Thursday, December 14, 2023

Good Morning!

Today in Class

Emotional Idioms and Non-Verbal Cues

View the film Inside Out

Disney·Pixar film synopsis: "Eleven-year-old Riley has moved to San Francisco, leaving behind her life in Minnesota. She and her five core emotions, Fear, Anger, Joy, Disgust and Sadness, struggle to cope with her new life."

Appropriately using and correctly interpreting emotional idioms can be crucial to authentic communication in any culture. Listen for emotional idioms in this film; write down as many as you can!

Non-verbal cues are sometimes even more important to effective communication than words. Pay close attention to the use of facial expressions and body language in this film. Think about your own communication. How clearly and accurately do your non-verbal cues convey the meaning you intend? How clearly and accurately are you able to read the non-verbal cues others show while communicating with you?

Evaluate this course.

Go to menti.com and enter the code 1807 0984

Emotional Idioms

Good Morning!

Today in Class

Emotional idioms. 

For example: cry your eyes out, bent out of shape, spaced out, down in the dumps, etc.  

• Go here and choose one idiom for at least five of the following emotional states; be prepared to say the idiom to the class:
• Feeling angry
• Feeling annoyed or frustrated
• Feeling happy
• Feeling sad, depressed or dejected
• Feeling scared
• Feeling nervous, anxious, or excited
• Feeling bored
• Feeling miserable
• Feeling focused
• Feeling unfocused, distracted
• Feeling different

• Complete the exercise here, and be prepared to read your answers to the class.

Good Morning!

Today in Class

View the Video! Project 5: You Matter

After viewing, each of you will evaluate yourself, each other, and each scenario according to a couple of specific criteria.

Complete the evaluation at this Google Form no later Friday, December 8, 2023.

• Work with clear focus and strong motivation.
• Use your translation tools with urgency and dedication.

Good Morning!

Today in Class

If you haven't yet, please finish and email to me...

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• Promotional Announcement
• Customer Service Response
• Employer Memo
• Letter to Santa 

If you've finished the above, you may study for exams

 

NOTE: I can accept assignments through Friday, December 8, 2023 

English for Career

Opportunities and success!

You have already practiced the skill of writing a cover letter (one that will require continued practice - every job for which you apply will need a cover letter tailored to that position).

In the next exercises between today and December 5, you will produce a: 

• Resume (details below)
• Promotional announcement (details below)
• Customer service response (details below)
• Employee memo (details below)

EMPLOYEE MEMO

This writing exercise requires you to carefully read and follow instructions. 

Instructions:

You are the Human Resources Assistant at the National Donkey Racing Association (NDRA). Last week, the HR Director tasked you with organizing the annual company picnic. Since then, you have completed all but one item on your To-Do List:

Annual NDRA Picnic

TO-DO LIST

• Set the date
• Reserve the picnic area at Magnolia Grove Park
• Place a tentative hold on a tent, chairs, tables, and dance floor in case of rain
• Order spring themed decorations
• Hire a DJ
• Hire caterer
• Write employee memo

Using the memo format below, write an employee memo inviting all employees and their families to the Annual NDRA Picnic. Make sure to include the following details in your memo:

• Date [your choice]
• Location [see To-Do-List above]
• Plan in case of rain [see To-Do-List above]
• Theme of picnic [see To-Do-List above]
• Inform employees of the entertainment and food they will enjoy [see To-Do-List above]
• Request RSVP with number of guests attending with you via email to you by [date of your choice]
• Your NDRA email address

Memo Format

To: All NDRA Employees and Their Families

From: [Your Name], NDRA HR Assistant

Date: [Your choice]

Re: Annual NDRA Picnic - TIME SENSITIVE!

[Body of memo with required details. Make it friendly, inviting; one of the purposes of an HR Assistant is to boost morale and increase employee participation in company events.]

Email your memo as a Word doc to misslee.imh@gmail.com no later than 9:00 am, Tuesday, December 5, 2023.

