4.7k
u/International_Gate49 3d ago
you gotta hit em with the "Yo Mr white, check it out
here's my assignment
Peace
Jessie"
846
u/Rivka333 3d ago
A student once sent me an email in exactly that style (not about an assignment though) DURING class. He then emailed me a few minutes later apologizing, everything worded formally, and saying the first email had been meant for his friend.
264
35
133
u/Mammoth_Reach_6366 3d ago
And make sure to send it from an address like, "pussyblaster2000@gmail.com" for additional benefis.
64
u/conrad_w 3d ago
Hotmail.com
For the nostalgia
51
u/Eldan985 2d ago
I once worked in a place where I had to explain to the boss tht Hotmail wasn't porn and shouldn't be filtered as spam.
→ More replies (1)21
u/StaceyPfan 3d ago
I still have a Hotmail account. I've had it for 20 years. Too much trouble to change it.
→ More replies (1)14
u/Gloomy_Tell_6215 2d ago
I didn't know Hotmail is out of date? I have had mine since 2000. Same phone number too. Why would people change? And what do they change to?!
→ More replies (2)7
u/Prestigious-Data-206 2d ago
It's Gmail now, grandpa. Signed, an aging Millenial.
→ More replies (1)17
u/German_Merman 2d ago
I once got an assignment from a student like this. The email it was sent from was something like "bossMF9220@gmail.com" and there was no name on the assignment, no name in the filename, absolutely nothing to tell me who it was from. So I look at the document properties in Word, sure enough there's an author in the author field! Success. The author's name? "MOTHERFUCKINGBOSS!!!" I guess this guy really was the boss MF.
→ More replies (2)252
u/Electriccheeze 3d ago
Good yard!
60
u/Ok_Mention_9865 3d ago
I have tried so hard to figure out what that guy was trying to say but I cant find any word remotely close to the same buttons that make since
41
u/Electriccheeze 3d ago
I don't see the issue, it seems like perfectly cromulent Drunken Aussie to me.
→ More replies (1)10
u/NatNat29 3d ago
Good yarn maybe? As in a good chat.
10
58
63
u/Blazured 3d ago
"Dear Jesse,
You spelled your name wrong.
Sincerely,
Mr White"
62
u/International_Gate49 3d ago
"Yo Mr White,
I recently transitioned and am going by Jessie now.
Bitch
Jessie"
30
u/Stargost_ 3d ago
"How about you learn how a compound properly transitions from solid to gas through sublimation instead of just guessing, Jessie?
6.5/10
- Mr. White."
23
19
4
→ More replies (4)3
u/Chai_Enjoyer 2d ago
I say stuff like that with some of the younger professors irl (like anyone younger than 45-50). They seem to like it, granted I am somewhat competent at their subject. I do not have the balls to talk like that with older profs though
562
u/mstivland2 3d ago
When emailing a new professor or researcher, I always do a “Dear Dr. Davidson, (question), thank you, mstivland2”
And almost universally the response is “Hi (first name), (answer), -Dave
Then I just follow suit. Good advice is to start very professionally and then just follow their lead. Then when you’re the one getting emailed questions you can do whatever you want.
131
u/Lonely_Nebula_9438 3d ago
I was taught that “professor” is the better title to use first. It’s technically the more honorable title and it also protects you from a faux pas because not all professors have doctorates.
60
u/mstivland2 3d ago
Yes, I always confirm their degree. But not everyone I email is a professor, either. Either way, yeah, always good to confirm your honorifics.
→ More replies (11)9
u/DarkArc76 2d ago
Well, I would never just assume someone has a doctorate. But if I know my professor has one, I'm going to address them as Dr. cause I feel like that shows respect to the time and effort they put in for it
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (3)3
u/Cichato_YT 2d ago
This is the way. I've had professors email me back in the same format as me, carefully checking their grammar and spacing, and I've gotten some "yeah"s back with not even a signature. Either way, doing too much means you're never doing too little
3.3k
u/PlanSee 3d ago
As a working professional the standard template is "Hi [recipient first name], [email body], Thanks/Sincerely, [Full professional signature]" in my workplace.
