Orange Crate Art_ How to E-mail a Professor

8/13/2019 Orange Crate Art_ How to E-mail a Professor

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3/2/2014 Orange Crate Art: How to e-mail a professor

http://mleddy.blogspot.com.es/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html

M O N D A Y , J A N U A R Y 1 0 , 2 0 0 5

How to e-mail a professor[By a professor, for students. As of January

2013, this post has been visited by more

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Wilson. It is, to my

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http://mleddy.blogspot.com.es/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html 2

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everyone.]

I've read enough e-mails to know that many

college students could benefit from some

guidelines for writing an e-mail to a

professor. Here they are:

Write from your college or university e-

mail account. That immediately lets your

professor see that your e-mail is legitimate

Orange crate art was

a place to start.

Comments are

welcome, appended to

posts or by e-mail.

Bloggers built-in

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and not spam. The cryptic or cutesy or

salacious personal e-mail address that

might be okay when you send an e-mail to a

friend is not appropriate when you're writing

to a professor.

Include the course number in your

subject line."Question about 3009

assignment" is clear and sounds genuine,

while "a question" looks like spam.

"Question about English assignment" or

"question about assignment," without

identifying the class you're in, may leave

your professor with the chore of figuring that

out. For someone teaching large lecture

classes, that might mean reading through

hundreds of names on rosters. But even for a

professor with smaller classes, it's a drag to

get an e-mail that merely says "I'm in your

English class and need the assignment." All

your English professor's classes are English

classes; she or he still needs to know which

one is yours.

Consider, in light of this advice, the

following examples:

An e-mail from "qtpie2005" with the

S T A T C O U N T E R

S U B S C R I B E

Click to subscribe in a

readeror by e-mail.

T O P T W E N T YT A G S

artbookscollegecomics

culturedowdyworldeducation

filmjazzlifemusicpencils

photographypoetrypolitics

Prousttechnologytelevision

wordswriting

W OR D S T O

L I V E B Y

The sun is new every

day.

Heraclitus

*
https://pinboard.in/u:m.leddy/t:writing/https://pinboard.in/u:m.leddy/t:words/https://pinboard.in/u:m.leddy/t:television/https://pinboard.in/u:m.leddy/t:technology/https://pinboard.in/u:m.leddy/t:Proust/https://pinboard.in/u:m.leddy/t:politics/https://pinboard.in/u:m.leddy/t:poetry/https://pinboard.in/u:m.leddy/t:photography/https://pinboard.in/u:m.leddy/t:pencils/https://pinboard.in/u:m.leddy/t:music/https://pinboard.in/u:m.leddy/t:life/https://pinboard.in/u:m.leddy/t:jazz/https://pinboard.in/u:m.leddy/t:film/https://pinboard.in/u:m.leddy/t:education/https://pinboard.in/u:m.leddy/t:dowdyworld/https://pinboard.in/u:m.leddy/t:culture/https://pinboard.in/u:m.leddy/t:comics/https://pinboard.in/u:m.leddy/t:college/https://pinboard.in/u:m.leddy/t:books/https://pinboard.in/u:m.leddy/t:art/http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=OrangeCrateArthttp://feeds.feedburner.com/OrangeCrateArthttp://www.statcounter.com/


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subject line "question."

An e-mail from a university account with

the subject line "question about English

2011 essay."

Which one looks legitimate? Which one looks

like spam?

Think about what you're saying.Most

students are not accustomed to writing to

their professors. Here are some ways to do it

well:

Choose an appropriate greeting.

"Hi/Hello Professor [Blank]" is always

appropriate. Substitute "Dear" and

you've ended up writing a letter; leave

out "Hi" and your tone is too brusque.

Avoid rote apologies for missing

class.Most professors are tired of

hearing those standard apologies and

acts of contrition. If you missed class

because of some especially serious or

sad circumstances, it might be better to

mention that in person than in an e-

mail.

Every day is a new

deal.

Harvey Pekar, Alice

Quinn

*

[O]ur worst fears, like

our greatest hopes,

are not outside ourpowers, and we can

come in the end to

triumph over the

former and to achieve

the latter.

Marcel Proust, Finding

Time Again

*

I dont really deeply

feel that anyone needsan airtight reason for

quoting from the

works of writers he

loves, but its always

nice, Ill grant you, if


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Ask politely."Could you e-mail me the

page numbers for the next reading?

Thanks!" is a lot better than "I need the

assignment."

Proofread what you've written.You

want your e-mail to show you in the

best possible light.

Sign with your full name, course

number, and meeting time.

Maggie Simpson

English 3703, MWF 10:00

Signing is an obvious courtesy, and it

eliminates the need for stilted self-

identification ("I am a student in your

such-and-such class").

One don't, and one last do:

Don't send unexpected attachments.It's

bad form. Attaching an essay with a request

that your professor look it over is very bad

form. Arrange to meet your professor during

office hours or by appointment instead. It's

he has one.

J.D. Salinger, Seymour:

An Introduction

# 1 H I T

How to e-mail a

professor

I N M E M O R Y O F

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1986)

Jim Doyle (1944

2005)

Rob Zseleczky (1957

2013)

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especially bad form to send an e-mail that

says "I won't be in class today," with a paper

or some other coursework attached. Think

about it: Your professor is supposed to print

out your essay because you're not coming to

class?

When you get a reply, say thanks.Just hit

Reply and say "Thanks," or a little bit more if

that's appropriate. The old subject line

(which will now have a "Re:" in front) will

make the context clear. I don't think that you

need to include a greeting with a short reply,

at least not if you refer to your professor in

your reply. And you don't need to identify

yourself by course number and meeting time

again.