CUSTOMER SERVICE RESPONSE

Role-play: You are the customer service representative

• The customer calls, emails, or messages your customer service team.
• The customer stops by to ask if he or she can rent the conference room in your building.
• The customer asks a common service question.
• The customer shares negative feedback about your product or brand.
• The customer has been waiting in line to speak with you for 4 hours and you are about to leave for the day.
• The customer requests a product, feature, or service that you don't have.
• The customer asks a question or has a problem that you don't have a solution for.
• The customer purchases a faulty or incorrect product.
• The customer needs to be transferred to another rep.
• The customer wants to speak to a manager.
• The customer is delighted with their brand experience.
• The customer asks you to bend company policy.
• The customer asks for a job.

PROMOTIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT EXERCISE

Write and verbally deliver an announcement 

• Decide what product or service to promote
• Determine who is your target audience
• In a total of 75 words or less:
• Greet your audience
• Introduce yourself
• Clearly, concisely, and persuasively describe the product or service
• Then, submit a draft of your announcement in an email to misslee.imh@gmail.com by 9:00 am, tomorrow, Thursday, November 23, 2023.
• Note: your announcements will be shown to the class as part of the learning process. Use feedback you receive in class to revise and resubmit your announcement to me in an email by 9:00 am, Monday, November 27. Be prepared to read your announcement in class that day.

RESUME EXERCISE

Prepare to build your resume.

If you already have a resume, see the instructions below. If you have not yet built a resume, scroll down to the instructions under these.

Update your current resume

1. Add experiences you have had since you first made the resume
2. Remove outdated information
3. Correct errors and add missing information
4. Convert your resume to English
5. Email your updated resume as a pdf to misslee.imh@gmail.com by 23:59 h, Friday, December 1, 2023

If you have NOT yet built a resume, follow these instructions: 

NOTE: your resume must be in English 

List your work experience in the past five years. Include the following:

• Your title

• Beginning and ending dates of the job

• Entity you worked for and the city where it is located

• Three main duties of the job

List your education. Include the following:

• Instituto México de Huatulco, Huatulco, Oaxaca, México

• High School Diploma, June, 2024

List your skills.

• You can include a statement in your resume such as "Fluent in written and comprehension of English, with limited spoken proficiency." This clearly communicates your proficiency level and allows potential employers to understand your language abilities.

List two references. Include the following for each:

• Name

• Title and organization

• Phone

• Email

Now, click on this link to build your resume: Canva resume template

When you are ready to submit the exercise, click on Share in Canva

• Click Download
• Use File type PNG
• Click Download
• Change the file name to your name and resume. For example:ArturoResume.png
• Email the resume to misslee.ihm@gmail.com by 23:59 h, Friday, December 1, 2023

Thursday, November 23, 2023

Good Morning!

Today in Class

Project 5: Videos due in 3 days!

Does your scenario meet each component of the rubric?

To successfully complete your Project 5: You Matter assignment, please carefully read and follow all instructions below:

1. Before uploading your video file(s), view your videos and to make sure your team MEETS ALL COMPONENTS OF THE RUBRIC (see rubric above)
2. If necessary, re-record scenes to improve!
3. Delete video material at the beginning and end that you do not want included in the final video
4. If possible, please combine multiple videos into one; if not possible, that's ok
5. Label video files with the name of the scenario 'captain' (Cris, Nicky, or Sofia) followed by the number of video files. For example: Cris1.mp4 or Cris2.mp4 or Cris3.mp4
6. Upload the video file(s) to this Google Drive by 23:59 h, Sunday, November 26, 2023 (late submissions may result in lower grades for every member of that scenario team); DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE! Give yourself time to ensure that you have access to the Google Drive - access trouble is not a valid excuse for late submissions - check your access well ahead of time
7. After you have uploaded your video file(s) to the Google Drive, send me an email with the following:
• A statement such as "This is to confirm that we have uploaded our Project 5 videos!"
• The official title of your scenario (currently, the working titles are "Academic $upport," "Favoritism," and "Paid Gig")
• The real names and character names of everyone in your scenario (currently, Alexis is Paco, Amy is Ana, Celia is Jack, Cris is Bastian, Estefany is Lia, Fernanda is Mar, Jorge is Alexis, Luz is Olivia, Marysol is Zoé, Nicky is Camila, Romina is Bella, Sofia is Greta, and Suri is Valeria)

I will compile all video files into one to be presented during class on Thursday, December 7, 2023.