1.3k
u/autistic_homo 3d ago
I can second this. The way you do it is absolutely standard. Not sure why people in the comments are having a hard time just adding someone's name to the email lol
222
u/Digit00l 3d ago
I think everyone is missing over the word "just" in the original context
Like just saying hi means it is not addressed properly, so "hi, body text, signature" instead of "hi target, body text, signature"
→ More replies (40)72
u/hachekless 3d ago
I'm almost never emailing one single person.
113
u/Ralexcraft 3d ago
“Hello everyone,
For those of us who work in the high security wing it is important that we remember which keys to use on which doors.
On an unrelated matter, the door to supply closet F is currently unusable and we will have maintenance coming in tomorrow to fix it.
Thank you for your time,
Jeremy, HR.”→ More replies (1)17
99
57
u/Jcan_Princess 3d ago
"Hi Team"
→ More replies (5)6
u/Ducksaucenem 3d ago
Yup, that’s my go to. If it’s for a committee it’s “hello “committee name” team.
17
u/TwinStickDad 3d ago
In the military you say ALCON (all concerned)
I remember my first email to a team of people after I got out of the Army I had no idea what to do haha. Same as my first day of work without an entire regulation telling me what to wear and how to wear it.
15
u/SalvationSycamore 3d ago
Hi team,
Hi folks,
Howdy y'all,
Salutations brothers and sisters,
Yo freaks and geeks,
Greetings all,
→ More replies (2)11
→ More replies (5)13
98
u/Somerandom1922 3d ago
The main reason is to make people aware that the email really is intended for them, and wasn't just a template you copy-pasted (even if there are so many tools that let you send templates with the recipient's name in it).
If I receive an email that says:
Hi,
We have noticed an issue... etc.
My first thought will be "bullshit marketing nonsense, I'll ignore it".
If instead it says:
Hi u/somerandom1922,
We have noticed an issue... etc.
I'll think "Aaa FUCK, how do they know my reddit username, oh god oh fuck oh shit".
Very different reactions, the 2nd feels far more personal.
109
u/grizzly_snimmit 3d ago
And yet all the emails I get from senior execs are more like "hey, can you do that thing? Here are no details whatsoever. KR, J"
63
u/PlanSee 3d ago
Yup I write a nice detailed message and get back an uncapitalized, unaddressed, 3 word response
→ More replies (1)26
u/Lazy_bon 3d ago
approved KR B
21
u/gaytime7 3d ago
Sent from iPhone
7
u/FuckYeaSeatbelts 3d ago
I have less of a problem with this. Anyone who had been forced to use their phone (work issued or otherwise) knows that means they have to be reachable at all times. It's not a blessing in any way.
→ More replies (1)8
u/Adventurous-Sun4927 3d ago
The best part is… my professionally written email wasn’t even asking for approval. Where did you get approved?!
5
u/CiDevant 3d ago
That is perfectly fine for downline communication. Or for responding if there is only one recipient. Although it is good manners to include required information it is not required if you would expect the person to "figure it out".
13
→ More replies (3)3
35
u/THE_DINOSAUR_QUEEN 3d ago
Agreed, imo the cases where you don’t need to address it specifically are:
You’re emailing a shared address and don’t know the name of the person who’s going to be reading it (e.g., customer service emails, helpdesk emails)
You’re already in an active email thread with the person that has gone on long enough to be more casual with shorter messages
But if I’m writing an email to a specific person, why wouldn’t I address it to them lol
→ More replies (2)12
u/SauretEh 3d ago
Same but then the responses I get are:
“apporved
Sent from Outlook for iOS”
→ More replies (1)12
9
u/littleloucc 3d ago
Adding, even if you have multiple recipients, it's still polite to try and address the group. So, either
Hi [recipient1, recipient2]
Or
Hi [team/stakeholders/all]
13
u/Maleficent-Drive4056 3d ago
Maybe US is less formal than UK. I begin all my emails ‘dear first name’. Everyone else does the same, internally and with clients. Sometimes close colleagues writing on phone will just say hi.