Many e-mail messages end up never

reaching their intended recipients, for

reasons of human and technological error,

so it's always appropriate to acknowledge

that someone's message got through. It's

also plain courtesy to say thanks. (Your

professor will remember it too.) When you

reply, you should delete almost everything

of your professor's reply (quoting everything

is rarely appropriate in e-mail). Leave just

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enough to make the original context clear.

So what would a good e-mail to a professor

look like?

Hi Professor Leddy,

I'm working on my essay on William

Carlos Williams and I'm not sure what to

make of the last stanza of "Spring and

All." I'm stuck trying to figure out what

"It" is. Do you have a suggestion?

Thanks!

Maggie Simpson

Eng 3703, MWF 10:00

And a subsequent note of thanks:

> "It" is most likely spring, or life itself.

But have you

> looked up "quicken"? That'll probably

make

> "It" much clearer.

It sure did. Thanks for your help,

Professor.

Getting

organized with

simple tools,

part 1

Getting

organized . . .

part 2

Getting

organized . . .

part 3

Gettingorganized . . .

part 4

Getting

organized . . .

part 5

How to improve

writing (no. 3 in

a series)

More Paris

Review

interviews

January 24

Good advice on

looking at art

#1 COMEDY OF

ALL TIME!
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Maggie Simpson

[How to e-mail a professoris licensed under

a Creative Commons 3.0 License. Revised

September 26 and October 29, 2005;

February 4, 2006. ]

More useful stuff for students:

Beware of the saurus

Granularity for studentsHow to answer a question in class

How to be a student a professor will

remember (for the right reasons)

How to do well on a final exam

How to do horribly on a final exam

How to punctuate a sentence

How to punctuate more sentences

How to talk to a professor

How to unstuff a sentence

Is this honor society legitimate?

"Rewording"

Rule 7

Seeing professors clearly

Slow down and read

Study = hard work

Syllabus week

Yo, professor!

Frost interview

Patriarchal

names

Overheard

Roads not taken

Another reason

not to be called

"Doctor"

Two actresses

StanleyLombardo

interview

Odysseus and

odium

MLK

How to improve

writing (no. 2 in

a series)

Kenneth Koch

Capeesh?

How to e-mail a

professor

On the relevance

of the classics

Saturday night

quesadillas
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And for professors:

How to e-mail a student

And if you want to read the most recentposts on Orange Crate Art, here's the front

page.

[Some further thoughts: I'm astonished by

the amount of interest in this post--over

1,600 visits in the past two days. Thenagain, there really isn't anything very similar

on-line--or if there is, I haven't found it--so

if what I've written is useful, well, I'm happy.

My one purpose in writing these guidelines

was to help college students write to their

professors with greater ease and maturity

and a better sense of audience (instead of "i

am a student in your class"). They're

guidelines for writing to a professor, any

professor, in the absence of other

guidelines. And they're meant to keep the e-

mailer in the high esteem of any professor to

whom he or she is writing.

Most of the reasoning behind the guidelines

is omitted for concision. But I'll elaborate a

2004(83)

F A V O R I T EP O S T S

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Seltzer

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Center and St. Pauls

Chapel

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Orwell

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Ellington for beginners

Extra credit?

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Five pens

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Piletti

Homeric blindness incolledge

How to Write a

Sentence

Imaginary liner notes

Invisible man: Louis
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little here. Why, for instance, write from a

university account? A professor filtering

spam will almost certainly also have a filter

to okay mail from addresses from her or his

"edu." So if you want your mail to get

through, an "edu" account is a smart choice.

Many schools require students to use those

accounts for official school business already.

Writing from an appropriate address is

smart practice for the future too. (I always

say something when I see a tacky or juvenile

e-mail address on an otherwise polished

student rsum.)

Why say "Hi/Hello Professor [Blank]?" Well,

what should a student call a professor?

Some people like "Doctor"; some don't.

Some people don't have a doctorate. Some

people don't explain any of that to students.

There was a great piece in the Chronicle

about this subject not long ago--"What

Should We Call the Professor?"Professor, in

the absence of any other guidelines, seems

like a good choice.

Having received many telegraphic one-

sentence e-mails, often with no greeting, no

thank-you, and no signature, I find them

Armstrong and the

New York Times

Invitation to a dance

Is there a pencil in The

House?

John Lee Hooker and

Canned Heat

A Kerouac notebook

page

The kitchen shink [sic]

Lady Elaines canMake My Jotter Quit!

Mysteries of the

tollbooth

Nationals et cetera

Nick DeMaio and the

Eldorado

Obama revisions

Obama thoughts

On On the New

Literacy

Proust: involuntary

memory, foolish

things

Out of the past

Phones Are For People

P.S. 131
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weirdly depersonalized: "I need the

assignment." I do think a question is better,

better even than a polite "Please send the

assignment," because the question is more

conversational, more human. (But if a

student e-mails me and says "I need the

assignment," I send it.)

Why sign with your name, class, and meeting

time? It's a courtesy, yes, but it also avoids

the awkward "My name is . . . , and I am a

student in your such-and-such class," all of

which is taken care of in the signature. It

occurs to me that "My name is . . . , and I am

a student in . . ." is telling evidence of the

unfamiliarity of e-mail as a way for students

to communicate with professors.

I appreciate the point several commenters

have made about a follow-up thank-you

being unneeded. Still, a lot of e-mail doesn't

get through, and the follow-up, to my mind,

closes the loop. Many people do a follow-up

by using the subject line to say thanks, often

followed by the abbreviation "eom" (end of

message). That seemed to me too arcane to

recommend. But I do like the idea of closing

the loop by saying yes, I got it, thanks.