Monday, November 13, 2023

Good Morning!

Today in Class

Reading English

Carefully read and follow all instructions. Find your name and note the exercise you have been assigned. Work alone and complete the exercise as quickly as possible. At the bottom of the exercise, you will see a link labeled "Mark Answers." Click "Mark Answers." A window will open that shows your results. Keep the results window open. We will go over these in class after everyone has finished.

• Alexis: Complete your choice of exercise 5 or 6
• Amy: Complete your choice of exercise 1 or 2
• Celia: Complete your choice of exercise 3 or 4
• Cris: Complete your choice of exercise 3 or 4
• Estefany: Complete your choice of exercise 1 or 2
• Fernanda: Complete your choice of exercise 1 or 2
• Jorge: Complete your choice of exercise 1 or 2
• Luz: Complete your choice of exercise 3 or 4
• Marysol: Complete your choice of exercise 5 or 6
• Nicky: Complete your choice of exercise 3 or 4
• Romina: Complete your choice of exercise 5 or 6
• Sofia: Complete your choice of exercise 5 or 6
• Suri: Complete your choice of exercise 1 or 2

Exercise 1: https://www.esl-lounge.com/student/reading/1r3-hotel-dialogue.php

Exercise 2: https://www.esl-lounge.com/student/reading/1r4-letter-sentence-insertion.php

Exercise 3: https://www.esl-lounge.com/student/reading/2r3-caribbean-cruise.php

Exercise 4: https://www.esl-lounge.com/student/reading/2r4-the-silver-glove.php

Exercise 5: https://www.esl-lounge.com/student/reading/3r2-alien-story.php

Exercise 6: https://www.esl-lounge.com/student/reading/3r6-comic-strip-2.php

Reminder: Project 5 videos are due by Sunday, November 26 

Friday, November 10, 2023

Good Morning!

Today in Class

Translation Race

1. Open your favorite translation tool.

2. Go to the mentimeter at https://www.menti.com/al6mxph669r3 or scan the QR code below, and follow all instructions there.

3. Go to menti.com and type in the code 7917 9614 

4. Prizes to be announced!

NOTE: If you have not yet done so, send me an email progress report re: Project 5 scenario telling me:

• Specifically, what have you, individually, done since October 22, 2023 to prepare for recording the videos?

Reminder: Project 5 videos are due by Sunday, November 26

Listen deeply

 

English Language SMART Goals & Strategies

Specific (example: achieve a higher ESL level)

Measurable (example: from A0 to A1)

Achievable (example: not A0 to B2)

Relevant (example: all of my classmates are at least at A1)

Time (example: by February 2024)

Thursday, October 26, 2023

Good Morning!

Today in Class

English Assessment

• Complete the assessment
• As soon as you receive the email message with the results, forward the message to misslee.imh@gmail.com.

Project 5 Scenario Rehearsals

In order of most to least cast members

Online Translator

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

 

 Good Morning!

Today in Class

Project 6: College & Career

COLLEGE

Today in class: 

• Those who haven't yet: Send Email to Professor
• (11:32) How to Write an Email to a Professor: 7 Mistakes My Students Make
• 10 Elements of an Effective, Non-Annoying Email:

Here´s a template you can follow in constructing your email to a professor. Each element is explained further below.

 Dear [1] Professor [2] Last-Name [3],

This is a line that recognizes our common humanity [4].

I´m in your Class Name, Section Number that meets on This Day [5]. This is the question I have or the help I need [6]. I´ve looked in the syllabus and at my notes from class and online and I asked someone else from the class [7], and I think This Is The Answer [8], but I´m still not sure. This is the action I would like you to take [9].

