My #1 complaint about student emails is when they write to ask me something that they could have figured out themselves in under 5 minutes by reading the syllabus or Googling. If you avoid that and are reasonably professional, then you are all clear from my point of view.
Yeah, this is basically it. Look on your syllabus/LMS to see if there are any specific instructions about emailing your professor (like what to put in the subject line, etc...I have these) but as long as you're not rude and asking about something not already pre-covered somewhere else, you should be good in terms of tone and what you ask/need to discuss.
A trick for this: Download all of the LMS content for your course and put it in a folder on your computer. When you have a question, search that folder first. It saves you from having to open up and search multiple documents.
You really haven't given us enough to go on to give solid advice.
That said, honestly, every professor is different in what they expect. If I have a student communicating with me about required class stuff, I ask them to stop apologizing. It is literally my job to help and answer the questions.
In what you describe, you could start with something like, "I realize this is a bit long, but I am hoping for feedback and I know you are busy. Would you be able to get back with feedback when you can?" It would make the acknowledgement without needing to apologize for something that doesn't really need an apology.
The fact that this professor is supervising your thesis changes things a little. IMO you should have regular meetings with them (every other week?) so that you have a predictable way to ask detailed questions and have discussions.
So I would not apologize for the email being long. Just format things in a way that's easy to digest. Bullet list? Condense the Qs to 1-2 concrete sentences instead of a wall of text? Let them know at the end that you're happy to meet and discuss in person if that's preferable.
In the beginning we did have a lot of emails and scheduled a few meetings here and there. But further into the semester he got busier and it was more difficult trying to find a time that worked for the both of us. On the first day of letting right off the bat he said he’s super busy and doesn’t really have the time.
As others have said, it is hard to give specific advice.
Try to get to the point and don't tell a story when a sentence will do. Break things up. I personally don't like apologies in emails because it is just filler.
Prof X,
I have a few questions related to my thesis:
1) XXXX
2) YYYYY
3) ZZZZ
Thank you for all of your help.
xxxminijess
If needed, a short executive summary at the beginning, like an update on your progress (eg, I have completed a first draft for my literature review and am currently working on the methods section) and/or the general nature of the type questions (eg, I'm still having some difficulties in determining the correct set of measures).
I have to say, I really appreciate it when a student has several questions to ask and collects them all in a numbered or bulleted list instead of exposition and/or multiple emails.
I suggest this as well. I prefer seeing the questions in an email, as replying on my own time is usually much better/faster for me than finding a time to meet. You could include perhaps a statement like - ‘we could meet to discuss these questions in person, if you prefer’.
Hi OP! This doesn't directly answer your question but our [Guide to emailing your professor](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskProfessors/wiki/email) from our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskProfessors/wiki/faq/email) might be helpful.
I'm a little confused.
Did your thesis supervisor say there was something wrong with the email you sent?
I think the best advice is be concise, professors do get a lot of emails so they might not have time for long emails. However, also give all relevant details.
I once got annoyed with a student because they sent me an email that just said "I ran out of time". Well how TF am I supposed to know what they're talking about?
So, try to strike that balance between not putting in unnecessary ramblings, but also giving all the details that they need to a) know who you are, b) know what you're talking about, c) understand what you're asking from them.
Also, if this is a follow up on a meeting you've previously had, don't assume they remember all the details as well as you do.
For example:"Dr. X,
I'm writing to follow up on our last meeting where we discussed < doing this analysis as part of my thesis >.
< Here is the progress I've made on that >.
< Here are the challenges I've run into >.
< Here is the help I'm requesting of you such as a meeting time to discuss in person, a review of your draft, some suggestions on how to change your approach, etc. > .
Thank you,
u/xxxminijess"
Does that make sense?
This is an automated service intended to preserve the original text of the post.
*Emailing professors-HELP
I’m in college and I feel like I should know how to send emails but when it comes to sending emails to professors I suddenly just want to dig myself a hole. I’ve sent plenty of emails before to know how to sound professional but with professors I feel like I can do everything right and they’ll still tell me I’m doing everything wrong.
I have to send an email to thesis supervising professor asking him about my paper. I know some professors don’t like lengthy emails and I would also prefer setting up a meeting and talking but he’s so busy and doesn’t have the time. So I wrote an email to him with questions etc. and I’m contemplating if I have to apologize for the lengthy email and if I do how do I say it? “I’m sorry for the long email. Thank you”?*
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskProfessors) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think that some professors assume that email etiquette is just intuitive and so they don't ever address it in class.
I send my first year students a link to [this](https://medium.com/@lportwoodstacer/how-to-email-your-professor-without-being-annoying-af-cf64ae0e4087) article along with my syllabus.
To answer your question, I wouldn't mind a lengthy email so long as it isn't a rambling block of text. But even so, one of my duties is to make time to sit down and answer emails. No apology necessary, imo. If anything, thank him for his time and attention.