Pullum on Strunk and

White

Re: the Beloit Mindset

List

Some have gone and

some remain

Sports Illustrated and

Proust

The Springfield Daily

Gazette

That (in)famous lineVan Dyke Parks in

Chicago

Dont look for

premiums orcoupons, as the cost of

the thoughts blended

in

ORANGE CRATE ART

pro-

hibits the use of them.
http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2010/09/van-dyke-parks-in-chicago_27.htmlhttp://mleddy.blogspot.com/2011/11/that-infamous-line.htmlhttp://mleddy.blogspot.com/2008/08/springfield-daily-gazette.htmlhttp://mleddy.blogspot.com/2008/06/sports-illustrated-and-proust.htmlhttp://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/08/some-have-gone-and-some-remain.htmlhttp://mleddy.blogspot.com/2010/08/re-beloit-mindset-list.htmlhttp://mleddy.blogspot.com/2009/04/pullum-on-strunk-and-white.html


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I hope that this post leads to much more

talking on the part of professors and

students about communicating by e-mail.

All reports from the business worldpoint to

enormous problems of clarity, correctness,

and decorum with e-mail writing. Maybe

things can start to go better in college.

Added September 30, 2005; revised

October 29, 2005.]

BY MICHAEL LEDDY AT 11:45 AM

C O M M E N T S : 1 3 7

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the help. This was just the thing i

was looking for and i think that everybody

should read this.

Example:

Hi profesor Gusev

I'm sending this mail so you would assign

me a project.
http://mleddy.blogspot.com.es/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.htmlhttp://mleddy.blogspot.com/2004/12/business-writing.html


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From:

Name LastName

index

MAY 20, 200 5 7:27 AM

timsaid...

Hi Professor:

I work at a university in Idaho and am in

charge of leadership development

(especially in the area of extracurricularactivites). This is a superb post that I will

pass on to my students. Their professors will

be very grateful for your insightful

comments.

timhttp://studentlinc.typepad.com

SEPTEMBER 2 8, 2005 1:19 PM

Anonymous said...

This makes sense for professors who teach

large lectures.

However, as a student, I hate feeling like just

another number and grade to professors. Its

my #1 pet peeve at my university.
http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1127931540000#c112793156697301929http://studentlinc.typepad.com/http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1116592020000#c111659205762428394


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If I'm in a class with under 25 students,

where discussion is common, I expect to be

able to email the professor with a question

about the material and have him or her

know who I am.

In large lectures, with smaller sections, I

expect to be able to email the TA and have

him or her know who I am.

Is this just because I'm a whiny, self-

centered and self-righteous student?

Probably, because most of us are. Still, it is

professional courtesy that anyone would

expect of someone they work with or for,

day in and day out.


Michael Leddysaid...

Thanks for the comments, Tim and

anonymous readers. Anonymous 2, I wholly

agree that you should be able to count on a

prof in a small class knowing who you are. (Iknow all of my students, by name and class.)

I've received many e-mails from students

with no signature and nothing more than the

cryptic e-mail address my school issues
http://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1127941080000#c112794113256029914


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(e.g., "cukl6," no first or last name) to let me

figure out who's writing. So my

recommendation here is the result of

wondering, "Who is this?"


ei-nyungsaid...

Hi Professer,

Just last week, I wrote a very similar post

regarding what a good email to a co-workerlooks like versus a bad email, with examples

of each. :) I really enjoyed reading your tips,

because it really is about being considerate

and doing your part in the communication

process as a student, instead of creating

extra work for the recepient. Thank you.


AllanHsaid...

With only minor modifications for context,

these rules/tips apply to anyemail situation

-- even between friends.

Those of us that recieve high volumes of

email are always frustrated by

friends/colleagues who just have no clue

about email ettiquette and do things like
http://www.blogger.com/profile/05724923466812934499http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1127943540000#c112794357027971134http://inciteariot.helava.com/2005/09/how-to-be-good-coworker.htmlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15993511877574923880http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1127942820000#c112794287264737795


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change the subject on every reply or use all-

caps or don't quote back. And yes, spelling

and grammar still count -- even when you're

saying "Let's meet for some beer at the

pub!".

:-)

Thanks for posting this. I've added it to my

del.icio.us (I found it through it's popular

feed).

Cheers!

Allan


Anonymous said...

I will add this to my Yahoo thing, too. I'm e-

mailing a lot of professors these days...


Anonymous said...

Lucky for me I have never had a class tought

by such a prima donna

SEPTEMBER 2 8, 2005 10:43 PM

Anonymous said...
http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1127965380000#c112796542526089424http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1127958120000#c112795815501588244http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1127952600000#c112795262139586583


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Are you kidding? This is common sense.

What kind of dumb, b-rate institutions are

you guys affiliated with?

SEPTEMBER 2 9, 2005 1:34 AM

Anonymous said...

Hi,

I'm a Uni lecturer in the UK, and this really

hit home. I am going to put the URL in my

students' module guides from now on!

Just one point - it would be great if I could

know all the names of students even in small

(


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deleting these types of replies!

If someone shows courtesy in their request,

your reply should be the end of the email

conversation. There is no need to clutter

email inboxes with one word "Thanks"

replies. However, if the request is answered

over and beyond the call of duty, someone

should certainly show courtesy in that

instance with a reply.

Just my preference. Nice post.


Liz Markssaid...

A colleague passed this on to me. Definitely

posting it on my class websites :> I oftenteach three sections of the same class so

having students mention which section

they're in so I can find them on my roster is

extremely helpful.

Though I too actually prefer not to getreplies unless they're bringing up a new

question or subject.


Anonymous said...
http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1128000840000#c112800086101588237http://www.lizmarks.net/http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1127999580000#c112799958495809973


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You remarked that you are surprised by the

popularity of you post. I believe it's so

popular because it's been added to

del.icio.us by 57 people. I thought you

might find that interesting.

http://del.icio.us/popular/university

NOVEMBER 01 , 2005 11:29 AM

Davidsaid...

Bless you. Keep fighting the good fight.