Signing off with a Thank You is always a good idea [10],

Favorite Student

Element #1: Salutation

Right off the bat, here’s where you can establish that you view your relationship with your professor as a professional one. Use “Dear,” or if that feels horrifically formal to you, you can use “Hello” or “Hi.” (“Hi” is pushing it. See note about exceptions below.)

Element #2: Honorific

Address your professor as “Professor.” If they have a PhD, you can technically call them “Dr.” but you’re safer with “Professor.” Not all instructors have PhDs (and many won’t even have the word professor in their official job title), but if they are teaching a college class they are inhabiting the role of Professor and can be addressed as such. The bonus of “Professor” and “Dr.” is that they don’t require you to know anything about your professor’s gender identity or marital status.

Element #3: Name

You might be surprised at how frequently students get their professor’s name wrong. This is not difficult information to look up, people. It’s on your syllabus, it’s on the department website, it’s probably Google-able too. Use their last name. Spell out the whole thing. Spell it correctly. If there’s a hyphen in it, use both names and the hyphen.

Element #4: Meaningless Nicety

It never hurts to say something like “I hope you’re enjoying the beautiful weather today,” or “I hope you had a relaxing weekend,” to start off. It shows that you see your professor as a person who has some kind of life. Professors like it when you see them as people who have lives outside of their classroom. It doesn’t really matter what you say here, it’s more the ritual of polite interest that counts.

Element #5: Reminder of how they know you

This one is key, especially if it’s the first time you are contacting your professor. You can’t count on them to remember your name from their rosters or to be able to put your face with your name. If there’s something distinctive about you that would jog their memory and make them look upon you fondly, include that. For instance, “I stayed after class to ask you about the reading that one time,” or “I sit in the front row and have blue hair,” whatever. If you haven’t met them yet, explain your desired relationship to them, such as “I am interested in enrolling in your class next semester.” If you’re fairly certain they will know you by name, you can leave this out.

Element #6: The real reason for your email

This is the whole reason you’re sending the email, so make it good. The important thing here is to get in and get out, while remaining courteous. Concisely state what it is you need from the professor without offering a bunch of excuses or going into excessive detail or sounding like you are making demands. If you can’t explain why you’re emailing in a sentence or two, consider making an appointment to meet with the professor in person, in which case your line here will be “I was hoping we could meet to talk about X. What would be a good time for that?” If they can’t meet and just want to discuss it over email, they’ll let you know.

Elements #7 and 8: This is where you prove you’re a wonderful person

There is a t-shirt for sale on the internet that says, “It’s in the syllabus.” Think for a second about why there is a market for this product. A vast number of emails sent to professors by students are seeking information that has already been communicated by the professor. Before even sending the email, you should actually check the syllabus and your notes (and the class website if there is one) to see if your question has indeed been answered there. It doesn’t hurt to ask someone else from the class too — this is why you should try to get a least one classmate’s phone number or email address during the first week. If you’ve actually done all these things and you still have a question, then your contacting the professor will actually provide helpful information to them that they might not have been clear about something.

If you can try to answer your own question, and you turn out to be right, that saves them a little bit of time in their response. For instance, if you are writing to set up a meeting, you could say, “It says on the syllabus that your office hours are Tuesdays at 3pm. Could I come this Tuesday at 3:15?” This also shows that you thought about the whole thing for more than two seconds before deciding to take up their email-reading time.

Element #9: Super polite restatement of your request

If you’re asking a question you need an answer to, you can say something like “If you could let me know at your earliest convenience, I’d really appreciate it.” If you need them to fill out a form, or contact someone on your behalf, or do something that requires more action than just answering your email, state that very clearly here. This helps them put it on their to-do list and get it done.

Element #10: Sign-off

If you’re not sure how to sign off an email, “Thank you” is nearly always appropriate. You can do “Best,” or “All the best,” or “Sincerely,” or whatever, but some form of thanks here does double duty as both sign-off and expression of gratitude.

