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They get so many emails a day from the hundreds of other students in their many classes and they absolutely DO NOT want to sift through your email, trying to understand what you’re trying to say.
(Actually, no one wants to sift through your email, trying to understand what you’re trying to say. Busy prof or not. So, I guess this is more of an everyday life skill that you need to master going into the real world).
Here are some tips and tricks followed by a quick and easy template.
1. HAVE A CLEAR SUBJECT LINE. Nothing turns a professor off more than an email with an elusive, or worse, missing subject line. It should include the course that you have with them and the reason for your email. Ex. “BIO1111-C Overdue Assignment”
2. USE SALUTATIONS. It’s the polite thing to do. “Dear, Good morning, Good afternoon”. Follow it up with a “I hope you’re well” or “I hope you had a great weekend”. DO NOT use “Hey or Hi Prof”.
3. INTRODUCE YOURSELF. There are way too many students, TAs, staff members and countless others that interact with your professor in a day. Introduce yourself immediately and be clear that you are a student in their class.
4. GET TO THE POINT. Do not write countless paragraphs with useless information. Whether it be unnecessary details about why you missed class or a bunch of words that you think make you sound intelligent. No one has time for that. Professors appreciate when you are straight to the point with your email. Try not to write more than 3-4 sentences (obviously depending on the context of your email). Which brings me to the next point.
5. KNOW WHEN TO EMAIL. Not everything can and should be addressed by email. Not everything can and should be addressed by the professor. Read your course syllabus to make sure you are emailing the right person about the right thing. Sometimes have you email the head TA when you are going to miss a class whereas you can email your professor directly when you have a question about course content. There are some questions however, that cannot be addressed by email. You can typically gauge this by thinking about the type of response you would like to receive. If you have trouble understanding a difficult topic or theory, it might be best to make an appointment. If it is simply a clarification question and the answer can be given within 4 sentences, email away. You’ll get a feel for these things as you go along.
6. READ THE SYLLABUS. Before emailing your professor, make sure that your question is not already answered in the syllabus or other course related materials. Listen in class! If they already addressed your concern, it is not likely that you will get a nice response, or even a response at all.
7. USE YOUR SCHOOL EMAIL. This increases the possibility of your prof actually opening the email and not just assuming it’s spam. It also saves you any embarrassment that comes with a poorly chosen email address.
8. FOLLOW UP. If it has been an obviously long amount of time and you haven’t received a response, a gentle reminder MAY be acceptable. Make sure your email wasn’t indirectly answered in class or through announcements, and make sure you have given them enough time to actually respond. Use wisdom in sending a follow up email!
9. SPELL CHECK. Read, re-read and re-read again! Mistakes are embarrassing and email your professor is already stressful enough. Grammarly is your friend!
SAMPLE EMAIL
[COURSE CODE + SECTION] [REASON FOR EMAIL]
Good morning/afternoon/Dear Professor ______________,
I hope you are well
My name is [NAME] and I am a student in your [CLASS].
I have a question regarding [explain, including all and ONLY relevant information]. Would it be possible to [propose a solution].
OR
I would like to advise you that [explain, ONLY relevant information].
I look forward to hearing from you/I look forward to your reply.
Sincerely/Best regards,
[NAME]
[STUDENT NUMBER – If necessary]
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