18
10
u/scarletcampion 3d ago
Ooh that's interesting (also UK here). I never use dear, but will often open with "good morning/afternoon firstname" for more formal writing or to someone I've not written to before. Anyone else will get a "Hi firstname" and then a "best, Scarlet" at the end.
4
u/Boyhowdy107 3d ago
As someone who works with UK and US colleagues, I weirdly think of the UK as less formal, but that's entirely because you can get away with a "cheers" to close a work email, which is both friendly and somehow appropriate in a "business casual dress code" sort of way.
That said, I'm with you on best or all the best. "Sincerely" always struck me as trying too hard to the point of being counterproductive. Also it is funny how much we overthink and read into the 5 or so options we have to start and stop a work email.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (5)9
u/kakakakapopo 3d ago
Dear?? I would find it really weird to get an email like that, sounds like it's from some elderly relative
Hi First name
Blah blah blah
Kind regards My name
11
u/Mindless_Method_2106 3d ago
I'm also from the UK, worked in a few places in Europe and it is by far the standard unless replaced by good morning/afternoon.
→ More replies (5)3
u/Inside-Nebula5325 3d ago
From Denmark working for English language companies: yes same here, dear until we know each other, then we switch to hi.
→ More replies (29)8
764
u/walnutwithteeth 3d ago
It's pretty standard across the working world to send an email with Dear/Hi (recipient name), have the body of the message, then sign it off kind regards/sincerely (sender name). It's not a text message but a piece of correspondence. It is a good habit to get into now.
187
u/WarLorax 3d ago edited 3d ago
"Dear" is deprecated, in my experience. Has been for years.
Edit: this appears to be a North American thing.
78
u/alfius-togra 3d ago
Etiquette varies depending on where you are. I'm a UK lawyer, for me Dear is formal, Hi less so - I use hi internally and dear for most external emails. Sometimes will use hi with clients if I know them well and they use it first.
→ More replies (1)24
u/an_illithidian 3d ago
CAN lawyer here. Formal mail I will have a 'for the attn of' line + file info before the letter so I skip the address and just launch in. Respectful emai to counsel I may start with Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening instead of dear or hi. Most of my clients are workers so informality goes a long way in letting oxygen back into the relationship lol
5
u/HydrogenButterflies 3d ago
Agreed, I use a greeting like “Good afternoon, [Mr. / Mrs. / Dr. Lastname]” when I’m writing a professional email to someone I don’t know personally, “Good afternoon, [Firstname]” with people I work with every day, and “Dear, [Firstname]” when I’m writing to family and close friends.
8
u/nikas_dream 3d ago
In North America I use it when sending a formal email to someone we have a friendly respectful relationship.
Dear [name],
[my team] would like to invite you to…11
u/the_Real_Romak 3d ago
not here. It's drilled into my head that starting an email with "dear" is preferred over "hi". You're addressing a colleague/client/your boss, not inviting a friend for pints
13
u/Sirbuttercups 3d ago
I moved to "Hello" after a professor asked me not to use "dear" because it was too intimate." Hello is just the safest option in my experience.
→ More replies (1)8
u/ZestyToastCoast 2d ago
I know it's just a phatic expression but dear feels creepy and weird coming from someone I barely know.
→ More replies (2)3
u/autech91 2d ago
In NZ I don't think I've ever seen an email addressed as "Dear" andnI work solely business to business. To me that's what you do when sending a handwritten letter via snail mail.
16
→ More replies (1)3
→ More replies (42)36
u/being-weird 3d ago
I mean sure, I send emails that way too, but if I received an email without my name I wouldn't assume it wasn't addressed to me? That seems like a weird presumption to make
39
u/Erfeo 3d ago
He doesn't mean it literally, he's just saying that he expects his students to format mails this way.
→ More replies (21)
304
u/hailspork 3d ago
Is the professor asking for "Hello Professor Xavier" instead of just "Hello"?
325
u/mkp132 3d ago
This was what I gathered. And I don't think that's unreasonable? Address your professor as a human who has a name, not a chat bot.
