How to write an email as an international student - Part 2 - Why follow the email template ?

If you haven’t read the previous post regarding one of the better ways to write an email as an international student, I highly recommend taking a look using the link:
https://yocket.com/feed/how-to-write-an-email-as-an-international-student-that-may-result-in-a-quick-response-725376

After reading the previous post, you might be wondering why should you follow the email template. The short answer is to get the most accurate answer to your problem in the shortest amount of time.

Subject: Undergraduate/Graduate application payment issue with respect to application id ABC
Sometimes universities prioritize replying to an email according to the urgency level and do not have the time to read through the entire email at the 1st glance. The subject should be as clear as possible with the application id. It should be able to tell your exact problem and the reference application number. An application id in the subject line will help the email reviewer to take a closer look at the application if required instead of reading the entire email every time.

first_name middle_name last_name
A full name is always preferred by the university instead of your just first and last name. Keep your name the same throughout the application process. If you have corrections in your spelling in your documents, please correct them as soon as possible. The name should be the same as the documents you have submitted to the university. If you don't have a middle name then it's fine to write just the first_name and the last_name.

full_program_name_in bold [Example: master of science - computer science program for fall 2022]
Sometimes people tend to write short forms for a program like MS-SE. These short forms might create ambiguity if the email reviewer is not aware of the short forms. If you are thinking that they will be aware of the short forms then you are mistaken. An undergraduate assistant or a newly assigned person in the university might not be aware of this information. The email reviewer may have to go through the university website for the abbreviation or might have to go through your application to find out your program for sure. This will further delay you from getting a response. An incident that I recall is that of a friend who wrote CS in his email. The university had both computational science as well as computer science programs. After 5 days, he got a reply saying that they had to review his program information. So, there was a delay in replying to his email. If he had given the correct information in the email itself, he would have probably gotten his reply much earlier. So, try to give the reviewer as concise information as possible.

Personal details if required:
Sometimes personal details are required to verify the authenticity of the applicant. To be on the safer side, always mention these details in your first email to the university. Personal details may also be required to validate a correction in the application or a financial transaction. If a person doesn't write these details and these details are required later, this might result in a delay in getting the solution for your problem from the university because the authorities might want to verify your identity. In case of birthdate, to be as less ambiguous as possible, try to write the date in the format DDth month_name YYYY.

Issue:
Due to the high volume of emails, the email reviewer might not have the time to go through the email. If the email is categorized into sections, it will be easy for the reviewer to forward the email to the correct department or read the exact issue at hand and respond accordingly. To learn more helpful tips to write a better email, you can watch a youtube video of ‘8 email etiquette tips - how to write better emails at work’.

Ever had an ‘oops’ moment where you realized just after sending an email that you forgot to attach an important document? The solution is simple. Change your email settings. Enable the undo option and make it to the maximum time period possible. Sometimes, you might forget to attach an important document to an email. You can check a youtube video on ‘How to recall a message in Gmail that’s already been sent. This trick has saved me many times.

An email should contain all the information required for an email reviewer to pinpoint the exact details of your application without having to refer to any extra resources.
Lastly, schedule your email to be sent such that it reaches the university at 10 am on a business day. This way it's nice and top of their inbox. You have a better probability of getting a response immediately if the reviewer thinks that the sender is online even if you are not. I have tried this approach multiple times and have received a response within the same day many #masters #ms #bachelors #phd #admissions #applicationprocess #USA #universityselection #studyabroad #tipsandtricks