Find out when their office hours are and talk to them then. Assuming you are going to be doing research, find someone who does work you find interesting and then read their publications thus familiarizing yourself with their work (a lot of people want to do research, showing that you know a little and care will make you stand out). You can also call them on their office phone if you wish. Lastly, I would recommend trying to find out about different professors through their current/past students (a lot of professors have websites and their students contact info can usually be found there).

In regards to not getting replies to your emails, be sure to make your emails stand out by showing you are genuinely interested in their work and want to contribute. Don't just email them saying exclusively shit like, "Dr. X, Can you be my advisor for grad school?" - Sincerely, Y. Also keep in mind that they get a giga shit ton of emails, so it might take a little bit to get a response.

One more note, if you are going for only a master's, it will be harder to get an advisor/receive funding compared to if you are going for that PhDizzle. If just doing a master's or are still and undergrad, you might have to do something notable academically to get noticed (i.e do well in their classes and have a good reputation among your department). If you are going to a new school for grad school, it doesn't hurt to ask for recommendations from past professors/lecturers.

Best of luck.

>falling for the grad school meme

is there some kind of mute/block functionality in tftv so i dont have to accidentally read a post from rotidder again?

http://www.teamfortress.tv/32256/hide-tftv-posts-chrome-extension

i have a full head of hair

ok that was kinda funny man

more jokes funny controversial opinion alt man

the only thing your head is full of is air

why are people attacking me ?

Ask your current professors + advisor for contact information or to contact them for you - it will be taken much more seriously.

my applications so far have been based mostly off people my current PI knows or collabs w/
2 of them are US and one is EU
all got personal emails citing the parts of their research I liked and talked about models or w/e I'd been thinking about based on their work

none bothered to email me back :(

Academics are notorious for not responding to emails. If you don't get a response at all, it doesn't hurt to email again. My current PI didn't respond for 3 months, I emailed again and it turned out she was in Antarctica when I originally emailed.

Ask if they have any funding or projects they would be willing to fund in your area of interest. If you really know your shit, you can propose something yourself that you'd be interested in doing. Also ask them for research papers/information to read for background (If not already supplied). It shows interest.

Email a lot of people and don't get discouraged, academics in the same field tend to know one another. If they can't fund you they can point you to someone who might have the funding, and will generally let you know if you're a strong candidate.

Try and get a background in what you're applying to do by reading current research papers in that field (not just your prospective PI's stuff). If you have the ability to do an undergraduate or a master's project in that or a similar field, do so. The experience will help your application a lot.

As everyone said before, where possible get good references from people your prospective PI has heard of. It can really help an application.

Ask you PI to contact them on your behalf.

but what if they think im clingy?

ty for the advice but ive been hitting all the bulletpoints here so i guess ive had shit luck :(

Well, I don't know how long you have been waiting. . . If its only been a few days, give it a week or 2 more. They could be at a conference or just super busy currently. If you were my student trying to get into a grad program and asked me to follow up with something like this, I wouldn't be bothered at all.

I didn't get replies back from a large number of people I messaged. I usually used the strategy of sending them a message asking if they got my first email a few weeks later. Some people replied, some didn't (it's shitty as really they should let you know why they can't take you on).

If you still don't get a response, try messaging another researcher at the same institution who works closely with that person. Sometimes they'll mention it to the person they initially sent it to and it'll get them to reply.

Most people won't think you're clingy for sending a second message, if anything it shows that you care about working with them.