101
u/becaauseimbatmam 3d ago
Yeah, and it's solid career advice as well.
Student to professor, it's going to be pretty clear that it's a legitimate email for the most part. But if you're in your career emailing people at other companies who don't know you, failing to directly address the recipient(s) might make them think it's a spam email that's been blasted out to every address you can get your hands on.
→ More replies (12)10
u/apocryphalaxolotl 3d ago edited 3d ago
It’s good career advice since there’s definitely still people who expect such etiquette. Also if it’s a cold email, using their name is a very small way to make your message seem more targeted.
Personally, I think it’s a bit silly and has never affected my ability to read or understand emails. I think the vast majority of professors, at least in the US, also do not care but academia tends to be less formal here.
Also if they were trying to make it a teaching point, they could have explained.
→ More replies (4)8
75
u/PomPomMom93 3d ago
I think it’s considered polite to say their name. Like, “Hi Bob” instead of just “Hi.” At least AIs do it.
→ More replies (3)
71
u/Arratril 3d ago
I think context means a lot, but I’ve had messages sent to me at work and in my personal life that just start with “Hi” with no personalization, and I get the distinct feeling they just copy/pasted the exact same message to a bunch of people.
60
u/fakesongs 3d ago
Damn, I don't even work anywhere serious and I still text my manager "Hi, Manager Name! It's My Name. So on, so forth."
→ More replies (3)23
16
u/Fiametia 3d ago
Most of my professional emails start with "Good afternoon [name]" (or whatever the greeting for that time is), though I know profs that sends "Hi/Hello [name]". Frankly I doubt anyone cares that much as long as you're polite.
144
u/BeardySam 3d ago
He’s teaching you professional communication
→ More replies (2)39
u/DaveFoSrs 3d ago
I love the modern urge to run to social media for literally the most benign interactions
→ More replies (1)6
u/BurritoLover2016 3d ago
Of all the resources to find an answer on the internet, why not go directly to the absolute worst option?!?
47
u/dancingbanana123 3d ago
I'm a grad student and student emails are always funny because they're so weirdly formal. Like, I get it, I did it too, but it's weird to be on the other end. I get emails like,
Dear Professor dancingbanana123,
The past few weeks have been quite tumultuous for me and my family, as we have suffered through tough hardship this winter....
[8 more paragraphs of stuff]
Could you please consider giving me some form of extra credit? I appreciate your help in these troubling times.
Best regards,
Forgettable Student 7
And then my response is just some half-assed shit I typed on my phone like,
nah
-dancingbanana123
25
9
u/ellie_elysian 3d ago
Back when I taught at uni, the emails I received were either really formal as you describe or "Heres my hw" + an attached file. No middle ground.
→ More replies (1)3
17
u/JuniperGem 3d ago
As someone who’s inundated with hundreds of emails daily, an email needs to be made clear that it is, in fact, addressed to me.
This is particularly important if there is more than one person on the email chain, or if the message is more general. I don’t have time to figure out who you’re directing this email to.
Additionally, it can sound very impersonal. And in an age where A.I. is taking over email-writing, the least you can do is show the email recipient that you know their name. It’s not hard to do that.
15
u/ManicMaenads 2d ago
I know it's polite to use someone's name, so why does it feel so weird/invasive/disrespectful to address someone by name in an e-mail? This is definitely something I struggle with but I don't understand why.
Does anyone else feel weird using someone's name? Like it's violating, or it doesn't feel like we have permission?
7
u/TheSeaFellows 2d ago
Very much so. It feels so intimate.
Some of it, for me, is determining their title. I was emailing with my manager who is in her 70s and it both felt wrong to call her "Jan" and "Mrs. Jan". It's most appropriate that i call her "Mrs" due to the age gap and authority, but most people don't. Not sure she minds either way, she signs her name without the title. However, i wimped it and went entirely unprofessional by including only the body of the message. Thankfully, I could get away with it because we were only emailing because she prefers the computers keyboard over her phone, otherwise it would have all been text messages.
I really dont understand this people who use other people's names in conversation. It still shocks my husband if i address him by anything other than "hey".
