Emails are just formal letters, they said.

Board Exam Formal letter for 10 marks, Format: 3 marks, Salutation and Subject: 2 marks, Body: 3 marks, Expression: 2 marks. Sounds familiar? I have written dozens of formal letters to imaginary Municipal Committee members about ‘unsatisfactory sanitation’, and impeccable ‘leave of absence’ applications to hypothetical Principals about hypothetical illnesses in my English notebook, but there I was in my first semester of college, staring at a blank screen, trying to draft an email, with more questions than answers. How do I start? Where do I start? How formal should I be exactly? Should I write “Yours Sincerely”? Can I use emoticons? Can I jump straight to the point and write one line or do I need to write an introduction, body and conclusion the way we did in school?

Emails are just formal letters, they said.

The ability to communicate effectively and professionally via email is a critical skill needed both in college and eventually at the workplace. Unfortunately, most of us don’t come with the “Email Expertise Upgrade” or “Skill: Communication and Letter Writing” when we get out of school. Especially in this new online and work-from-home environment, the emails you write might be the only interaction you have with your professors, TAs or colleagues. Chances are, they do not know your name, or that you take their class, let alone anything else about you, such as what you look like or how invested you are in the course. This email might very well be your first impression with a new professor this semester.

These tiresome questions and a lack of confidence in writing emails could lead to hesitation, and you might end up not asking for help even when you have a perfectly valid reason to. If you make this a habit, you might subtly hamper your growth as a student and eventually at the workplace as well. On the other hand, if you lack the proper know-how, you might end up communicating poorly, making a bad impression and not getting the desired results out of your efforts.

But in today's age of information, ignorance is no excuse. The internet has lots of pointers on very specific as well as broadly general email topics that you might need. For example, asking for an extension on an assignment. If you don’t know how to go about it, look it up. In an attempt to make things easier, here is a compilation of points to keep in mind when you write emails, especially to your professors, and with other professional emails.

Although a variety of online communication platforms have blurred the lines of formality expressed through text, you have to remember that email is still considered a formal mode of communication, especially when you are writing to your professors. Basic email etiquette revolves around the central theme of respect. You must also keep in mind the convenience of the receiver. Don't assume that others will interpret your message in the same way you do, because it is difficult to convey subtleties via text. Hence, you should avoid sarcasm, humour or any unconventional means of expression.

Always use your institute email address, and a strong and clear subject line. Easier said than done, I know. If you are not sure how to come up with a catchy but appropriate subject line, you may stick to something like “Regarding Course ES2301” or “Clarification regarding Marking Scheme for Mid-Semester Assessment”. Search the net for subject line suggestions on a variety of email topics.

Always begin your email with a salutation along the lines of “Dear Prof. {Last Name},” or “Dear Ma’am,”. Stay away from starting with something like “Hi” or “Hey”. Do not use titles such as “Mr.”, “Miss”, or “Mrs.”. If you are not referring to them as “Sir” or “Madam”, you must use the appropriate title such as Dr. or Prof. Many professors will mention in the beginning of their course how you should address them in their emails, especially if they prefer certain abbreviations. Follow their specifications. Do not use their first name unless they specify that you can. When writing to TAs, who are often students and do not hold doctorates, you might find it more suitable to address them as “Sir” or “Madam”. Often in the online mode since you have never met the TA, you might not be able to make out whether to use “Sir” or “Madam” from their name. In such a case, try to find out. Although they will not hold an honest mistake against you, it is better to take a small amount of trouble to find out so as to not distract the reader from the main purpose of your email. Make sure to double-check the spellings of the names and the email addresses. You can always refer to the official website of the institute for confirmation.

If you are writing to the professor for the first time or starting a new email chain, you must help them place you. Immediately after the salutation, inform them of relevant information such as which course of theirs you are taking and what academic year you are currently in. If you are not currently enrolled in any of their courses, write a line about how you found out about them or their course. Maybe you read about their research. Write a positive opening line about how you found it interesting. If you are familiar with your professor, you may write a courteous greeting such as “Hope you are doing well in these difficult times” or a pleasantry about their health and well-being.

Now go ahead and state your question clearly, so your professor doesn’t have to read the email multiple times to figure out what you want. Professors often receive over 50 emails that need their attention per day! So do not write to them unless you need to. If you need clarification about the syllabus or some homework, try to double-check all the information already provided to you. Check with your classmates and even the TA if you feel that it might resolve the issue. If you have ascertained that you need to write the email, make sure you are to the point and very clear in what you are asking for. Enumerate all the steps you have already taken in your email, such as asking the TAs and checking the resources before writing to the professor, so that they know you have already made sincere efforts to find out. Look the email over from your professor's perspective and make sure you don’t sound demanding. Avoid oversharing personal details and make sure you are as concise as you can be.

