By The Editorial Board
As college students, we are taught that communication is the key to being a valuable student. This includes communication with professors, peers, employers and more. A major part of communication is being timely in your responses. You are an adult, and as an adult, timely email communication is not simply a suggestion; it’s a priority.
Emails are used for everything, ranging from formal communication to casual conversation, which is why it’s important to keep up with your inbox. It’s also just plain respectful. The feeling of having to wait for someone to respond to your email can be so infuriating at times, so imagine how someone feels when you are the person they are waiting on. It’s the same feeling of seeing someone post on social media when they haven’t responded to your text — you know they’re on their phone, but they’re still making you wait.
Ignoring emails can also cause them to build up quickly. Then, you become overwhelmed with the number in your inbox. It also becomes difficult to go through all of them and turns into a hassle — a chore you put off until the new year rolls around. This can be combated by responding to emails when you receive them or at your earliest convenience.
This type of communication is vital for professors, not just students. Often, this is the only communication professors have with students outside of the classroom, which is why professors should be held to the same standards that students are. If the only way I can ask questions about assignments is via email, then it’s only fair that professors respond efficiently.
It shouldn’t take days for professors to respond to an email about me having to miss class because of sickness or a family emergency. By the time they send a response, I’m back in class, and in that case, it’s pointless.
In some cases, you may not know how to respond to a situation or how to begin drafting an email. Don’t worry; there are endless websites that can help you find the right thing to say. If you still aren’t confident about your response, you could send it to a friend or family member to get another set of eyes.
The biggest takeaway from this editorial should be that communication is of high importance in everything, especially regarding email communication. As we continue through our college careers and head into full-time jobs, we need to take effective email communication skills with us.
This just comes across as professional and shows you are reliable, especially if this is someone’s first impression of you. Don’t waste the time of others; respond timely.
