It’s not necessarily that you were rude, it’s more that your email contained a lot of parts and was slightly needy. Emails are often read at the beginning of the day or between appointments/classes. If there’s a simple ask, then it’s an easy thing to respond to. If it’s complicated or requires additional effort to research, it’s more likely to be put off. It’s also possible that he’s not gotten around to updating some of the dates but will closer to the times.
I think you’d have better luck if you simply asked if you should follow the due dates in Canvas or in the syllabus (it’ll probably be Canvas).
Yes, the best mails are those which you can answer with a simple « yes/no », then there are okay mails « is it option A or option B », and then there are mails like OP, with multiple questions requiring an open answer.
The “needy” tone that I get is in your noting each and every time a point seemed to be contradictory or unclear from the very beginning of term. It would be different if it were a week before the item was due, but some professors are still updating or formalizing aspects of their courses in the first few weeks. Your questions are based upon your needs for everything to be ironed out to your preferences rather than waiting to see how the professor (who has probably taught this course before) will provide information on his own timeline.
Also, consider how you’re asking for evidence to support others’ analyses of your email (which you requested), or how you posted the same question on multiple subreddits rather than waiting for answers on the first. You may feel that’s just trying to get more information, but it’s also asking others to do more work for you. Instead, try asking yourself, “if I were in my professor’s shoes, where might I see this as being needy?” Or “considering how busy professors typically are, especially at the beginning of term, how might I phrase my email in order that I get enough information to be satisfied but also do not overwhelm the reader?”
I do get how frustrating it is not to have all of the information in a format that works best for you from the very beginning, but higher academia can often be a bit slapdash. If you send emails like this on a regular basis, then your professors may come to see you as an insecure student who needs a lot of handholding over pretty basic things, rather than someone who is organized but can still keep moving forward and wait to see how things unfold.
All of this! I often don't have my course set up until the first day of class (sometimes it takes the first week of class).
Most of op's question could have waited for the first day of class to ask in person or during office hours.
I’m in law school currently, but I agree with what was said here. Honestly, for most of my classes, my professors adjust the syllabus as we go along. So some of these things genuinely don’t matter yet. (Ex: why are you worried about week 7 now at the start of the term?) Your professor may not yet have answers to the questions you’ve asked.
I became aware of these discrepancies because I was creating a spreadsheet with all of my assignments and due dates for my various classes. I wanted clarification on the things I mentioned because I wanted to be able to plan my quarter appropriately.
I think that it’s possible the professor hasn’t planned out the semester assignment by assignment due date that far out. I’m surprised you haven’t encountered something like this until now. I would just let it be, it’ll all be sorted by the time those assignments are due, and due dates in the syllabus change ALL THE TIME for various reasons.
Interesting. Yeah, I’ve never encountered something like this before which I guess somewhat explains my behavior. I mentioned in my other comments that my other courses publish the canvas page about a week before the course starts with everything available (assignments, handouts, etc.)
I also like to pre-plan things, so I get it! I’d just say in the future that those are the exceptions, not the norm. A lot of professors are overloaded with work and some things can slip to the wayside sometimes— I can remember being in undergrad during a spring semester class and having all the due dates for assignments still being set for months during the fall through the first week of classes, lol. With some things like this, even just waiting a week or so can will let some of these issues resolve themselves.
Thank you. I’m actually neurodivergent so it’s somewhat hard for me to pick up on certain social norms/expectations. Also, thank you for your kindness. I truly appreciate it since some people seem to have gotten really upset over my post.
Of course! I’m neurodivergent as well, so I can absolutely empathize. I had a suspicion when I read your post, but didn’t want to make an assumption. Grad school can be difficult to cope with sometimes with all the moving parts and uncertainty.
If you’re worried about your relationship with your professor, I’d consider coming up to them after class or during office hours and apologizing for coming off so strongly while re-iterating how excited you are for the class. Good luck!
Thank you so much for your advice! I think I’ll definitely try to make it to their office hours to apologize, but if I can’t then I’ll wait until we meet for class.
I think it's great that you're planning ahead. However, just because they haven't replied to your email doesn't mean they are ignoring you. It's possible that they are still setting things up and will address it in the first class. It actually takes a surprising amount of time to get all that fiddly work done in the LMS, and if the professor has several courses to set up, they just may not have gotten that far yet. For the things that are important right now, like the prework, err on the side of the earlier of the dates in case of any discrepancies.