NOVEMBER 07 , 2005 11:12 PM

Askrrasaid...

Good set of instructions, but as a student in

a non-english University have found that e-

mails should be writen in english.

Also have found that most Perfessors

ansewer in one-line ansewers that go along

the lines of "Come to my office hours"

Please, profesers and lecturers, when are

these hours, they are not posted on line,

only in the departments office!

Thank you

NOVEMBER 08 , 2005 10:12 AM
http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1131466320000#c113146637204870772http://www.blogger.com/profile/17660742289867490875http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1131426720000#c113142674018240044http://www.blogger.com/profile/17987329738730372097http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1130866140000#c113086619578559494


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Melaniesaid...

To the anonymous students complaining

about this post:

The guidelines above are perfectly

reasonable. In a business environment, they

would be considered standard. In any case,

isn't it in your best interests to make life

easier for your professor when you email

him or her? It stands to reason that a student

following the guidelines above will leave a

good impression, whereas

[email protected] who is brusque and

rude won't.

NOVEMBER 14 , 2005 3:11 AM

banzaisaid...[to rude Anoymous posters]

It also stands to reason that if you are asking

someone for a favor (sending you the

assignment), being polite about it works way

better than being snide.

[Professor Leddy]

Common sense rules, thanks. I work as a

sysadmin at a university and we plan on

using these as a framework for guidelines

for students who email us with problems or
http://www.blogger.com/profile/14047672742451042635http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1131959460000#c113195948558095129http://www.blogger.com/profile/11341866444584894036


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questions on our servers.

And since we open a "problem ticket" for

each contact, a thank you will let us know

that our suggestion has solved their problem

and we can close the ticket.

NOVEMBER 17 , 2005 11:39 AM


Thanks for the appreciative words, Melanie

and banzai.

NOVEMBER 17 , 2005 12:37 PM

Cindysaid...

Just a note: I think your tips are incredibly

helpful, the only criticism that I have is with

your example of the student question about

the Williams essay example. Thing is, I tell

my students that in general if they have

questions of this sort, they should be

addressed in my office. The medium of

email should simply be used (in these kinds

of cases) to set up the appointment and

perhaps explain what the nature of the

question is. And, just a note to Askrra: I'm

not sure what kind of institution you attend,

but at mine the instructors always make

their office hours available to students on
http://www.u.arizona.edu/~cknapp/http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1132252620000#c113225264267863290http://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1132249140000#c113224918060949948


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the syllabus, which is handed out on the first

day of class. I am, however, constantly

amazed at the number of students who don't

know this because they don't bother to read

the syllabus at all.

FEBRUARY 22, 2006 11:29 AM

Anonymous said...

I found these tips belittling to me as a

student. While some are understandable,

most of it is so strict that I feel like I'mbowing down to the professor instead of

treating them as a normal person, as other

professors have told me they like better.

Maybe it's just because my particular

professor wanted me to look at this and I

did all the (right) things.

FEBRUARY 22, 2006 12:59 PM

Anonymous said...

As a university professor I don't want anyone

to bow down to me, but I do expect some

respect for me a person with a life. Students

have come to expect constant and

immediate atention every question and get

indignant if it is not instantaneously

forthcoming.

I do not feel that I am 'on call'. I have
http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1140634740000#c114063475003062436http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1140629340000#c114062938740459865


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generous office hours when students can

come, sit down with me and usually get a

much more satisfying answer or solution to

their problems.

FEBRUARY 23, 2006 2:07 AM

Anonymous said...

I very strongly feel that a thank you

acknowledgement is required for any e-mail

request - the lack of it is simply rude.

You are asking someone for something

(information, help, .. ) and they are

responding. That minimally merits a thank

you.

Would you think it would be ok to walk intoyour Profs office, ask a question, get the

answer and then simply turn around and

walk out without saying a word (or hanging

up the phone after you get your answer)?? I

would hope not. A thank you is simple

courtesy.

Using technology doesnt mean you can be

rude; there are still people at the other end

of your e-mail. I would not treat my students

or colleagues that way, and I expect the
http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1140682020000#c114068205198449539


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same from them.

Thank you.

ps: I also agree with the generally

useless/wasteful inclusion of the whole

message being replied to. Either delete it

totally, or only leave in the relevant parts.

FEBRUARY 23, 2006 5:56 PM

Michael Leddysaid...Cindy, your comment helps make clear that

individual guidelines are exactly what profs

need to make clear to students. (The

guidelines I've written are to use in the

absence of any other guidelines, as I say in

my post.) I though would much rather getthe question by e-mail and write back, while

the student is perhaps still working on the

essay. (That happens often, and I think it's

rather cool.)

Anonymous 1, maybe you could think ofthese guidelines as meant for someone

who's not already doing the right things. To

me, they really do apply to writing to a

"normal" person -- write from a suitable

address, use a clear subject line, say hello,


25/77



and so on -- all basic courtesy, no? News

articles about e-mail communication in the

working world would indicate that many

people could begin to get much better at it

in college.

Anonymous 2, I guess that my attitude about

e-mail and yours differ. I too put in lots of

time in office hours, but I don't mind

answering questions online, if they can be

answered well in that way. I would say that

the quality of the e-mails I get from my

students has greatly improved since I began

asking everyone to read these guidelines.

And on that happy note, I will say thanks to

everyone for the comments.



Anonymous 3, I didn't mean to ignore you -

- you were posting while I was writing the

previous comment. As you can see from theother comments here, there's no consensus

about saying thanks. To my mind though,

it's never a bad idea. Thanks for your

comment!

http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1140739440000#c114073946483508681http://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1140739080000#c114073908989265460


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Antonio Ramirez said...

Another good reason to sign with name,

class, and section number is to avoid further

email exchange that would otherwise be

necessary.

For instance:

Student: Hello, can you please let me know

what my grade was?