The hidden Element #11: The follow-up

If your professor hasn’t responded to your email, you can send a gentle follow-up. You can format the follow-up using all the elements here, but you can add in “Just following up on my previous email,” right before you get to Element #6. You don’t have to rub it in that they forgot to email you back, they will get the point (and if they genuinely forgot, they might feel bad). If they were not emailing you back on purpose, you probably already annoyed them the first time around, and you might as well be as polite as possible with the follow-up. When is it safe to send a follow-up reminder? You have to gauge this based on how quickly they usually respond to things and how dire your need for a response truly is. If it can wait a week, let it wait a week (or until you see them in person).

By the end of class today, send an email to me, Professor Hoffman at  hoffmal@arc.losrios.edu. The email must meet the above criteria. In the subject line, write "prospective student" and in the email request information about American River College.

ASSIGNMENT due by 9:00 am, Monday, November 6:

• Write a College Admissions Essay using the following format
• 12-point Times New Roman font 
• double-spaced lines
• 1 inch margins
• No less than 250, no more than 300 words
• Structure:
• Event or experience
• How it affected you (positive and/or negative impact on you)
• How you responded (your actions that resulted from the event)
• What you learned
• Due date: 9:00 am, Monday, November 6, 2023
• See College Admissions Essay Rubric below (email misslee.imh@gmail.com to request a Word doc version)

• Refer to these videos for assistance
• (13:00) 3 College Essays that WORK
• (2:20) Writing A Strong College Admissions Essay
• (3:33) Avoiding Common Admissions Essay Mistakes
• How to choose the best college for you

UPCOMING:

• English 101 Essay OUTLINE
• (4:20) How to Write an Essay: 4 Minute Step-by-Step Guide

• Email to Student Support (counseling, financial aid, admissions...)
• Use the same format as for a professor
• The main reason I want to cover this is because you need to know 1) that it´s important to ask for help, 2) that help exists, and 3) how to find it.
• An email requesting support or assistance may be significantly more personal than an email to your professor. Try your best to provide enough information without oversharing. Your message will be kept confidential. However, be aware that campus employees may be mandated to report instances of potential harm to self or others.

CAREER

• Resume
• Cover letter
• Promotional announcement
• Employee memo
• Customer service response

Monday, October, 2023

 Good Morning!

Today in Class

Project 6: College & Career

COLLEGE

Catch up: If you have not already completed these two exercises, please submit them via email to misslee.imh@gmail.com by 5:00 pm today, Monday, October 23, 2023

1. Prep for College Admissions Essay: Feelings & Needs Exercise 

2. Top Universities in Mexico Exercise - Over 527 universities listed

• Is your chosen school on the list?
• Research using the sort by: and filter by: tools
• Explore at least three of the universities listed by clicking on the name of the school
• Send me an email by 5:00 pm, Monday, October 23 with the following information:
• Names of the three universities you explored
• Which of them, if any, is the one you have chosen to attend
• Your three most important criteria for choosing a university (examples: best program, lowest cost, ideal location...)
• Describe how each of the three universities you explored meets those criteria
• What surprised you about each university?
• What information do you want to know more about that each university did not seem to provide?

Today in class: How to Structure Your College Admissions Essay

• Choose a Topic. For example:
• Opening paragraph: A challenge you have faced
• Paragraph 2: how it impacted you
• Paragraph 3: what you did about it
• Closing paragraph: what you have learned because of it

OR

• Opening paragraph: describe a skill or hobby you have and how it's connected to an important aspect of you
• Paragraph 2: how it's connected to another important aspect of you 
• Paragraph 3: how it's connected to another important aspect of you
• Closing paragraph: how these aspects of you will help you succeed in college

ASSIGNMENT due two weeks from today:

• Write a College Admissions Essay using the following format
• 12-point Times New Roman font 
• double-spaced lines
• 1 inch margins
• No less than 250, no more than 300 words
• Structure:
• Event or experience
• How it affected you (positive and/or negative impact on you)
• How you responded (your actions that resulted from the event)
• What you learned
• Due date: 9:00 am, Monday, November 6, 2023
• See College Admissions Essay Rubric below (email misslee.imh@gmail.com to request a Word doc version)

• Refer to these videos for assistance
• (13:00) 3 College Essays that WORK
• (2:20) Writing A Strong College Admissions Essay
• (3:33) Avoiding Common Admissions Essay Mistakes
• How to choose the best college for you

UPCOMING:

• English 101 Essay OUTLINE
• (4:20) How to Write an Essay: 4 Minute Step-by-Step Guide
• Email to Professor
• (11:32) How to Write an Email to a Professor: 7 Mistakes My Students Make
• 10 Elements of an Effective, Non-Annoying Email:

Here´s a template you can follow in constructing your email to a professor. Each element is explained further below.