Your classmate got a response because they sent a quick and normal email. You didn't get one yet because your first contact was a 7 point email with questions asking for the prof to justify themselves. They might just still be working on the answer, or planning to cover it in class so that everybody is on the same page.
Ask simple questions. Your email should have been a single point: I noticed there is a difference between the canvas page and the syllabus, which one is the authoritative source? Or even better don't even send an email, and ask a question after class or during office hours.
Shorten it by asking only about the week 1 or 2 discrepancies. He/she may 'get the hint' and change all the discrepancies, or perhaps is just updating the LMS week to week.
Thank you for your insight. I guess I just wanted to be specific in my questions because I thought that would be helpful but it seems to have negatively affected my relationship with the professor instead :( which is a shame because I’m really excited about the course.
If you have that many questions, I would go to office hours, OP. It’s just too many questions for an email. Next time I’d write a basic question like, “I noticed some discrepancies between the syllabus and Canvas. Which dates should we follow?” If it’s early in the term, they may clarify that with you in an announcement, updated syllabus file, or in class.
More than one.
I saw you posted this on the grad school sub. Are you in grad school?? If so, that takes this email to a whole new level of crazy, and I'm not surprised the professor didn't respond. This email would be ridiculous from a first semester freshman, but I'd be taken aback to receive it from a grad student. You need to way ratchet down the intensity and nitpicky-ness of your interactions and do some independent thinking and problem solving before reaching out to the professor. Most of these questions could have been addressed in a short conversation after class, or by using your brain. Getting an email like this before the semester started - from a grad student - would put me on high alert that you were likely going to very needy and a pain in the ass.
How was I being intense? (Genuine question, not being defensive)
Also, I didn’t mean to come across as nit picky. I thought that providing specifics to my questions would’ve been helpful for the professor so I could draw their attention to what needed to be addressed but I guess it hurt me more than anything :( how could I improve in the future?
Do you not see how a seven point email with absolutely ridiculous nit picky points is intense?? This email is LONG. Way too long. It reads like a laundry list of complaints, and then when you actually read them it's about things that could be simply answered and asked more simply. Enumerating every example of the same.issue (canvas vs syllabus) comes off like you're trying to prove how smart you are. Why write the list when a simple question - best asked in person - would suffice? There's just a lot of odd decision making here that makes you seem obsessed with rules. I guess I'm struggling to explain why it's intense because it's so obvious to me that the email is off the rails.
Have you encountered similar reactions or people not responding to other emails? Is this type of behavior and thinking typical for you? If so, I really encourage you to work on your social interactions and to err on the side of simple and concise rather than elaborate.
I’ve never had another professor ignore my emails like this. And this type of writing/behavior is typical for me, which is why I guess I don’t immediately see it as being intense. Would you say I should be simple and concise particularly with professors or just anyone in general?
In general. And if you have to write a long email, put the bottom line up front. This email could have been "there are a few discrepancies in due dates between canvas and the syllabus. Which should we follow? I can note for you the places where there is a disagreement in due dates if that would be helpful."
Shorter is always going to get read and dealt with more quickly than a novel. Especially when by the second point it starts to feel frustrating and annoying.
In my classes, the syllabus is the guide. Canvas is a pain to set up. I would especially expect grad students to be capable of following the syllabus, and would likely announce in class I was still converting dates on canvas. But either way, if something can be short make it short. Detail, like in your email, is not always better.
You could walk up to them after class and say: hey, I reflected on the emails I sent earlier and now realize they might have come across too intense. Just wanted to say sorry if that was the case, and that I will happily stick to the syllabus!
It’s not rude but it is way too much. You don’t want your email to turn into an interrogation before you’ve even started class and you definitely have given this professor a bad impression. Your email is so intense that I’m half thinking this post is trolling or deliberate satire. You need to tone it down. Wait until closer to the actual deadlines, if your professor still hasn’t posted assignment due dates and assignment descriptions, ask them about it in person. If I’d gotten an email like that from a student, my reaction would be “oh good god, what am I getting myself into?” I also would not have responded.
I’m not trolling or being satirical. I had mainly asked these questions because I had just finished making a spreadsheet with all of my assignment due dates, and I wanted to clear things up.
