The professional world runs on e-mail. The University will communicate to you primarily via e-mail. Setup it up on your phone/laptop with notifications. Academics receive large amounts of e-mail, so following the below guidance will help in getting a fast reply, and will give you some basic norms of e-mail 'culture' to fit within:
-
Give the e-mail an informative, but short, subject. This helps the receiver understand the nature of the request.
-
Start by greeting the person, e.g., "Dear Dominic". This shows basic politeness. (If this is an academic/lecturer in the UK you can use their first name, or if you have not met them before you might use their title + last name, e.g. "Dear Dr. Orchard", but usually first name is fine.)
-
Use full sentences and standard grammar. This will make it easier for your e-mail to be understood quickly.
-
Be polite ('please' and 'thank you' where appropriate) and respectful. This will smooth any further communication.
-
Make your request clear. This will increase the chance of helpful reply. (If you are refering to a particular module/course, make sure this is clear; academics will be teaching multiple courses, often concurrently, so leaving this information out will make the request unclear and require another round of e-mailing to clarify, slowing down communication.)
-
Be succinct. This will increase the chance of a quick reply.
-
If you are asking for help, explain what you have already done. For example, what did you try so far and why did this leave you stuck? Or, what did you read and which part (or parts) in particular were confusing? This will help ensure you get helpful, targetted support and information.
-
Check that any information you are seeking cannot already be found on standard channels, e.g., the course website, the academic's website. This shows respect for the other person's time.
-
Give a polite sign-off with your name, e.g., "Best regards, Student". This informs the receiver how to address you in the return.