 

Dear [1] Professor [2] Last-Name [3],

This is a line that recognizes our common humanity [4].

I´m in your Class Name, Section Number that meets on This Day [5]. This is the question I have or the help I need [6]. I´ve looked in the syllabus and at my notes from class and online and I asked someone else from the class [7], and I think This Is The Answer [8], but I´m still not sure. This is the action I would like you to take [9].

Signing off with a Thank You is always a good idea [10],

Favorite Student

Element #1: Salutation

Right off the bat, here’s where you can establish that you view your relationship with your professor as a professional one. Use “Dear,” or if that feels horrifically formal to you, you can use “Hello” or “Hi.” (“Hi” is pushing it. See note about exceptions below.)

Element #2: Honorific

Address your professor as “Professor.” If they have a PhD, you can technically call them “Dr.” but you’re safer with “Professor.” Not all instructors have PhDs (and many won’t even have the word professor in their official job title), but if they are teaching a college class they are inhabiting the role of Professor and can be addressed as such. The bonus of “Professor” and “Dr.” is that they don’t require you to know anything about your professor’s gender identity or marital status.

Element #3: Name

You might be surprised at how frequently students get their professor’s name wrong. This is not difficult information to look up, people. It’s on your syllabus, it’s on the department website, it’s probably Google-able too. Use their last name. Spell out the whole thing. Spell it correctly. If there’s a hyphen in it, use both names and the hyphen.

Element #4: Meaningless Nicety

It never hurts to say something like “I hope you’re enjoying the beautiful weather today,” or “I hope you had a relaxing weekend,” to start off. It shows that you see your professor as a person who has some kind of life. Professors like it when you see them as people who have lives outside of their classroom. It doesn’t really matter what you say here, it’s more the ritual of polite interest that counts.

Element #5: Reminder of how they know you

This one is key, especially if it’s the first time you are contacting your professor. You can’t count on them to remember your name from their rosters or to be able to put your face with your name. If there’s something distinctive about you that would jog their memory and make them look upon you fondly, include that. For instance, “I stayed after class to ask you about the reading that one time,” or “I sit in the front row and have blue hair,” whatever. If you haven’t met them yet, explain your desired relationship to them, such as “I am interested in enrolling in your class next semester.” If you’re fairly certain they will know you by name, you can leave this out.

Element #6: The real reason for your email

This is the whole reason you’re sending the email, so make it good. The important thing here is to get in and get out, while remaining courteous. Concisely state what it is you need from the professor without offering a bunch of excuses or going into excessive detail or sounding like you are making demands. If you can’t explain why you’re emailing in a sentence or two, consider making an appointment to meet with the professor in person, in which case your line here will be “I was hoping we could meet to talk about X. What would be a good time for that?” If they can’t meet and just want to discuss it over email, they’ll let you know.

Elements #7 and 8: This is where you prove you’re a wonderful person

There is a t-shirt for sale on the internet that says, “It’s in the syllabus.” Think for a second about why there is a market for this product. A vast number of emails sent to professors by students are seeking information that has already been communicated by the professor. Before even sending the email, you should actually check the syllabus and your notes (and the class website if there is one) to see if your question has indeed been answered there. It doesn’t hurt to ask someone else from the class too — this is why you should try to get a least one classmate’s phone number or email address during the first week. If you’ve actually done all these things and you still have a question, then your contacting the professor will actually provide helpful information to them that they might not have been clear about something.