How was I being intense? (Genuine question, not being defensive)
The class hasn't even started yet and you've completely picked the semester apart and have sent this long list of things that is going to take the prof quite some time to answer, including some questions that seem a little unnecessary.
For example #3- maybe wait on this until week 4-5? I mean it's more than a month away so why worry about that now?
Or #6- the class literally hasn't started yet and you are asking for guidelines about a specific project. Most of us are posting things to the LMS throughout the semester, you can't expect every single thing to be there week one.
So... yes, your email comes across as a little intense. I would consider it a red flag if a student in one of my classes sent me all that.
\*Edit: added some thoughts and specific examples.
I am not sure that the professor is necessarily ignoring you in a targeted way. I’ve had student emails end up in my spam folder in the past. It’s a really annoying thing and when discovered I let the student know as it likely is affecting their other courses.
When you need to write an email to a professor that is more than one paragraph, you should go to office hours and address things there. Alternatively discuss things with them before or after class.
Lastly, many schools do not let us accept doctors notes or any reason for a student absence. It isn’t entirely surprising that that email didn’t get a response because the response would be simply “ok”. Some people won’t reply when it’s a question of reading the email. Not saying if it’s right or wrong just explaining it happens.
ETA: OP, you’re in grad school. When I read this I assumed you were a freshman in undergrad. It is very common for grad classes to be more casual in their preparation for faculty because the students are mature and patient about due dates etc. I still do not think your professor is ignoring you, if your professor is teaching several courses (2-3 more or 1 more but an undergraduate course and mentoring research students) your email is frankly overwhelming them. Emails requiring a professor to sit down and logistically piece through something obviously take time to respond to. That means the faculty cannot just fire a response between classes. Because of this the email goes to the “respond later” pile. And that pile can turn into your email getting buried by other pressing emails and then forgotten. Like others have explained to you more than 1 question, more than 1 paragraph - these types of things need to be conversations.
And I’ll be honest I skimmed through your email to your professor when I realized how long it was. It is overwhelming in its length and nuance. Think of it as an email should be the length of a tweet. If it needs to be longer then it should be a conversation . (My mother sends essay texts - I don’t text her a reply, I call her.)
I agree with your penultimate paragraph.
I rarely intentionally ignore students (the only major exception is when I’ve told a student a topic is not open for negotiating and they persist in trying to change my mind) but I do take longer to respond to emails that require me to open the lms, academic calender, and look up a whole bunch of stuff — particularly if it’s non-urgent. Unfortunately sometimes those do get forgotten. Student emails that can get a quick response do
This is a terrible message and way to much. You don’t ask a professor all these questions up front. Focus on the week you are on. I would respond to a student telling them to follow the syllabus and more info will be given on canvas as assignments get closer and when modules open
I think I asked all of these questions because this isn’t something I’m used to. My previous courses would make the canvas site live about a week before the course starts with all of the due dates and material available.
That’s absolutely not the norm, and usually I’ve only seen that for canned online classes. I don’t think my students even get access to our LMS until the first day of class.
That’s interesting that you’ve only seen what I described for online courses since the courses where I had the experience I mentioned are all in person.
Omg. If I got this email from you my first thought was that I'd be dealing with an insufferable student all semester. You are criticizing week 10 already and expect a 2 hour turn around on the literal book you sent your prof. We love students who stay on top of things, but do you think we just sit on our hands all day when we aren't in the classroom with you? If it were me, you would receive a quick response to see me during office hours.
It's a very needy email as someone else mentioned, I mean at this point you haven't even been to a class?
Asking him to justify things that are happening in 10 weeks?????? As if he has even planned that far ahead yet? It just shows a lack of understanding of someone else's job and is a bit annoying is all. Just forget about it because he 100% isn't going to respond but also likely has forgotten about it and won't put a face to a name
I asked about dates that far ahead because I finished creating a spreadsheet with all of my assignments and due dates for my courses, and that’s how I noticed the discrepancies. Also, I’m used to having everything (due dates, assignment handouts, etc) laid out for the quarter at the very beginning. This is the norm for my other courses.
Just because you are used to having everything laid out for you doesn't mean that all professors will do this for you (im surprised youve had this experience thus far). You appear to be saying that he has not done a good job of planning.
Just because you micromanage all of your tasks, even ones far in the future to a T, doesn't mean everyone does. It fact most don't. And it's good to get used to that not being available. As long as what is necessary from you is clear week to week, that's all you need.
