Summarize this article in one sentence.
Assess whether a graduate program would be a good fit for you before emailing specific professors. Look up the length of the program, the cost of the program, and whether it is located somewhere that is convenient for you. Additionally, you should assess whether the program aligns with your specific academic interests and if it will help you in achieving your educational and career goals. For example, if you want to pursue an advanced degree in Chemistry look for information about what funding is available, what type of research the department excels in, what labs you could work in, the history of funding for the labs (including what grants professors in the department have received), the department job placement history, and what the graduation requirements are. Thoroughly review the website of the university, graduate school, and the individual department. To get information not available online, you can contact the graduate school and the department graduate program coordinator. The department graduate program coordinator is usually listed on the department's website and is typically a professor in the department. Make sure that you are not asking these people questions that could easily be answered online. When applying for a graduate program, you need to identify professors that are a good fit with your interests. While their work doesn't need to match your potential work exactly, it should be generally similar. For example, if you want to study the history of women's healthcare in Japan in the 19th century, you should identify professors that align with some aspect of that interest. They could study the social history of Japan in the 19th century or the history of women's healthcare in another region or time period. You do not need to find a professor that specifically studies women's healthcare in Japan in the 19th century, although that would be an especially good fit. Before emailing a professor you should become generally familiar with their scholarly work. Do a search for them online and read or skim some of their publications before contacting them. By becoming familiar with the professor's work, you will be better prepared to explain to them why your academic work would be a good fit with theirs. When applying for a number of graduate programs you may be tempted to send totally generic emails to several professors. Do not do this. A personalized email will be much more engaging and will show the professor that you are actually interested in working with them, as opposed to just getting in to any program. This does not mean that some of your sentences cannot be reused. For instance, personal information about you and your academic history can be reused in multiple emails.
Research graduate programs online. Contact the school to get specific questions answered. Pick professors that match your academic interests. Review the professor's academic work. Send personalized emails to each professor.