Email Etiquette 101: Communicating with professors and teaching assistants
As an incoming college freshman, knowing how to communicate with your instructors effectively and appropriately over email is essential to forming positive, working relationships. The transition from high school to college may seem difficult and confusing, but if you’re prepared and confident, it will come with ease!
Your courses in college will differ from those in high school and will also vary from class to class. One aspect of the student/instructor relationship is how one communicates professionalism over email.
As a University of Illinois student, you will receive your own personal and unique university email address (@illinois.edu) through Gmail. You’ll use it to send and receive important messages from your instructors and the university. I recommend using this email address as the primary source of contact between your professors rather than your personal email. It will help instructors validate your email and its importance.
While constructing an email to your instructor, it’s essential to include a proper subject line indicating the course (LAS 101) or relevance so your instructor can prioritize your email. This may seem like common sense, but it is easy to forget that instructors have many different students and courses they must separate.
Second, it's important to recognize that your course may be taught by a departmental professor or by a teaching assistant (TA) who’s generally a master’s or PhD student. Deciphering which of these you’re emailing is the second step in sending a great email. An email addressed, “Hi, Professor Smith” and he or she is not a professor can be a little awkward. If your instructor is indeed a professor, certainly address him or her by their title in your letter salutation.
For the content of your email, try to stray away from informal and casual texting jargon used in your conversations with friends. You don’t have to send an essay, but I suggest writing in full sentences, articulating your thoughts and questions clearly, using transitions, and being respectful of their time and guidance. Most professors will reply within a timely manner, but be cautious of sending emails late at night or over the weekend. Finally, it’s important to include a proper letter closing and signature so your instructor can contact you without hassle.
Navigating your professional relationship with instructors over email will likely vary from previous communication methods used with friends, family, previous employers, or teachers in high school. It is important to be aware of email etiquette as a college student and the specific ways to go about a suitable email. Your instructors at the University of Illinois will be more than willing and helpful in answering your questions, ideas, or concerns, so knowing how to address them effectively is key!