I have a mini heart attack every time I have to send an email to a Dixie State University professor or faculty member.
There’s no doubt emailing a professor is terrifying. It creates a serious source of dread for a number of students. Because of this dread, students have become lazy and sloppy in their email delivery. This is a problem, but I might have the solution.
Sending that email may be embarrassing, but sometimes it has to be done if a failing grade is hanging in the balance. The context of what a student might be emailing a professor about — missing a test or asking about an assignment score — is often as embarassing as the act of typing out the email itself.
I understand we would all rather refrain from emailing a professor about anything, but when we have to, making sure it’s grammatically flawless and professional is the most important step in the process.
Unfortunately, students send themselves off the plank by failing to uphold a standard of respect toward their professors. Many students don’t yet realize this, but attending college is among the same ranks as having a job. It’s respectful and acceptable to treat college like it’s a career. They must understand what it means to act as such among their professors and peers, who are essentially like their co-workers. An employee would never send a sloppy email to his or her boss asking if they can “call them up later bro about next week cuz i’m peacin’ out.” Yet, it happens too often.
So folks, it’s easy to sound like you know what you’re doing. But, if a professor gets an email with half the words spelled wrong and all of the incorrect uses of a comma are apparent throughout, he or she will be much less inclined to offer the same respect to that student.
The most helpful tip for students is if they don’t know what a word means, they shouldn’t use it. If you they don’t know how it’s spelled, they should look it up. The difference between sending a professor “cuz” or “because” could be the difference between an A- and a B grade.
So don’t embarrass yourself by sending lazy emails. Those emails only exhibit laziness and carelessness — two things college professors could use much less of. Practice your professionalism in the emails you send from here on out. The college world will be a much happier place because of it.