If you can try to answer your own question, and you turn out to be right, that saves them a little bit of time in their response. For instance, if you are writing to set up a meeting, you could say, “It says on the syllabus that your office hours are Tuesdays at 3pm. Could I come this Tuesday at 3:15?” This also shows that you thought about the whole thing for more than two seconds before deciding to take up their email-reading time.

Element #9: Super polite restatement of your request

If you’re asking a question you need an answer to, you can say something like “If you could let me know at your earliest convenience, I’d really appreciate it.” If you need them to fill out a form, or contact someone on your behalf, or do something that requires more action than just answering your email, state that very clearly here. This helps them put it on their to-do list and get it done.

Element #10: Sign-off

If you’re not sure how to sign off an email, “Thank you” is nearly always appropriate. You can do “Best,” or “All the best,” or “Sincerely,” or whatever, but some form of thanks here does double duty as both sign-off and expression of gratitude.

The hidden Element #11: The follow-up

If your professor hasn’t responded to your email, you can send a gentle follow-up. You can format the follow-up using all the elements here, but you can add in “Just following up on my previous email,” right before you get to Element #6. You don’t have to rub it in that they forgot to email you back, they will get the point (and if they genuinely forgot, they might feel bad). If they were not emailing you back on purpose, you probably already annoyed them the first time around, and you might as well be as polite as possible with the follow-up. When is it safe to send a follow-up reminder? You have to gauge this based on how quickly they usually respond to things and how dire your need for a response truly is. If it can wait a week, let it wait a week (or until you see them in person).

• Email to Student Support (counseling, financial aid, admissions...)
• Use the same format as for a professor
• The main reason I want to cover this is because you need to know 1) that it´s important to ask for help, 2) that help exists, and 3) how to find it.
• An email requesting support or assistance may be significantly more personal than an email to your professor. Try your best to provide enough information without oversharing. Your message will be kept confidential. However, be aware that campus employees may be mandated to report instances of potential harm to self or others.

CAREER

• Resume
• Cover letter
• Promotional announcement
• Employee memo
• Customer service response

DRAFT Project 6: Writing for College & Career

  

Good Morning!

Today in Class

Project 6: Writing for College & Career

COLLEGE

• College Entrance Essay
• (13:00) 3 College Essays that WORK
• (2:20) Writing A Strong College Admissions Essay
• (3:33) Avoiding Common Admissions Essay Mistakes
• English 101 Essay
• (4:20) How to Write an Essay: 4 Minute Step-by-Step Guide
• Email to Professor
• (11:32) How to Write an Email to a Professor: 7 Mistakes My Students Make
• 10 Elements of an Effective, Non-Annoying Email:

Here´s a template you can follow in constructing your email to a professor. Each element is explained further below.

 

Dear [1] Professor [2] Last-Name [3],

This is a line that recognizes our common humanity [4].

I´m in your Class Name, Section Number that meets on This Day [5]. This is the question I have or the help I need [6]. I´ve looked in the syllabus and at my notes from class and online and I asked someone else from the class [7], and I think This Is The Answer [8], but I´m still not sure. This is the action I would like you to take [9].

Signing off with a Thank You is always a good idea [10],

Favorite Student

Element #1: Salutation

Right off the bat, here’s where you can establish that you view your relationship with your professor as a professional one. Use “Dear,” or if that feels horrifically formal to you, you can use “Hello” or “Hi.” (“Hi” is pushing it. See note about exceptions below.)

Element #2: Honorific

Address your professor as “Professor.” If they have a PhD, you can technically call them “Dr.” but you’re safer with “Professor.” Not all instructors have PhDs (and many won’t even have the word professor in their official job title), but if they are teaching a college class they are inhabiting the role of Professor and can be addressed as such. The bonus of “Professor” and “Dr.” is that they don’t require you to know anything about your professor’s gender identity or marital status.

Element #3: Name

You might be surprised at how frequently students get their professor’s name wrong. This is not difficult information to look up, people. It’s on your syllabus, it’s on the department website, it’s probably Google-able too. Use their last name. Spell out the whole thing. Spell it correctly. If there’s a hyphen in it, use both names and the hyphen.

