Memo to Evan Crisp- Brenda Martinez

To: Evan Crisp, UBC Student
From: Brenda Martinez, ENGL 301 Student
Date: November 19, 2019
Subject: Best Writing Practices for Emailing Professors

Hello Evan,

Thank you for contacting the English 301 class regarding writing with you-attitude. As per your request for help with your recent email to a professor, I have summarized good practices in writing emails and communication with professors. Keeping in mind the “you-attitude’’ of writing, prioritizing whom you are writing to and not yourself. I hope that these recommendations will help you in writing emails to professors in the future.

Recommendations for writing emails to professors:

• First of all, adding a subject line will be helpful in determining what you are writing about. It is extremely helpful in identifying the topic of your email.
• It is important to address your email to the instructor by using their full name, and professional designation. The initial greeting/salutation is what sets the professional tone of your email in a formal communications setting.
• Including as much information about yourself, such as, student number or the class you are interested in is beneficial to the professor. This will help to determine which class you are inquiring about. Remember, professors could possibly be conducting multiple courses at a time.
• Next, in the body of the email, your main reason for writing. If it is to request your registration in the class, it would be a great idea to keep the focus in mind. Try not to discuss your personal activities, and focus on requesting to be registered in the class.
• Regarding tone, stay professional throughout; try to avoid slang, discussing personal activities, and it’s good to proof read your email before sending it.
• Remember that an email to a professor should have the tone of a request manner, not of a demanding manner.
• When signing off, include a formal closing salutation, and your full name

I hope my recommendations will be useful to you in composing emails to professors. If you have any further questions, or would like clarification, please don’t hesitate to contact me at brenda.martinez@alumni.ubc.ca. Best of luck to you in registering for this course, and in your studies at UBC.