Me: OK, but what section are you in?

Student: Oh sorry, it's section 219B.

MARCH 21, 2006 3 :11 PM

Tarakuanyinsaid...I'm a professor and I intend to direct

students to this post from now on. I have

suggested similar guidelines in my syllabi,

but haven't done so in such detail. Also,

about the thanks, I agree. I always drop

students a line to let them know I'vereceived their emails, and I appreciate those

few who thank me for sending them the

assignment. It takes a fraction of a second to

delete each one, and it gives me pleasure to

receive them.


27/77



Then there are the few who say, "Did you get

my email?" and when I say, "Yes, did you get

my reply with the assignment included?"

they respond, "Oh, I didn't check."

Hmmmmm.....

APRIL 29, 2006 12:03 AM


"Then there are the few who say, 'Did you get

my email?' and when I say, 'Yes, did you getmy reply with the assignment included?' they

respond, 'Oh, I didn't check.'"

I've had that happen too, Tarakuanyin,

sometimes after writing rather lengthy

replies about complicated questions andproblems. Those situations are what

prompted me to suggest saying thanks. But

now I'm sometimes adding "(no need to

reply)" after my signature to cut down on pro

forma thank-yous.

MAY 07, 200 6 11:01 AM

Anonymous said...

Professor Leddy,

I'm afraid I don't understand why writing "My


28/77



name is So-and-So, and I'm in your Such-

and-Such class" in the beginning of an email

is considered impolite or lacking in

understanding of one's audience. It seems to

me that without that tiny introduction, the

email seems too abrupt. If I'm not mistaken,

one of the points you made in your article

was that an email to a professor should be

like a polite, mannerly conversation. Well, in

a real-life conversation, one wouldn't just

come up to someone and start randomly

saying things or asking for favors - they

would have to introduce themselves first.

"My name is So-and-So, and I'm in your

Such-and-Such class" is just that.

OCTOBER 17, 200 6 12:44 PM


That's a good observation. I don't think it's

at all impolite to say "My name is," etc., but I

do think it's somewhat stilted. If someone

signs with her or his name and class, it

seems to me that "My name is" becomesunnecessary. Not in some way wrong, but

just not needed. If the subject line names

the class and the e-mail begins with a

greeting (making it already obvious that the

writer is a student in a particular class), I'd


29/77



say that the signature is enough to identify

the writer in an appropriate way.

Keep in mind too that the examples in my

post assume that the student is in a class

and is thus known to the professor. But even

if not, I still think that leaving one's name for

the end (where it's going to have to show up

anyway) is fine.

OCTOBER 17, 200 6 2:07 PM

CJSsaid...

Michael:

Your original post on this subject was so

relevant and so effective that I've

permalinked to it from our School of Music'sstudent "Resources" page. Excellent and

practical advice--and can only improve

professors' email quality-of-life!

Thanks.

cjs

JANUARY 04, 2007 3:45 PM

Anonymous said...

Michael Leddy,


30/77



This was post was extremely useful, and was

a great help. Thanks!

FEBRUARY 21, 2007 10:40 PM

Anonymous said...

Hi professor,

This post is greatly useful for a student like

me.

Thanks.

XYZ

APRIL 24, 2007 3:37 AM


Thanks, Anons and CJS. I'm happy that

students and faculty continue to find this

post helpful.

APRIL 24, 2007 9:49 PM

Dilliana said...

This was a very interesting article, I learned

that as a student it is important to send your

student e-mail address from your school to

the professor. That way, the teacher knows it

was you who did send the e-mail, and not

someone else.

SEPTEMBER 0 8, 2007 11:57 AM
http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1189270620000#c6752307977349871376http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1177469340000#c164463056348880499http://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1177403820000#c1672108080094928754http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1172119200000#c6940322839436163122


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Anonymous said...

I appreciate this blog, but wanted to suggest

one additional thing. Under your "Talking to

a Professor" post, you mentioned that

instead of asking "what are your office

hours?" that the student should first check

the syllabus to see if they are listed. That is

how I feel about asking about assignments

as well. I am a math professor and the

assignments for the ENTIRE semester are

included in the syllabus, along with what

day's lecture will cover the relevant material

and when the assignments are due. Even

with all of that information, I still get

students that miss class and then write me

asking for the assignment. Students need to

get in the habit of checking the available

resources before sending these types of

emails.

MARCH 10, 2 008 11:20 AM

Djellel said...

Dear Professor,Thank your for that very usefull blog.

I have one question about sending emails to

abroad professors (Japan).

Is their any special rules to write an email to

a professor asking him to be one of his


32/77



research students.

Best regards

MAY 11, 200 8 6:06 AM


Hellp Djellel,

I think it's unlikely that a professor would be

able to respond to an e-mail with this kind

of request. I think that you would need tobegin by applying to the school where you'd

like to study.

MAY 11, 200 8 9:59 AM

Anonymous said...

Thank you for all the information. Do you

have any advice regarding emails to law

professors. I will begin law school this

coming fall, so I do not know the Prof. and

their preferences.

Thanks!

JUNE 26, 20 08 9:49 AM


Anon., I'd suggest waiting to see if your

professors offer any guidelines. If they don't,
http://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1214491740000#c2724799592815446384http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1210517940000#c9208165827379125427http://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1210503960000#c7291096677189060969


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I'd just follow the guidelines here they're

suitable, I think, for any academic e-mail.

JUNE 26, 20 08 11:31 AM

Anonymous said...I am a professor, and I happened upon your

page while looking for a link to place it my

syllabi about emailing me. If I get ONE

MORE email that does not contain capital

letters or complete words, I may lose what is

left of my patience with this issue.

do not write UR prof lk U R txting a friend!

JULY 26, 20 08 4:51 PM

Anonymous said...

