You may wonder why this article is in the "College Preparation" section, and not the "Making the Most of College" section. When you have found a college that you like and if you have decided on a major it is a good idea to contact a professor within the department, especially if they have a specialty that you are interested in. However, there are some pitfalls that students can fall into when emailing a professor (before starting college and when in a class the professor is teaching) that are easily avoided.

Etiquette for E-Mailing Your Professor

By:  Lynn F. Jacobs, Jeremy S. Hyman

Professors are going electronic, which means that, in addition to the one-on-one office hour, professors are increasingly willing to communicate with their students by E-mail. Here are some things to consider before clicking the "Send" button:

E-Mail is forever. Once you send it off, you can't get it back. Once your professor has it, he or she owns it and can save it or, in the worst case, forward it onto colleagues for a good laugh—at your expense.

E-Mail goes where it's told. Check, and double check, to see that the right address appears in the "To" line. Just because your mom and your professor are both named " Lynn " is no reason to send all your love to Professor Lynn. 

Professors might not be using the cruddy university E-mail system. So, send to the address they actually use, not the one on the university directory. (Check the syllabus or assignment sheet for clues.)

Professors might not open mail sent from luckydogpig@thepound.com. They prefer to open mail sent from more reputable addresses, like you@theCruddyUniversityE-mailSystem.edu.

Subject lines are for subjects. Put a brief explanation of the nature of the E-mail (like "question about paper") in the subject line. And never include demands such as "urgent request—immediate response needed." That's the surest way to get your request "Pluto-ed."

Salutations matter. The safest way to start is with "Dear Professor So and So" (using their last name). That way you won't be getting into the issue of whether the prof has a Ph.D. or not, and you won't seem sexist when you address your female professor as "Ms." or, worse yet, "Mrs. This and That."

Clear and concise is best. Your prof might get 25 or 30 E-mails in a day. So, it's best if you ask your questions in as focused and succinct a way as possible (hint: it's often good to number your questions). And, if your questions are very elaborate or multifaceted, it's best to hoof over to an in-person office hour. You'll get better service that way.

Extra Pointer. Before sending a draft of a paper to a professor as an attachment, check to see that he or she is willing to accept such longer documents. If not, see if he or she will look over a page or even a central paragraph of your work. And be sure to "cc" yourself any time you send a piece of work—who knows the fate of the copy you're sending.

Your professor is not your broom, so don't ask him or her to do your chores like telling you when the midterm is, where to find the readings, or when the final drop date is for this less-than-stellar course.

THIS IS NOT A SHOUTING MATCH. Don't write in all upper case letters (which is an E-mail convention for anger or other strong emotions). No one likes being yelled at.

No one really likes emoticons and smileys. Trust us on this one.

This is not Facebook, so don't write the professor in the way you'd write on your friend's wall.

5-Star Tip. It's never a good idea to "poke" your professor. No matter how funny it seems at the time.

This is not IM-ing. So pls dun wrte yor profeSR lIk ur txtN. uz abbrz @ yor own rsk. coRec me f Im wrng. (Please, please don't do this. Most professors do not speak this language!)

This is not College Humor. So resist the temptation to talk about the "bad ass" paper you need help with, your "loser" TA who didn't teach you what you needed to know, or the "cruddy" grade you just got on the midterm.

This is not RateMyProfessor.com. The professor doesn't want your comments about his or her performance in the class. Save those for the end-of-semester evaluations, where you'll be able to spout off. Anonymously.

This is not Dr. Phil. Avoid sending long excuses about why you missed class. No professor wants to hear about how your grandfather just died (even if it's true—which it never is), how your Jeep got totaled, or why you just spent three days in the hoosegow.

Spelling mistakes make you look like a doofis, so always use the spell check. And while your at it, it wouldn't hurt to proofread your E-mail, two.

Sign offs and signatures count. Always end by thanking the professor for his or her time, closing with "Best wishes" or "Regards" (or some other relatively formal, but friendly closing). And always sign with your (entire) real name, not some wacky nickname like Ry-Ry or Biff.

Your prof doesn't want to hear your philosophy of life. Skip the cute quotes or statements of your religious or political views at the bottom of your E-mail.

And finally:

You can lay it on too thick. It's one thing to be polite and friendly in your E-mail; it's another thing to wind up with a brown nose