Email Etiquette

This article I think is fabulous. As the recipient of the mail@anycollege.com email address and a former college counselor whose email was given out to every single student upon starting classes (I'd average over 100 emails per day coming in) this is a pet subject of mine. However, I believe that if you need something/want something/need to get your point across you cannot risk a poorly written email.

I am guilty of receiving emails that are poorly written and immediately blowing off the sender because of it. Any request in the email goes unanswered for some time and I won't take the time with it that I normally would. Why? I have felt that if you are asking me to take some of my time to assist you with something, you can at least take the time to use correct spelling and grammar in the email, especially that most email systems have not only a spell checker but a grammar checker.

A few of my own comments on the article:

E-Mail is forever. Once you send it off, you can't get it back. Once your professor has it, he or she owns it and can save it or, in the worst case, forward it onto colleagues for a good laugh—at your expense. (Call us at the college heartless, but this absolutely does happen- usually preceded by "Look at what this student wrote- can you believe it? Should I reply?" And believe me- the temptation to write back a smart *** response is strong.)

Professors might not be using the cruddy university E-mail system. So, send to the address they actually use, not the one on the university directory. (Check the syllabus or assignment sheet for clues.) (In the student's defense, shame on the professor if he/she does not regularly check the University email. When you can't find your syllabus at 2 AM and all you have is the University directory then you email the listed address there. That's why there is a University Directory and as much as they may hate the University standard email they should use it.)

Professors might not open mail sent from luckydogpig@thepound.com. They prefer to open mail sent from more reputable addresses, like you@theCruddyUniversityE-mailSystem.edu.
Subject lines are for subjects. Put a brief explanation of the nature of the E-mail (like "question about paper") in the subject line. And never include demands such as "urgent request—immediate response needed." That's the surest way to get your request "Pluto-ed." (Half the time when I would receive an email from randomwordshere@whateveremailaddress.com the student would also forget to sign it... and when I can't tell who emailed me and that person is asking for help there isn't a whole lot I can do. This would be up there when I would get a phone message from "John" asking me to call him back urgently... with no phone number in a student body of 1,400)


Salutations matter. The safest way to start is with "Dear Professor So and So" (using their last name). That way you won't be getting into the issue of whether the prof has a Ph.D. or not, and you won't seem sexist when you address your female professor as "Ms." or, worse yet, "Mrs. This and That." (Worse yet: salutations of "Hey you", "Dude" "Yo-" or none at all... your professors are not "dude" or any variation thereof, no matter how cool they are.

Clear and concise is best. Your prof might get 25 or 30 E-mails in a day. (If they're lucky. Most of my professor friends get over 100 per day. PER DAY!) So, it's best if you ask your questions in as focused and succinct a way as possible (hint: it's often good to number your questions). And, if your questions are very elaborate or multifaceted, it's best to hoof over to an in-person office hour. You'll get better service that way. (You will also get a quicker answer to your questions. Trust me, professors don't want to play email tag for three days for a question that could have been answered in two minutes in person.)

This is not IM-ing. So pls dun wrte yor profeSR lIk ur txtN. uz abbrz @ yor own rsk. coRec me f Im wrng. (Please, please don't do this. Most professors do not speak this language!) (So true. I often have sent emails back to students simply saying "Dear Student, I do not understand what you are saying. Thank you.-Nikki" This also goes for acronyms that I don't understand. It's one thing if I can generally sound it out but when you add JTEJW into your email or some other acronym (half the time not capitalized either so I'm really not sure what that word is) you've just doubly confused me. Even if I do understand, this is just simply inappropriate to write to any one at the college in.)

This is not College Humor. So resist the temptation to talk about the "bad ass" paper you need help with, your "loser" TA who didn't teach you what you needed to know, or the "cruddy" grade you just got on the midterm. (See above comments. Again, this is not a language professors speak. While they are human, they do take their work seriously. You should too. )

This is not Dr. Phil. Avoid sending long excuses about why you missed class. No professor wants to hear about how your grandfather just died (even if it's true—which it never is), how your Jeep got totaled, or why you just spent three days in the hoosegow. (If you absolutely have to send an excuse (and yes, even if your grandfather who was your best friend just died it's still seen as an excuse) keep it succinct. "Personal matters" cover everything from car problems to getting tossed in the slammer for a DUI. "Family emergency" covers mom in the hospital and little brother going AWOL. If you end up talking to the professor a few more details can come out in person, but please not in the email.)

Spelling mistakes make you look like a doofis, so always use the spell check. And while your at it, it wouldn't hurt to proofread your E-mail, two. (Please please please please please)


There are more details and suggestions in the article. I highly recommend reading it and putting the tips to good use when you're in college, and those good habits will eventually transfer into good email skills at your job.

Trust me, fewer things will become more annoying than poorly written email when you've got someone asking you for something.