Approaching professors prior to applying

[yaskhn3]

Hello!

I will be applying for a Ph.D. programme for Fall'19. People have been advising me to get in touch with the professors of universities, I want to get in. However, I'm not quite sure how to approach them. I have the following queries:

1. Do they bother to reply to an email coming from an unknown student in some part of the world?

2. Is this type of email seen as spam: "Hello! I'm from .... I've read your paper on .... I've worked on the same topic at ... and I was hoping to apply as a grad student under you"?

3. How should one approach them ideally?

Thanks in advance!

[djysyed]

Professors are very busy so keep your emails under 4-5 sentences. Begin with a quick introduction (My name is ... and I'm studying at ... . I am reaching out to you because I am interested in applying to ... and my research interests line up with yours). Give a brief summary of what your background (So far, my background in ... includes some courses at the (undergrad or grad) level as well as some research experience (if you wrote a paper, mention which journal its in)). Tie it all up (I have some questions about PhD program and wanted to know if you would be willing to answer).