Hello Professor Leddy,

I would like your response to two questions

if you don't mind.

First, I've included an "Email Rules" section

to my syllabus. I've slightly changed some of

the things you suggested, but where should i

place your name on the printed syllabus

since such ideas mainly derive from your

post?


34/77



Second, with respect to the above post, is it

pretentious to ask students to refer to me in

emails as "Professor" even though I am an

ABD part-time faculty member. When I had

students call me by my first name they

emailed me in a less professional and

slightly "too comfortable" format.

Just curious about your thoughts on these

matters. Thanks, Dissertator

AUGUST 19, 2 008 12:23 PM


Thanks for asking, Anon.

If you're giving students rules of your

devising inspired by what I've written here,you could give my name, the post title, and

the URL (informal but completely

acceptable).

If you've read Ben Yagoda's "What Should We

Call the Professor?" (there's a link in thispost), you know that name preferences vary.

I suggest "Professor" if a student has been

given no indication about what to say. I like

"Mr." and "Ms.," either of which seems like a

good alternative to "Professor." You can cue


35/77



students via your e-mail rules and syllabus

as to what they should call you. To me, first

names for professors have always seemed a

little weird for all involved. The distance that

comes with "Mr." or "Ms." or "Prof." is

appropriate, I'd say.

AUGUST 19, 2 008 1:57 PM

Anonymous said...

I am a Professor and would only disagree

with one of Professor Leddy's points. Astudent does not have to reply to my email

with a "Thanks" - I assume you are happy to

get what you asked for and lowers the clutter

in my email account.



As I wrote, "I do like the idea of closing the

loop by saying yes, I got it, thanks." I think

it's good practice unlesssomeone tells you

otherwise.


Theresasaid...

I am missing something - what is the

difficulty with putting your office hours into

a sig line that you use in your reply?
http://www.blogger.com/profile/01822134154413018301http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1220559960000#c6401156126032792561http://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1220558280000#c5919993143143113633http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1219172220000#c7556955670794734287


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Some students have work during those

hours, or will be unable to meet with you

before they need their question/s answered.

There are serious students; if we're asking

for something it's because we need it, not

because we're trying to create difficulties.

This cuts both ways. I had a professor that

announced that he was going to hold a

review for the final exam. That day I waited

at least 2-3 hours past when I usually would

have left campus.

He never showed up, nor did anyone else in

the class. Another teacher told me he was

gone for the day. When I asked at the exam,

everyone looked at me like I was stupid, and

most said it was obvious he had been

kidding. They blew off the class and I didn't

- it wasn't funny to me.

The supposed review was on a different day

than normal, thankfully one I did not have to

work. I would have been in trouble then.

I have known of at least one studentwho


37/77



dropped a class because of his inabiiity to

get out on time; they had been told if they

were late to work, they would lose their jobs.

Some students have professors that will

drop/fail them from the class if they are late.

Things to consider. Being able to

immediately look at your professor's office

hours, in their reply, while trying to judge

your time as well, is very helpful.

I try to treat my professors and classmates

seriously and professionally, until I find to

do otherwise. Usually I get the same

treatment in return.

JANUARY 06, 2009 2:47 PM

Michael Leddysaid...It sounds to me, Theresa, as though you've

been in some situations with faulty

communication. Most professors, the

overwhelming majority of professors,

include office hours on their syllabi. Most

professors are willing to talk to students atother times too (notice in my post that I

mention making an appointment).

A syllabus without office hours seems to me

a bad sign it suggests that the person


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teaching isn't really thinking about her or his

responsibility to students.

JANUARY 06, 2009 3:21 PM

jpatrick said...Dear Professor,

Such fine and infinite rules and regulations

for writing e-mails to a superior. However,

since I am also of the same profession, I am

writing to congratulate you on covering all

aspects of e-mail ettiquette with theexception of equality of status.

I am looking forward to this class as a review

of my best literary English friends. I also

teach European literature, the Greek and

Roman classics and enjoy how English

literature is based on the latter. As anEnglish adjunct,I also teach music history,

theory and instrumentation at NOVA,

Manassas Campus, Virginia, for the past few

years. Full time,however, I teach Latin at

Central H.S., Woodstock, Virginia, and take

classes with ELI on a regular basis in art,history, world literature, German, and other

language classes.

Sincerely yours in the celebration of ongoing

scholarship,

Jean M. Patrick, Ph. D.


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JANUARY 19, 2009 3:51 PM

nitesh said...

This is very helpful. Thank you.

MARCH 03, 2 009 11:44 AM

JP said...

I am so happy to have found your

guidelines. Thank you for taking the time to

write this for students.

I have two problems on which I would very

much appreciate some advise on:

1. I have an on-going illness that sometimes

prevents me from e-mailing back a

professor saying thank you at a timelymanner. What is an appropriate late e-mail

reply to a professor?

2. My illness creates a lot of difficulties in

my academic life so that many times I have

to arrange extensions or end up droppingthe course. When I am not sure what I should

do at that moment about the course in a

difficult time, how should I communicate

that to a professor via e-mail? (I know

seeing them in person is probably the best,


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but often at these times, I am unable to.)

Thank you so much!

APRIL 26, 2009 5:57 AM


JP, for #1, I'd suggest explaining the

situation in advance: "I may not be able to

reply immediately," and so on. For #2, I'd

suggest telephoning during office hours. It'seasier to talk about alternatives and choices

than to work them out via e-mail. If a phone

call isn't possible, I'd suggest e-mailing and

asking your professor what he or she thinks

you should do.

I wish you the best in dealing with illness

and your studies.

And thanks, Jean and Nitesh, for your

comments.

APRIL 26, 2009 7:52 AM

JP said...

Thank you so much for your advice!