Element #4: Meaningless Nicety

It never hurts to say something like “I hope you’re enjoying the beautiful weather today,” or “I hope you had a relaxing weekend,” to start off. It shows that you see your professor as a person who has some kind of life. Professors like it when you see them as people who have lives outside of their classroom. It doesn’t really matter what you say here, it’s more the ritual of polite interest that counts.

Element #5: Reminder of how they know you

This one is key, especially if it’s the first time you are contacting your professor. You can’t count on them to remember your name from their rosters or to be able to put your face with your name. If there’s something distinctive about you that would jog their memory and make them look upon you fondly, include that. For instance, “I stayed after class to ask you about the reading that one time,” or “I sit in the front row and have blue hair,” whatever. If you haven’t met them yet, explain your desired relationship to them, such as “I am interested in enrolling in your class next semester.” If you’re fairly certain they will know you by name, you can leave this out.

Element #6: The real reason for your email

This is the whole reason you’re sending the email, so make it good. The important thing here is to get in and get out, while remaining courteous. Concisely state what it is you need from the professor without offering a bunch of excuses or going into excessive detail or sounding like you are making demands. If you can’t explain why you’re emailing in a sentence or two, consider making an appointment to meet with the professor in person, in which case your line here will be “I was hoping we could meet to talk about X. What would be a good time for that?” If they can’t meet and just want to discuss it over email, they’ll let you know.

Elements #7 and 8: This is where you prove you’re a wonderful person

There is a t-shirt for sale on the internet that says, “It’s in the syllabus.” Think for a second about why there is a market for this product. A vast number of emails sent to professors by students are seeking information that has already been communicated by the professor. Before even sending the email, you should actually check the syllabus and your notes (and the class website if there is one) to see if your question has indeed been answered there. It doesn’t hurt to ask someone else from the class too — this is why you should try to get a least one classmate’s phone number or email address during the first week. If you’ve actually done all these things and you still have a question, then your contacting the professor will actually provide helpful information to them that they might not have been clear about something.

If you can try to answer your own question, and you turn out to be right, that saves them a little bit of time in their response. For instance, if you are writing to set up a meeting, you could say, “It says on the syllabus that your office hours are Tuesdays at 3pm. Could I come this Tuesday at 3:15?” This also shows that you thought about the whole thing for more than two seconds before deciding to take up their email-reading time.

Element #9: Super polite restatement of your request

If you’re asking a question you need an answer to, you can say something like “If you could let me know at your earliest convenience, I’d really appreciate it.” If you need them to fill out a form, or contact someone on your behalf, or do something that requires more action than just answering your email, state that very clearly here. This helps them put it on their to-do list and get it done.

Element #10: Sign-off

If you’re not sure how to sign off an email, “Thank you” is nearly always appropriate. You can do “Best,” or “All the best,” or “Sincerely,” or whatever, but some form of thanks here does double duty as both sign-off and expression of gratitude.

The hidden Element #11: The follow-up

If your professor hasn’t responded to your email, you can send a gentle follow-up. You can format the follow-up using all the elements here, but you can add in “Just following up on my previous email,” right before you get to Element #6. You don’t have to rub it in that they forgot to email you back, they will get the point (and if they genuinely forgot, they might feel bad). If they were not emailing you back on purpose, you probably already annoyed them the first time around, and you might as well be as polite as possible with the follow-up. When is it safe to send a follow-up reminder? You have to gauge this based on how quickly they usually respond to things and how dire your need for a response truly is. If it can wait a week, let it wait a week (or until you see them in person).

• Email to Student Support (counseling, financial aid, admissions...)
• Use the same format as for a professor
• The main reason I want to cover this is because you need to know 1) that it´s important to ask for help, 2) that help exists, and 3) how to find it.
• An email requesting support or assistance may be significantly more personal than an email to your professor. Try your best to provide enough information without oversharing. Your message will be kept confidential. However, be aware that campus employees may be mandated to report instances of potential harm to self or others.

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