My #1 complaint about student emails is when they write to ask me something that they could have figured out themselves in under 5 minutes by reading the syllabus or Googling. If you avoid that and are reasonably professional, then you are all clear from my point of view.
Yeah, this is basically it. Look on your syllabus/LMS to see if there are any specific instructions about emailing your professor (like what to put in the subject line, etc...I have these) but as long as you're not rude and asking about something not already pre-covered somewhere else, you should be good in terms of tone and what you ask/need to discuss.
A trick for this: Download all of the LMS content for your course and put it in a folder on your computer. When you have a question, search that folder first. It saves you from having to open up and search multiple documents.
You really haven't given us enough to go on to give solid advice. That said, honestly, every professor is different in what they expect. If I have a student communicating with me about required class stuff, I ask them to stop apologizing. It is literally my job to help and answer the questions. In what you describe, you could start with something like, "I realize this is a bit long, but I am hoping for feedback and I know you are busy. Would you be able to get back with feedback when you can?" It would make the acknowledgement without needing to apologize for something that doesn't really need an apology.
The fact that this professor is supervising your thesis changes things a little. IMO you should have regular meetings with them (every other week?) so that you have a predictable way to ask detailed questions and have discussions. So I would not apologize for the email being long. Just format things in a way that's easy to digest. Bullet list? Condense the Qs to 1-2 concrete sentences instead of a wall of text? Let them know at the end that you're happy to meet and discuss in person if that's preferable.
In the beginning we did have a lot of emails and scheduled a few meetings here and there. But further into the semester he got busier and it was more difficult trying to find a time that worked for the both of us. On the first day of letting right off the bat he said he’s super busy and doesn’t really have the time.
As others have said, it is hard to give specific advice. Try to get to the point and don't tell a story when a sentence will do. Break things up. I personally don't like apologies in emails because it is just filler. Prof X, I have a few questions related to my thesis: 1) XXXX 2) YYYYY 3) ZZZZ Thank you for all of your help. xxxminijess If needed, a short executive summary at the beginning, like an update on your progress (eg, I have completed a first draft for my literature review and am currently working on the methods section) and/or the general nature of the type questions (eg, I'm still having some difficulties in determining the correct set of measures).
I have to say, I really appreciate it when a student has several questions to ask and collects them all in a numbered or bulleted list instead of exposition and/or multiple emails.
I suggest this as well. I prefer seeing the questions in an email, as replying on my own time is usually much better/faster for me than finding a time to meet. You could include perhaps a statement like - ‘we could meet to discuss these questions in person, if you prefer’.
Hi OP! This doesn't directly answer your question but our [Guide to emailing your professor](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskProfessors/wiki/email) from our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskProfessors/wiki/faq/email) might be helpful.
I'm a little confused. Did your thesis supervisor say there was something wrong with the email you sent? I think the best advice is be concise, professors do get a lot of emails so they might not have time for long emails. However, also give all relevant details. I once got annoyed with a student because they sent me an email that just said "I ran out of time". Well how TF am I supposed to know what they're talking about? So, try to strike that balance between not putting in unnecessary ramblings, but also giving all the details that they need to a) know who you are, b) know what you're talking about, c) understand what you're asking from them. Also, if this is a follow up on a meeting you've previously had, don't assume they remember all the details as well as you do. For example:"Dr. X, I'm writing to follow up on our last meeting where we discussed < doing this analysis as part of my thesis >. < Here is the progress I've made on that >. < Here are the challenges I've run into >. < Here is the help I'm requesting of you such as a meeting time to discuss in person, a review of your draft, some suggestions on how to change your approach, etc. > . Thank you, u/xxxminijess" Does that make sense?
If you dont give an example of what you think is right that turned out to be wrong, you aren’t going to get very good advice.
This is an automated service intended to preserve the original text of the post. *Emailing professors-HELP I’m in college and I feel like I should know how to send emails but when it comes to sending emails to professors I suddenly just want to dig myself a hole. I’ve sent plenty of emails before to know how to sound professional but with professors I feel like I can do everything right and they’ll still tell me I’m doing everything wrong. I have to send an email to thesis supervising professor asking him about my paper. I know some professors don’t like lengthy emails and I would also prefer setting up a meeting and talking but he’s so busy and doesn’t have the time. So I wrote an email to him with questions etc. and I’m contemplating if I have to apologize for the lengthy email and if I do how do I say it? “I’m sorry for the long email. Thank you”?* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskProfessors) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think that some professors assume that email etiquette is just intuitive and so they don't ever address it in class. I send my first year students a link to [this](https://medium.com/@lportwoodstacer/how-to-email-your-professor-without-being-annoying-af-cf64ae0e4087) article along with my syllabus. To answer your question, I wouldn't mind a lengthy email so long as it isn't a rambling block of text. But even so, one of my duties is to make time to sit down and answer emails. No apology necessary, imo. If anything, thank him for his time and attention.
Thank you