MEMO for Requesting An Extra Position for an ENGL 301 Course

To: Evan Crisp
From: Yang Liu, ENGL 301 Writing Team
Subject: MEMO for Requesting An Extra Position for an ENGL 301 Course
Date: Nov. 8th, 2021

Here’s the memo you wanted on writing an email to request a position in an English class. These suggestions will help you write a more professional email.

Tips for your request email:

University email is preferred when writing to your professors. Please consider using your student email provided by the university (the one ended with “@students.ubc.ca”)

Adding a subject in the subject line will help your professor know the purpose of your email. For example, “ENGL #course_number: A Request for An Extra Seat.”

Using an appropriate email greeting is necessary to avoid being rude: Instead of using “hey there,” “Dear Dr. Lambert/ Dear Prof. Lambert,” would be more polite and show your respect to your professor.

Avoiding abbreviations, unclear pronounce, incomplete sentences, and oral words make your email formal and professional. For example, replacing “no luck, it is full” with “Unfortunately, I failed to enroll in this course probably because the class has reached its maximum capacity.”

Trying not to order or push your professional in helping you makes a good impression. Remember that your professors reserve the right to refuse your request, and it is better to convince him/her to help you. Some words in the email seem too strong to convince your professor, such as “refuse to take…” and “get back to me asap…”.

Writing a conclusion and a signature, in the end, shows your appreciation and respect.

I hope these suggestions are helpful for you. Please email me back if you have any questions.