If the email is multifaceted and lengthy, conclude by restating what you expect the reader to do. If you expect a reply, state it politely by saying “Looking forward to hearing from you”. Always sign off with something simple but formal like “Thank you” or “Regards”, and then your full name. You may add your roll number, academic batch or designation if it is relevant. Once you have sent in the mail and if you do not receive a response in a few days, do not repeatedly send multiple follow-up emails. Depending on the urgency of the matter, you should try to wait for a week before a follow-up email because by then you can be fairly certain that your email was probably lost in the shuffle or spam. When you receive a response, remember to acknowledge it with a simple “Thank you”. But do not send too many “Thank you” emails for unnecessary things because they just add to the workload of your already busy professor.

Emails are forever. So avoid sharing unnecessary personal information or forwarding someone else's information. Professors approach student correspondence with a lot of goodwill, so do not lie in your emails. Make sure you understand the hierarchy and chain of command when there is a chain of emails with multiple recipients. Carefully decide when to pick the Reply All option and when to pick just Reply. Ascertain when to write to the TA and ‘cc’ the professor and when to write to the professor and ‘cc’ the TAs. Your professor will clearly mention which matters should be directed to the TAs first. When hitting Reply All or adding more recipients, pay extra attention to the preceding emails in the chain to make sure there is nothing unsuitable to any of the recipients.

It is extremely important to use proper grammar, punctuation (including appropriate capitalization) and spelling. Double check for typos. Always remember that you cannot change it once you hit the send button. Avoid using contractions such as “couldn’t” in place of “could not”. Avoid acronyms such as ASAP. Instead, use the expansions. Do not type in ALL CAPS because that is considered shouting and is hence disrespectful. You might sometimes be tempted to use emoticons such as :-), however it is best to avoid them unless your professor initiates some degree of informality by using emoticons themselves. It goes without saying that you must avoid any kind of slang such as “sic lecture” or “No cap. True story”. You do not want your professor wondering what kind of typo the word “sus” stands for and googling it to discover the Pandora's box of related teenage slang.

Avoid presenting your opinions as facts. Always acknowledge other peoples' opinions, even when you disagree, and provide clear, thoughtful support for your views. If you feel that something is unclear or might come off as informal or disrespectful, reword it or rewrite the whole paragraph. On the other hand, do not lay the courtesy on too thick, or you risk coming off as insincere or flattering and might even miss the point of why you are writing the email in the first place.

Stick to simple formatting. Use appropriate emphasis wherever required. When adding attachments, make sure the format is widely accepted and easy to use. If you use some uncommon format that your professor has never encountered before, he might have to spend time figuring out how to open the attachment and hence you will be wasting his time. If you are sending large attachments, be sure to point out how to locate the regions of interest so as to save your professor some more time. You can highlight parts of the pdf in hot pink for example. That’s not easy to overlook!

Sometimes you might just not know who to send your email to. Maybe you’re a club coordinator announcing a competition, or a student wanting to enquire whether the institute has access to some software that you need. In any such cases, when you’re not sure who to email, try to ascertain your target audience first. A committee or event seems to be relevant to the student community and the faculty advisors of that body. So it’s better to limit the mail to the same. Similarly, for any queries you might have, it's better to spend some time trying to find out who the relevant body is, rather than blasting an email to all. Your best bet will be to contact the student secretary whose domain you feel the issue most relates to, and they can guide you to the relevant body. Please understand that mailing lists like all are only meant to be used in case there is some essential information to be dispersed to everyone, and should not be used otherwise.

But hey, what if you’re writing mail to a fellow student or colleague? Can you be semi formal, or will that be considered rude? In such cases where it might be difficult to ascertain the level of formality expected, it is a good idea to reciprocate the style of the person who writes to you. Try to stay one degree more formal than them, especially if they are higher up the seniority ladder.

Communicating with people can be confusing and messy, especially in the case of emails. But the best we can do is try to develop the appropriate skills and hone them with practice. A lack of confidence while drafting emails should not come in your way of development as a professional or as a person. Being able to write emails comfortably, without stressing or overthinking them, is exceptionally important in today's pandemic and online education mode. You are responsible for your growth and happiness, and you should not hesitate to reach out when you need to. Although it is easier said than done, don’t stress out while drafting emails. Keep the above points in mind and just go for it! You’ll learn along the way and become an expert soon enough. Hopefully this article will help you spend less time hesitating, the next time you contemplate writing to someone.

Resources:

• How to Email Your Professor (without being annoying AF)
• How to Email a Professor About Not Attending Class
• How to Email a Professor Requesting a change in Grade or Marks
• How to ask a Professor for Assignment Extension
• How to ask a Professor for a Recommendation Letter