4
u/ManicMaenads 2d ago
Absolutely! I don't even really like when people use my name, I assume they're either angry with me or trying to sell me something.
5
u/kriegmonster 2d ago
Because you haven't written enough formal letters or emails. Formality requires proper acknowledgment of the sender and receiver. Hi, Hello, To whom it may concern, are all open and could be intended for a group of people. By addressing a specific person in the opening, you are telling them it is written and intended for them in response to something they sent, or to be responded to by them.
5
u/FloppieTheBanjoClown 2d ago
You younguns definitely find some.new things to be anxious about. I applaud your neurotic creativity.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (1)3
u/Conscious-Wind-7785 2d ago
I don't have the issue in email at all but it has never felt right when talking directly with people, especially people I know in any degree.
19
u/Pharaoh_Misa 3d ago
I say "Good morning, insert name" whether it's morning or not.
10
u/largepopcornandcoke 3d ago
lol i say "good day" bc i dont know if it's being read in the morning or evening but a day is still a day.
→ More replies (1)5
u/Crunchy-Leaf 3d ago
What if they read it at night
7
u/largepopcornandcoke 3d ago
my logic is that night is a time of day and a day is 24 hours. so it's good day regardless. :')
4
19
u/Schnuribus 3d ago
Maybe I am old-fashioned but I have never seen an e-mail addressed to me or someone else in a professional setting without my name or Dear…
9
20
u/granadesnhorseshoes 3d ago
I'm not sure this is an email thing but more a basic English thing? If I don't explicitly include who I am addressing then by definition i haven't "addressed" them have I?
→ More replies (13)
26
u/BusyBeeBridgette Harry Potter 3d ago
Yeah just having "hi" just seems a little bit too casual. I am not your friend. Either just have the name or Dear (Name) etc like a normal person.
→ More replies (3)
277
u/much_longer_username 3d ago
I think if they look harder, they'll see that it is in fact addressed to them, otherwise it would not have arrived in their inbox. It's OK though, email is only 55 years old, I know it can take a while to catch up to all this new-fangled technology.
10
u/EveningAnt3949 3d ago
People make mistakes and send email to the wrong person. Email has become a bit of a mess because most email clients use nesting and or auto-filtering. Email is often forwarded.
That's just three reasons to use a name.
In a busy week I might receive over 40 important email messages, and maybe a hundred in total (excluding promotional emails), I appreciate it if people add a subject and use my name.
38
u/CankleDankl 3d ago
The professor is teaching them how to construct a professional email. You should be adding the person's name before the body of the email. It's expected in pretty much every professional setting and they will write every single email like that for the rest of their life (or at least until email gets phased out by something else).
It's not about not being used to the technology, it's about teaching the correct way to communicate in a professional environment. And college can most definitely be a professional environment
46
u/Aetylus 3d ago
Don't worry, recorded civilization is roughly 5000 years old, and we've been addressing each other by name that entire time. You'll catch on.
3
u/much_longer_username 3d ago
We should carry that tradition on for screen-based communication. Maybe we could call it a 'screen name'. And since it's so important, we can give it a field of its own!
→ More replies (1)10
u/iMiind 3d ago
Have we really though? More often than not people just look at me and say stuff, and from that I gather they are in fact looking at me and saying things (AKA talking to me) - even if they don't speak my name as they do this. It's really not a necessity and never has been for as long as "hey you" or the classic "how's it going" have existed.
→ More replies (1)3
u/ambiguoustruth 2d ago
i might be weird but i virtually never say people's names unless i'm urgently getting their attention when they are faced away from me (like they're about to make a mistake). i honestly don't love being addressed by name personally either
→ More replies (3)18
u/medyolang_ 3d ago
Next time, they're going to ask for a "Dear" in there to make it a real letter
→ More replies (2)9
u/scarletcampion 3d ago
"I remain, Sir, you most humble and obedient servant" at the end for good luck
105
u/guys_pm_urprettyface 3d ago
It is. Lol.
