Memorandum
To: Evan Crisp, Student
From: Matthew De Rose, Student
Date: June 20th, 2020
Subject: Best practices for writing an email to a professor with the intent of being added to a full course
This memo contains a list of best practices for you to consider when writing an email to the professor about being added to the course.
Effective emails used to make a request to the professor to be added to a full course follow the following guidelines:
- Opening the email with a brief summary of how the professor is best person suited to provide any assistance for adding a student to a course
- Highlighting the importance of the professor by avoiding excessing emphasis of what the student needs and including only the most pertinent ways the professor can help
- Avoiding discussion of feelings unless providing condolence or a congratulatory message to the professor
- Maintaining a polite, positive and professional tone consistently throughout the email
- Providing multiple course sections that will be viable alternatives if the primary course section preference is not possible to be added to
- Respecting the professor’s time by keeping the email brief
- Thanking the professor for any assistance they can provide before signing off the email
- Closing the message with a respectful sign-off (such as Sincerely or Best Regards) and the student’s full name underneath
- Ensuring that any request being made of the professor is in the body of the email and avoid using a Post Scriptum with any additional secondary requests on the professor’s time
By following these guidelines the email will provide key information about how the professor can help you while being respectful to their time and energy. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email me at matthew.david.derose@gmail.com.
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