Underwater Mathematics at the Atlantis Deep Ocean University this year. I am considering applying to UVa's PhD program and would be interested joining your Octople Cryptology research group.
I found your paper, "A Linear-Time Solution to the Travelling Sea Urchin Problem", on your website (http://www.smith.org/urchin.html). I was fascinated by your result, especially as I have spent several summers studying the similar travelling sea cucumber problem as an intern at Microshifty Corp in the Attle Sea. You can find a paper about my work on this athttp://www.flipper.com/research/tscp.html.
I believe your result is even more important than your paper implies, since it can be extended to solve the Travelling Salescritter Problem and thus to prove P = NP.
Do you think it would be worthwhile to pursue this line of research? If you are interested, I can send you a proof sketch.
Regards,
Flipper Wordsfish (flipper@adou.edu)
让我用上面Flipper同学的邮件，来一步一步教你如何写套磁邮件，学着点！
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From:Flipper Wordsfish <flipper@adou.edu> Subject:Student Interested in TSU Problem Make sure your from address and subject lines are useful.地址和主题都要写清楚 |
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Dear Professor Nemo, Greeting:its safest to be a bit formal here.敬语一定要正式 |
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I will be finishing a BS degree in Underwater Mathematics at the Atlantis Deep Ocean University this year. I am considering applying to UVa's PhD program and would be interested joining your Octople Cryptology research group. Briefly introduce yourself in at most two sentences. Don't tell your whole life story. Be direct and clear about applying to grad school. 简洁的介绍自己，最多不能超过2句，不要罗里吧嗦的讲你的学习生活经历。直接明了的说，你想申请研究生 |
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I found your paper, "A Linear-Time Solution to the Travelling Sea Urchin Problem", on your website (http://www.smith.org/urchin.html). I was fascinated by your result, especially as I have spent several summers studying the similar travelling sea cucumber problem as an intern at Microshifty Corp in the Attle Sea. You can find a paper about my work on this at http://www.flipper.com/research/tscp.html.
Explain specifically what you read and where you found it (people sometimes publish several papers with similar names and forget which is which). A touch of flattery never hurts, but don't go overboard. If appropriate, relate it to your background and interests and briefly plug your work. 具体解释你了解的信息和你在哪里找到的(教授有时发表数篇论文具有类似名称，所以会忘记)。少许的恭维，但也不要显得太过头。在适当的情况下，将你的背景和兴趣与这些联系在一起，简单的插入你做过的项目。 |
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I believe your result is even more important than your paper implies, since it can be extended to solve the Travelling Salescritter Problem and thus to prove P = NP. Concisely describe your insight or why you are interested in the work.简明地描述你的洞察力和为什么你感兴趣。 |
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Do you think it would be worthwhile to pursue this line of research? If you are interested, I can send you a proof sketch. End with a clear, simple question.Offer a suggestion on how to proceed.用一个清晰的、简单的问题作为结尾。提供一个建议，例如如何推进 |
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Regards, Closing—make sure to include your name and email address.最后，一定要有你的名字和电子邮件地址。 |
Of course, your insight isn't likely to be so significantas Flipper's. But, you should make an effort to raise an interesting questionabout the work described in the paper, to suggest extensions or applications ofthe work, or to relate it directly to something you have done.
当然，你的洞察力不太可能不如上面邮件的作者Flipper。但是，你应该从他们的论文中提到的项目里，努力找到提高一个吸引人的话题，然后去扩展或应用，或直接联系你之前所做的事情。
It is definitely worth taking time to write clearly andconsisely using correct spelling and grammar. As with all emails, the messageshould be broken into short paragraphs, the sentences should be simple andstraightforward.
这绝对值得花大量时间写清楚，同时使用正确的拼写和语法。正如所有邮件一样，内容应该分为短段落、每一句应该简单明了。
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What Not To Do
▲Never do any of these:
Don't send information about your GRE scores, GPA, class rank, cholesterol levels, favorite movies, etc. and ask what your chances of admission are. Standardized tests and grades have minimal influence on your chances of admission and reveal very little about your potential as a researcher. No one can or should tell you anything about your chances of admission based on an email (other than that you are more likely to be rejected now since you sent an annoying email).