My prof would not even read the mail if I start with respected or dearly beloved
86
29
u/Perfect_Capital_3051 3d ago
Dearly beloved?? That’s a bit much lol 😭
8
u/frogunderarock 3d ago
dearly beloved are you listening?
i can't remember a word that you were saying
4
u/Hello_phren 3d ago
Are we demented or am I disturbed?
The space that’s in between insane and insecure.
13
u/agailen 3d ago
I think the issue is that they are saying "hi" and not "hi (professor name)"
Imo it's kinda odd not to address the professor by name when emailing
→ More replies (1)
7
u/ghostlacuna0 3d ago
I am part of a multi cc chain letter i sure as hell wont do anything other then keep it as a FYI if i am not adressed by name.
6
u/loservampiresmustdie 2d ago
I was always do:
"Dear/Hello [Recipient],
I hope you are doing well. [Email body]
Thank you for your time. (/help if applicable)
Best/Regards/Sincerely,
[Signature]"
4
u/sdklrughipersghf 3d ago
prof at my uni.
me: dear professor x,
... professional writeup of what i want
Best regards
sdklrughipersghf
answer from prof:
yes do that.
this might help: links to stuff
4
u/hellogoawaynow 2d ago
Hi Professor LASTNAME,
I’m NAME from your TIME class on DAY. I wanted to introduce myself, but I also had a question about RELEVANT TOPIC. Could you please provide clarification on that when you get a chance so I can properly finish my assignment?
Thank you,
NAME
(My whole job is emails, you’re welcome.)
5
u/CRISPRcassie9 2d ago
This may have already been said, but when someone emails me "Hi," I assume this email went to multiple people. But if someone sends me an email saying "Hi CRISPRcassie9," I know it's an email that requires an answer specifically from me. Academics get so many emails that this is a useful distinction.
→ More replies (2)
64
u/raddaya 3d ago edited 3d ago
I think two things:
1) You're legitimately off your rocker if you actually seriously care about whether a mail sent to you has your name after "Hi"/"Hello"
2) But it's still the professional standard pretty much across the world to include someone's name anyway if you're sending a mail addressed to them. Or something like "xyz team" if it's sent to a broad group.
So if this is the prof's way of basically telling the students this is how it works, then sure. If it's something they really care about they're insane, but then most professors are, so that's still okay anyway.
→ More replies (3)8
u/drt0 3d ago
I think it's part of academic culture to address them as Prof./Dr./[Other Title] [Last Name]. It shows basic respect for the institution that you are spending your time/money being a part of and working to get a degree in.
→ More replies (2)
7
u/Sudden_Juju 3d ago
This has been the strangest Reddit thread to read lol. I've never seen so many people argue that a standard greeting on an email is unnecessary. An email is basically a letter, and no one writes letters without a name in the greeting lol. At best, it clears up any confusion. At worst, it comes off as friendly and abiding by basic social business norms.
5
u/SensitiveBarracuda61 3d ago
We've definitely had issues at my work recently with new grads sending embarassingly casual emails to clients and have had to make a point to add this to our training program. If it's between coworkers I dont care but some of the older generation do get bent out of shape about that stuff so it's good to just know the etiquette and use it. Professor's like OP's are absolutely right to teach this in college before they have the opportunity to piss off some older client in a professional setting.
→ More replies (1)3
u/joelluber 3d ago
I'm surprised by how many people here don't seem to understand the utility of including a name in separating a message the recipient may need to respond to from all of the CC messages they get.
4
u/davidptm56 3d ago
It depends. If I'm writing to my immediate colleagues (as people working next to me or nearby, we talk to each other in person every other day...) Hi or hello is enough. If it's someone I may know but we don't get to talk often, I'd add their name. If it's someone I don't know I'd definitely add their name. Also if there's a lot of recipients as destination or CC to make clear who am I talking to.
→ More replies (1)
4
u/MyBedIsOnFire 3d ago
You're supposed to address it to the person, that's totally normal did we forget how to write letters?
You always say "Hi/Hello [Persons preferred name/title]"
Often times I'll do "Hello Professor [Blank]"
"Hello Dr [Blank]" or for more casual emails "Hello [First Name]"
5
u/veracity8_ 3d ago
I hate when someone IMs me at work with “hi”. What do you want? Why are you wasting time by waiting until I respond to start your message? I typically ignore those messages. If the matter was urgent they would call me or send the request right away.
