Email Etiquette¶

In today’s world, email plays a major role in communication with faculty and staff at RPI. Remember email is a reflection of who you are. If your email is disorganized and filled with mistakes, your recipient will likely think of you as disorganized and careless. Below are some tips to create effective emails:

• Be sure to begin all emails with a greeting like Dear Professor Smith, or Hello Ms. Jones.
• DO NOT WRITE YOUR EMAILS IN CAPITALS, they present an ANGRY tone
• Introduce yourself. Don’t assume that your recipient remembers meeting you; offer a reminder of who you are.
• Include the message thread so your recipient can read the history of the conversation without having to search their inbox.
• Keep your correspondence short. Clearly state the intentions of your email in a sentence or two.
• Avoid replying with a one word response. Be sure to reread the original email to make sure you have answered all questions.
• Avoid personal attacks in email.
• Reply in a reasonable amount of time. Responding within 24 hours is preferable considering students are expected to check their email daily.
• Always, always, always reread your email before clicking “send”.

[reprinted from MANE 2023 Handbook, Rev. 2019 June 11 - https://eng.rpi.edu/sites/default/files/handbooks/class-of-2023/MANE_2023AdvisingBooklet.pdf ]