Every semester, I receive an email that looks something like the following:
hey mrs. mccune. did i miss anything important in class today? also, i don't know how to do number 2.
There are several issues with this email. First, you should address your instructors as Professor or Dr, unless they have asked to be addressed differently. (I am Dr. McCune.) Second, if you must miss class, please acknowledge that you are responsible for the material covered in your absence. I am happy to give a brief recap of what you missed, but please remember to first consult the syllabus and the notes before composing your email.
If you need help with a specific homework problem, please be clear about which problem you need help with. For example, "I need help with number two on the webwork Graph Theory set 1". You should tell me what you've tried so far and specifically what part of the problem is giving you trouble. It is often useful to include an attachment with a picture of your work so that I can best point you in the right direction to solve the problem.
Finally, be sure to sign your email with your name, course number, and section. It is especially difficult to respond to an email if I don't know who the sender is.
Wikihow has a nice summary of how to email a professor, which you should apply when emailing any of your professors on campus.
How to Email a Professor
hey mrs. mccune. did i miss anything important in class today? also, i don't know how to do number 2.
There are several issues with this email. First, you should address your instructors as Professor or Dr, unless they have asked to be addressed differently. (I am Dr. McCune.) Second, if you must miss class, please acknowledge that you are responsible for the material covered in your absence. I am happy to give a brief recap of what you missed, but please remember to first consult the syllabus and the notes before composing your email.
If you need help with a specific homework problem, please be clear about which problem you need help with. For example, "I need help with number two on the webwork Graph Theory set 1". You should tell me what you've tried so far and specifically what part of the problem is giving you trouble. It is often useful to include an attachment with a picture of your work so that I can best point you in the right direction to solve the problem.
Finally, be sure to sign your email with your name, course number, and section. It is especially difficult to respond to an email if I don't know who the sender is.
Wikihow has a nice summary of how to email a professor, which you should apply when emailing any of your professors on campus.
How to Email a Professor
When I would struggle with a problem I would usually skip that problem and come back to it. Usually I would try to find an example of that problem and use the steps it gives me to solve. This helped a lot and I was able to solve future problems like the ones I struggled with in future quizzes or exams.
ReplyDeleteKnowing how to properly email professors is really helpful. Thank you for writing this post about how you want us to email you. Now if I need any help on any of the math problems I will know how to email you about them. Also, I know will I don't completely understand a problem I go back and look at the notes and that usually helps me.
ReplyDeleteNicole Henley MAT 110E Sec.07
Emailing professors properly will more than likely get you the help you need rather than using slang or addressing them improperly. It is disrespectful to not address them properly especially if they have a doctorate and you just say "Mr." or "Mrs."
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post. I still know a few people who cannot email a professor properly. It doesn't make you look professional if you don't address a professor correctly either. Knowing how to email a professor is a skill we should all know. I'm also glad you included how to email you specifically about a math problem.
ReplyDeleteEmailing all your professors correctly and professional will grab there attention and they will also be more than happy to talk to you if you act professional. One thing I learned in my first semester last year was to make sure you never start off the email with hey or hi. I was taught that most professors don't have much time to read emails so you want to make sure your email is short and sweet but also getting straight to the point.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with everything everyone has said. I believe you should put your name at the beginning and the end. I also believe that you should be professional but also get straight to the point of why you are emailing your professor like cody said. Jessica Stallard
ReplyDeleteI learned quickly during my Freshman year of college that it is important that you make sure you email your professor properly. I agree with what was said in the post because I have made mistakes in the past no stating my name or the section of the class I was in
ReplyDeleteEmailing college professors is so much different than emailing your high school teacher. I have quickly learned that upon being a college student. You can not email your college professor as if you were texting them, you need to write them as if you were writing them a letter. I have found that this is the most professional way to email a professor.
ReplyDeleteDejah Campbell
Dejah Campbell MAT110E sec 07
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