How to Email a Professor

Some students find emailing a professor intimidating. After all, your professor determines your grade, and you want to make a good impression. With a few simple techniques, you can craft an email that reflects professionalism and gets you a response.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Use your university email account to email your professor and make sure that you have the correct email for your instructor. This ensures that your email doesn't wind up in a bulk or spam file and let's your instructor know that it's coming from someone connected to the university. Keep in mind that sending files can also result in problems so check with your instructor about attachments.

2. Include a subject line that includes your course number or name. Again, this helps the professor identify the message as a legitimate one and gives him more information about what you might need. For example, simply saying that you need the history assignment when the professor may teach several history classes to hundreds of students won't help him know what you need.

3. Be polite and professional. Use an appropriate greeting for your professor, ask for what you need politely and keep your cool if you're upset about something. You'll get a much better response if you treat your professor with respect and approach the email like you would for an employer or superior.

4. Proofread your email and use correct grammar and punctuation. Although online abbreviations may be fine when you're sending an email to friends, your instructor may not understand the reference or appreciate it.

5. Sign your full name and include the class that you're in. For professors with a number of courses, it can be hard to keep track of who is who. Make it easier by giving them the information.

6. Email your instructor only if you can't reliably get the information from another student. If you want to know what you missed in class or the specifics of an assignment, check with another student first. Attempt to find the information first yourself before emailing your professor with a question that can be found on the syllabus or with a quick online search.

7. Keep in mind that your instructor may not be able to reply immediately to your message. At the same time, if you don't receive an email within a reasonable amount of time, resend the message or talk to your instructor in person. Refrain from emailing on weekends if possible.