千万不要发送任何以下乱七八糟的信息，比如GRE考试成绩, 平均成绩GPA, 班级排名, 你的胆固醇水平,你最喜欢的电影等等,也千万不要问你录取的几率是什么。标准化考试结果和成绩对你的录取影响很小, 根本不能很大程度的展示你做研究的潜力。如果仅仅从一封电子邮件，没有人可以或有义务告诉你任何关于你被录取的概率（除了你现在更大可能被直接拒绝,因为你发了一个恼人的邮件)。
Don't send a first email longer than a typical screenful. You should be able to get across everything you need in a first email concisely and use longer emails if technical depth is required in follow ups.
千万不要发长篇大论在第一封邮件中。你应该在第一封邮件中简明扼要的把所有东西讲清楚，如果后续沟通中，需要在更深的技术层面上，你可以用长篇的邮件。
Don't waste space and time telling me how hard-working, creative and smart you are — demonstrate it with the contents of your message.
不要浪费篇幅和时间告诉我你是如何努力,如何有创造力，如何聪明的，充斥在你的邮件中。
Don't waste space and time telling me how brilliant I am. The fact that you are interested in joining my research group is flattery enough.
不要浪费篇幅和时间来恭维我，我是多么辉煌，多么牛逼。你有兴趣加入我的研究小组就是对我的最大认可。
Don't make generic statements about being interested in my work or how well it relates to your interests. Most professors have projects in several different areas and can't figure out what you mean unless you describe a specific connection or interest.
不要用泛泛的证明来告诉我，你对我的工作多么多么感兴趣或者我的研究工作正好与你的兴趣多么多么相符。大多数教授有项目在几个不同的领域, 他们根本不知道你指的哪一个, 除非你具体描述一个特定的联系或者兴趣点。
Don't attach anything to your email. If you want to provide additional content, you should do this by sending a URL (as plain text, not a link). If you are not able to create a web page, you probably shouldn't be applying to CS graduate programs.
不要附上任何东西在你的电子邮件上。如果你想提供额外的内容，你应该通过发送一个URL(作为普通文本,而不是一个链接)。如果你不能够创建一个网页，你可能真不适合申请计算机科学的研究生课程。
Don't use HTML encoded email or non-standard character sets.
不要使用HTML编码邮件或非标准的字符集编码。
If you are a non-native English speaker, make sure your "From:" address appears using the English alphabet. If you have a name that is difficult for English speakers to pronounce or distinguish, it is to your advantage to use a name that English speakers can pronounce and remember. I do realize it is very unfair for us to expect you to change your name for our convenience and cultural ignorance! But, once you get admitted you can and should tell people what you want them to call you.
如果你是一个国际留学生，英语非母语, 确保你的“from” 邮箱地址是英语字母出现。如果你的名字,让英语为母语的人很难发音或区分，建议你适用一个容易发音和记忆的英文名字。我明白这对你们是非常不公平的，仅仅是为我们自己的便利和对你们文化的无知就让你们改名字。不过，一旦你获得承认，被录取后，你想让人们怎么称呼你就怎么称呼你。
Note that for your formal application it is necessary touse your legal name, so if you use another name in your email communicationswith faculty, it is important to also provide the name you use in yourapplication so they can identify the corresponding application. This isprobably not necessary in a first email, but is a good opportunity to refreshthe relationship after you send in your application by informing your contactto the formal name used in your application.
注意，正式的学校申请需要使用您的真实姓名，所以如果你在电子邮件中使用另一个名字与导师沟通，一定要注意提供您在申请中使用的名字， 这样他们就可以确定保持一致。可能在第一封邮件中没有必要， 但是提出申请后，是一个很好的机会来告知你的真实名字给导师。
Don't use any fancy formatting in your email (including your message signature).
不要使用任何炫目的格式在电子邮件中(包括你的个人签名)。
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