APRIL 26, 2009 6:53 PM
http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1240789980000#c2957902767159854968http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1240750320000#c6929203868944910615http://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1240743420000#c8941904898696957895


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Mariesaid...

Oh my. You had to tell them this? College

students? Oh my again.

Sigh. I lead a very sheltered (and, it would

seem, polite) life.

JUNE 01, 20 09 4:28 PM


JP, a belated "You're welcome."

Marie, yes. But I don't mind! Many students

treat e-mail too casually ("Hey prof") or too

stiffly ("Dear Professor, I am a student in

your," etc.). I'm happy to do what I can to

improve the quality of academic life (for me

and for anyone else).

JUNE 01, 20 09 5:10 PM

Anonymous said...

I was wondering if you can help me in

writing a friendly but informative e-mail

reminder to a professor who submitted a

wrong grade for me. I had told my professor

about it but I haven't seen any grade

changes in 2 weeks and I have something

like this already planned:
http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1243894201595#c8937988042672910806http://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1243891681615#c5856122218397854590http://www.blogger.com/profile/10106720865034468249


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"Hi Dr. (So and So),

I was looking over my final grades for (class

and course number) online, and my

transcript has not shown any grade changes

to an A according to your records.

I wasnt sure how long it would take for a

grade change to be made and I was

wondering if I should expect any changes

soon. Thank you for your time and I

apologize for any inconvenience.

My Full name

Student ID number"

Would this be clear and precise enough for a

professor? Thanks.

JUNE 02, 20 09 5:42 PM


You've drafted a clear and thoughtful e-mail, Anon.

I'd make one suggestion. The final sentence

is kinda formulaic. I'd suggest thanking your

prof for taking the time to change the grade


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and then offering some good wishes for the

summer.

Best wishes in communicating with your

professor.

JUNE 02, 20 09 6:26 PM

Anonymous said...

great post

JUNE 10, 20 09 2:06 PM

Msaid...

Thanks very much for this info.

JULY 14, 20 09 8:39 AM

artsysstrsaid...

Michael,

I really appreciate your post, as an instructor

with an average of 4 Art Appreciation

classes online every term.

For the reason that I may have 100+

students in four different classes, I ask my

students to include the course# or section#

in the SUBJECT line, as well. ( All student

email is archived by the instructor by

section# ). Also suggested is a phone
http://openid.aol.com/artsysstrhttp://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1247578742243#c8427413585185127952http://www.blogger.com/profile/05034551446992652582http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1244660816185#c8695777850597989105http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1243985177035#c1884895193242903362


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number in the BODY of the email, in order to

expedite communication.

I'm particularly glad you emphasize using a

college email address. There are many

reasons for this, but perhaps the most

important to students is the email doesn't

end up in the instructor's spam.

Great post. Helpful to students and

instructors alike. Thank you.

Paula King

UNM Prof

ARTH 101, Online

UNM Taos campus



Anon., M, Paula, thank you all for

your comments. It makes me happy to have

written something that so many people find

useful.


rmcdonogsaid...

Thank you for the helpful information and

thorough presentation.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/00362139843890843270http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1251842291249#c3437951124020159473http://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1251841889147#c336099705221052574


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Sincerely,

Robert McDonough


Nelssaid...A few months late, but for the student

dealing with a serious illness (JP), I would

advise her or him to find out who on campus

handles all issues related to the Americans

with Disabilities Act. They are supposed to

be the ones to work with you in contactingyour professors and developing legal,

ethical, and fair strategies for handle

classwork as it relates to any illness.

Professors are legally required to make

certain concessions in regard to certain

illnesses, and the university's ADA contact isthe one to make sure that happens.

This is a great post that I'm having my

students read for class today (in preparation

for writing an email to me as part of a

professional writing assignment).

SEPTEMBER 2 2, 2009 11:19 AM

Anonymous said...

Hello Professor,


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Thank you for your useful guidlines. I have

also read your guidelines on how to talk to a

professor.

And I wonder if you could give me advice on

how to email a professor asking if he has

any comments on my paper. I know a

professor who teaches at another university,

and I have asked him to review my paper,

and he was very kind accepting my request.

He said he would reply earlier. Now, it has

been over 2 weeks and I have not heard

from him. Would you please suggest me

what to say in my email so that the professor

would know that I do not mean to be pushy,

but just to check if he has any comments?

Thank you for your time.

Anonymous Student

DECEMBER 11 , 2009 7:54 PM

Michael Leddysaid...Hello Anonymous Student,

People in academic life often need to be

prodded a bit when it comes to following

through. They often know this about


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themselves too.

I would suggest writing an e-mail that

mentions the date on which your sent your

work and adds a sentence or two about

looking forward to receiving comments. The

professor will probably realize that he needs

to follow through. Or he might beg off as too

busy. But either way, youll know whats

happening and not just be waiting without a

response.

DECEMBER 11 , 2009 9:19 PM

Anonymous said...

Thank you very much. Now I feel more

confident to email the professor.

Anonymous Student

DECEMBER 12 , 2009 2:07 PM


Youre welcome, Anon.

DECEMBER 13 , 2009 10:59 AM

Anonymous said...

Hello Professor,

Thank you for these guidelines. I was
http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1260723564792#c7906826190530018107http://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1260648447960#c1817954443181465208http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1260587974524#c2049684048823724470


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wondering if I used an appropriate format

writing to my professors and found them

very helpful. I will definitely pass them to my

friends. I wish you Merry Christmas and a

happy New Year...

Student

DECEMBER 25 , 2009 5:58 AM


Thanks for your good wishes, Anon. Im gladyou found these guidelines helpful and wish

you the best for 2010.

DECEMBER 25 , 2009 11:58 AM

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the post. I was to ask my

professor about some certain things and it

did help a lot.

