MEMO
To: Evan Crisp
From: Mitchell Prost
Date: November 20, 2020
Subject: Best practices in writing an email to a professor
Hi Evan,
In this memo, see a list of ways to improve emails written to professors regarding being added into courses. Your original email to your professor is shown below with a suggested re-write for your consideration. Explanations for the edits to your email are also provided.
Original Email
Hey there,
I’ve been trying for at least an hour to register in one of your English classes for next year with no luck. I guess it’s full? I need any three credits to graduate, and this course fits perfectly into my schedule. The 8:00 am section is way too early in the morning for me, so I refuse to take that one. So could you squeeze me into the class as an extra student and get back to me asap about this today before I head off to the beach at 3:00?
ttfn,
ec
PS I’ll be away in Mexico for the first two weeks of the term, so I’ll check in with you when I get back to see if I’ve missed anything important.
Suggested Re-write
Hello Dr. Lambert
I am a student trying to register for one of your English classes for next year. So far, I have been unable to successfully register. I am reaching out to ask if the course has already filled up. If so, would it be possible to manually add me into the course?
Thank you for your time,
Eric Crisp
When writing to a professor, best practice is to be polite and only include relevant information. Professors are very busy people and will appreciate it if your email is concise and direct! Lastly, it is a good idea to compose emails to professors with a professional tone. This can be accomplished by avoiding acronyms and using formal salutation.
I hope that this is helpful!
As always, any questions are welcome.
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