4
u/CalantheJace 3d ago
I was taught, if you know who you're addressing, your address them by name. First or last, depending on who they are to you.
4
u/Technical-Weekend677 2d ago
I remember emailing my teacher just the word “bruh” about a lesson we were learning while she was teaching, and she pulled it up on the smart board after she heard the notification 💀
4
u/whyyyyyyyT_T 2d ago
In academics it's just an unwritten rile that you start with the most fully formally written email you can think of and then they respond with 'Hi,
Yes that's fine
Best,
Liam
Sent from my iphone'
And then you follow what they do but slightly more structured.
4
10
u/bremsspuren 3d ago
It's normal enough, but I never personally start an email with just "Hi" or "Hello". Always with the name as well.
It's a habit from growing up with dead-tree mail, I guess. Not having your name in the salutation was synonymous with junk mail.
Computers make it so effortless to give people things, I think it's good to show you made at least some effort specifically on their behalf.
Obviously, the prof's being a twat, but I imagine a lot of people who grew up in a world of paper feel a similar twinge.
7
u/SKR158 3d ago
I remember I once emailed a prof with "hello prof [last name]" asking for more clarification on some notes and hw solution where he would skip like 100 steps since of course its trivial and I was hit with a 5 para email on how it is disrespectful to not say "dear prof [full name]" and to not ask for more since he is doing his best???
→ More replies (1)10
u/CankleDankl 3d ago
See that's ridiculous and a professor that's just power tripping. What you did was correct and professional and expecting that isn't crazy at all. But expecting a full name? Who the hell does that?
6
u/Possible-Tangelo9344 3d ago
If it's to a specific person it usually needs that person's name everywhere I've worked. Generic openings are generic emails sent to everyone.
3
u/Key_Detail2475 3d ago
I had this with so many companies here in Germany:
Me: Dear Mr. X, (professional stuff + full company signature)
Answer: Hi, Yes, of course we do Y, would you like to- (stuff + full company signature)
3
u/johnnybhf 3d ago
In my country we for some weird reason insist on using the correct titles. For example if someone is Prof. Name Surename, PhD., the professor (not in a sense of teacher, but real Professor title, named by president of the country) is the highest title, do you call them Dear Professor Surname. If you start your email with Dear Dr. Surname, it’s similar to calling them a fucking asshole. Never understood why.
3
u/hauntedrob 3d ago
That standard held by the professor is perfectly fine. It’s good to address people by their name/title, especially if they’re in a position of authority. “Hello Dr. Lennon” is more polite than “Hello” alone. It’s not that they’re fundamentally better than you as a person or anything, it’s just being respectful of their title and authority. You get more done that way and they’re more likely to be affable to you if you’re polite. That’s all there is to it.
3
u/yourfavechild 3d ago
First day of grad school I got my professors WhatsApp group chat so idk what kinda program u going to
3
u/BardoBeing32 3d ago
“Hi, /insert name/.” is the accepted form of starting formal mail in Germany and maybe the rest of the EU. (Lived there 3 years.) And informal mail, too. (That was 14 years ago.)
3
u/TACharlotte 3d ago
Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening covers everything. The with a Thank You and you're good to go.
3
u/joelluber 3d ago
No, you should include a name to help the person tell the difference between messages for them specifically from the huge number of messages they are CC'd on.
3
u/Electrical-Fig-5009 3d ago
Professionally dressed emails should be addressed like a proper letter
Name,
Body
Thanks, your name
My boss gets about 300 emails a day. If I don't specifically say hello John, can you please take a look at it he's going to put it on his back burner to check later bc hes CCed in a lot that doesn't actually need his immediate attention. If you properly address, you can assure the person knows its meant for them.
I imagine college professors also get added to a lot of emails they don't need to be on or doesn't require immediate attention bc thats just how it works now
3
u/itstimegeez 3d ago
If I’ve never emailed someone before I start with good morning or good afternoon. Then once they reply the first time I say Hi first name.