DECEMBER 27 , 2009 1:49 AM

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed reading this document on how to

write a professor an e-mail. I learned a lot

that I didn't know before.

JANUARY 13, 2010 10:14 PM

Ellen Robisonsaid...
http://erobison5juno.com/http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1263442455532#c5448522154654964497http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1261900160156#c3402414022196820248http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1261763928726#c6053214230063515406http://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1261742293120#c1423166859918211573


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In e-mailing a professor, I learned one does

not use cutsey wording, but writes in clear

and concise explanations of any problems.

Also, a Professor is never addressed as

"Dear Professor--", "Hello, Professor" being

more impersonal.

JANUARY 14, 2010 2:42 PM


Thanks, Anon., Anon., and Ellen, for your

comments.

Ellen, to my mind, the use of Hello or Hi

is not impersonal at all. Hello or Hi is

friendly and colloquial. Dear sounds more

like something that begins a letter. Its the

absence of any word before the recipientsname that seems, to me, brusque and

impersonal.

JANUARY 14, 2010 4:18 PM

bowman_chasesaid...

thanks for writing this Mike!

PS - I love how you originally said "an

university" and then somehow corrected

yourself and made it "a university" later on.

JANUARY 25, 2010 8:11 PM
http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1264471904538#c7785946375649471095http://www.blogger.com/profile/03435440718524000641http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1263507503081#c7298765236423542887http://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1263501765078#c6114986220977102610


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Thanks for the correction. Im surprised that

the mistake stood as long as it did.

JANUARY 25, 2010 8:44 PM

Gigisaid...

Michael,

I just found this after a quick google search

on how to write an e-mail to your professor

after receiving a very informal e-mail

(Hey,what's up) from one of my students!No class information and no signature.

I am sending this post to all of my students.

It seems lately the e-mails are getting more

and more informal and harder to decode!!

Thank you!

FEBRUARY 11, 2010 9:14 AM


Gigi, youre welcome. I hope it helps (it

should).

FEBRUARY 11, 2010 10:08 AM

Josh said...

This is so clear and helpful -- thank you.

I've started putting a link to this website on

my syllabi (also asking that students give me

at least a day or two to respond, and don't
http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1265904531994#c546413044563602739http://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1265901264947#c9115144634693939184http://www.blogger.com/profile/06946192686191828366http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1264473895418#c9099858657856301790http://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886


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use email as a 911 emergency service for

last-minute requests)!

MARCH 26, 2 010 11:27 AM

Michael Leddysaid...Josh, youre welcome. Thanks for reading

and commenting.

MARCH 26, 2 010 11:37 AM

andrea martin said...

Hi Professor Leddy,

I wanted to take the time to thank you for

the wonderful information you have given

me. It is my first time in college and my first

time in school in over 16, years. It really

made sense to me and I have always worried

about e-mailing my professors. I was always

afraid to say something stupid or

unintentionally offending. Thankyou so

much

sincerly andrea

JUNE 23, 20 10 7:11 PM


Andrea, thanks for your comment. Im glad

to know that youve found this post useful. I

wish you all the best in college.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1277338281818#c205109194200312376http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1269621425549#c8096853057108528014http://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1269620873105#c6159963126555849940


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JUNE 23, 20 10 7:43 PM

katherine said...

Thanks for the info! This was really helpful.

My university, however, has vaguely named

"Instructors" who may or may not have a

PhD. How would one address these?

Certainly not "Hi Instructor ....", right?

Thanks!

JULY 20, 20 10 6:44 PM


Katherine, youre welcome. If the instructor

has given no clue, Id say that Professor

[Last name] is the best choice. Ben

Yagodas What Should We Call the

Professor? is worth reading on thesequestions (theres a link in the post).

JULY 20, 20 10 7:36 PM

Camillesaid...

Hi Professor Leddy,

Excellent tips! But there's still one problem

with the name conventions that I haven't

seen addressed in any post on this topic. I

always address my emails to "Prof. ", but the

vast majority of them sign their replies as
http://www.blogger.com/profile/16411513292651203728http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1279672604843#c4342554162842022072http://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1279669472147#c3069922890021497055http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1277340235475#c3372567332776978516


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"First Name" (yes, I go to a tiny West Coast

liberal arts college). Is this an invitation to

address them by their first name in

subsequent replies? Or are they simply

signing as they always do, and expect me to

continue with the same level of formality

that I started with?

SEPTEMBER 2 6, 2010 12:54 AM


When I was in grad school, a professor ofmine, Bill Youngren, made his preference

clear in replying to a note Id written him,

addressed to Dr. Youngren: Its Bill! And

after that, it was. Your profs arent being as

insistent, but it does sound as though first

names are their general preference. If intalking with profs you call them by their first

names, Id say to do the same in e-mail. If

doing so just seems too weird, keep typing

Prof. I dont think theyll mind.

By the way, on the Internets, Im Michael.


Anonymous said...

I am a sophomore now and I just wanted to

thank you for what was probably the most


54/77



helpful advice I have received regarding

communicating with professors via email.

Thank you!

OCTOBER 14, 201 0 3:59 AM


Youre welcome, Anon.!

OCTOBER 14, 201 0 6:28 AM

khardasaid...

Thanks for your guidelines, Professor Leddy.

I don't know you before, because i just use

google to find any source that can give me

some advice :).

And i get it here. Thanks once again :).

Kharda

Indonesia

OCTOBER 30, 201 0 5:20 AM


Thanks for commenting, Kharda. It makes

me happy to know that people find this post

helpful.

OCTOBER 30, 201 0 8:17 AM
http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1288444642151#c8380865035090416108http://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1288434026024#c6674215945977292681http://kharda.wordpress.com/http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1287055726341#c2968762626730842136http://www.blogger.com/profile/05547732736861224886http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mail-professor.html?showComment=1287046774442#c4546216575682606743


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