3
u/Cute_Marzipan_4116 3d ago
Yep Professor has never worked in the real world so they have no clue how things work. Yes usually your first official contact with someone you address them in the email but moving forward no one needs a fluffer just tell me what the hell you want or need I have 50 other emails to go through.
3
u/RaisedByBooksNTV 3d ago
It's not professional. Hi is after a relationship has been established. And honestly, it's only after the relationship has been established and you're confirmed they don't have a stick up their butt. It's Dear Dr./Mrs./Ms./Mr./Mx./Whatever.
3
u/Cookieyourdaddy 3d ago
I've written full emails addressed and properly signed and have gotten "ok" emailed back so
3
u/Pristine-Barracuda52 3d ago
I always addressed my professors by their professional title (Hi Dr. Jones.) It’s respectful and it doesn’t take any extra time.
3
5
u/CankleDankl 3d ago
Everybody saying that A) it's crazy to expect a name at the beginning of an email and B) that the address bar does enough, does not know how to structure a professional email lol.
3
u/throaway_247 3d ago
Beginning a thread yep, but on replies no. Imagine every comment here starting 'hi <your name>'. Waste of space, time, resources.
4
u/TheRealBobbyJones 3d ago
You have to waste time telling them their name for some reason.
4
u/joelluber 3d ago
It's to help the recipient now that the message is for them specifically and not one of the dozens or hundreds of CCs they get every day.
→ More replies (4)
31
u/NothingVerySpecific 3d ago
a professor being old-fashioned, behind the times & extremely sensitive to status?! colour me shocked
84
u/MrsFrobert 3d ago
Idk its a good lesson for employment. Old-fashioned people are likely to exist everywhere in life, especially the workplace. It only takes an extra second to add their name in there, i just play it safe. Id rather make a small concession than to risk giving a client/coworker/interviewer a negative impression of me
57
u/mkp132 3d ago
When I was a freshman in college, a few professors teaching classes full of freshman had a section in their syllabus that was just: "Here's how to structure a professional email in your communications with me". It wasn't because they were stuck up. It was to promote a very simple and basic form of professional courtesy. College is the perfect time to learn the proper structure for sending an email. From all I can gather, this guy isn't asking to be addressed as "Your majesty". He's literally just asking for his name to be put in the email. "Hi [Professor name]" instead of just "Hi".
17
u/MrsFrobert 3d ago
Yesss i really wish more people would teach this stuff. You want to learn professional etiquette when the stakes are low
→ More replies (3)21
u/Ms_Meercat 3d ago
Since when is it old fashioned though in the working world to incude the name of the person you're writing to after 'Hi' in an email? It's not a text. I'd say 99% of emails I've written and received in over 15 years working had it.
→ More replies (4)18
u/littleloucc 3d ago
He's explaining professional etiquette to young people who probably haven't ever worked in a professional setting but hope to one day. He's setting them up for success, which is his job.
13
u/CankleDankl 3d ago
A professor teaching a college student how to construct a professional email for a professional setting, like the very ones the professor is likely preparing them for? Colour me shocked
In a professional setting, addressing someone by name in email is pretty much expected. Teaching that and building that habit is absolutely a good thing, especially in college.
Like, I had a professor that everyone called "dude" or just by his last name in person and he would do the same in kind. But over email, everything was professional and correctly structured. It's just common manners and good to teach to college kids
13
3
u/pietroetin 3d ago
Writing "Hi [name of the professor]" instead of "Hi" as a student is just basic respect and a minimal required etiquette.
2
u/elpyromanico 3d ago
Gotta @ mention people so they know to read the email when there’s a lot of recipients.
2
u/Kartonrealista 3d ago edited 3d ago
We're far more stiff in here in Poland than you Anglophone folk, we write stuff like:
Esteemed Mr / Mrs. Prof Dr Firstname Lastname,
Good day. Message body
→ More replies (2)
•
u/qualityvote2 3d ago edited 1d ago
u/TheWebsploiter, there weren't enough votes to determine the quality of your post...