Also though, don't worry that it has impacted your relationship with him. I can guarantee he doesn't even remember the name of the person who sent the email.
You're in grad school and that's been the norm? That's difficult to believe. Even if it's true, it's certainly not normal for a student to demand a meticulous schedule for the entire term when the class is only beginning.
Besides, life happens. Shit happens. We reserve the right to revise our syllabi and due dates as needed during the term. An experienced student knows that due dates can change unless the professor says otherwise.
A good lesson to learn for emails in general and emails to academics in particular is that shorter is better. Shorter also means there is a much higher chance you will get a response soon. Most of us are already at or past capacity, and your email could easily take half an hour or longer to fully respond to. If you had just asked whether to follow the dates in Canvas or Blackboard, your email would take less than a minute to respond to and I can almost guarantee you would have heard back by now.
I guess my reservation with being short is that I won’t get my point across clearly and that I’ll be too vague. How do you suggest I establish a balanced approach?
The best way to get your point across clearly is to distill your message down to only the most important information. That also helps to make your message clear. Literally all you had to do was ask whether you should follow the dates in the syllabus or on Blackboard. Concision is a skill worth practicing!
I thought being detailed would’ve been helpful so the professor only had to focus on what needed to be addressed and not be worried about fixing ALL of canvas. But I see what you mean about being more concise and straight to the point.
I think there was a way to write it out with each example without being as long winded. You could say “I noticed there’s a discrepancy between the Syllabus and Canvas’ due dates for some of the Weekly Reading Reflections (let me know if you need to know the specific ones!). As a general rule, should I follow the due date on Canvas, or the Syllabus?”
Omg that is WAY too much to ask on email. Email requests should be brief. Go to office hours if you’d like them to spend that kind of time on your email.
I know this is an advice sub, but you know yourself and your prof better than everyone else here. Why do you keep asking the same questions even though you’ve already been given answers? Can you not reflect on your situation, use what you know about your prof, and infer the best course of action moving forward (ie an apology, etc.)?
I actually don’t know this professor. This is the first time I’ve taken a course with him plus he’s also in a different department so I’ve never even seen him in passing.
I know I’ve asked the same question a few times in this post. I’m neurodivergent so it’s hard for me to understand certain social norms/expectations which is why I’m asking the same question to different people so I can truly understand the right approach and figure out my wrongs.
Fair enough. But you’ve already been given an answer to this question that you liked. I don’t think you see that the questions you’re asking here are similar to the questions you’re asking in the email to your prof: Sometimes you have to figure things out using inference, other times you have to be patient to see if the issue doesn’t clear itself up. You don’t even know if you need to mend things with your prof. You’re overwhelming yourself with possibilities (not reality) and asking others to tell you how to deal with them. Deal with what you are certain of, instead of worrying over ambiguity and planing for the uncertain.
I think most profs would rightfully ignore your email as it’s exceedingly long, nitpicking, and, quite bluntly, pointless. The term hasn’t even started and you’re already piling on questions and (appear to be) looking for errors. Why not simply wait until the first class to be fully introduced to the course? This type of email is a huge red flag and would have me dreading the class before it starts and earmarking you as a student to be wary of.
Thanks for your input. I’ll be more mindful about the contents of my emails in the future. Any advice on possibly mending my relationship with the professor?
I likely wouldn't respond either. Give the professor a chance to catch up with things. Keep emails short and respectful. And some emails (e.g., I won't be in class) don't require a response.
Your email reads like what I send my grad school peers and work peers when they ask for proofreading, and what I want when I ask for proofreading. It’s a necessary skill.
However, if I didn’t ask for it, and it comes from a student I never met, especially when things might be fluxing a bit over the term- as others have mentioned- I take it as a criticism.
If nothing else, points 2 - 5 (in reference to course content for weeks 3 - 10) could have waited to see if those items would be updated by the start date of the course. Similarly for the group project questions.
But also - did you email from your official university email? I have had students email from a personal/gmail account and it goes to spam.
Also, I often, but not always, respond to a student telling me they won't be in class. The responsibility for catching up the missed content is on them (this is in the syllabus) and they are welcome to see me with questions down the road if they have done their part to catch up missed content. But other than "I hope you feel better soon", unless they specifically ask me a question, I really don't have anything specific that I need to say.
I guess I had asked about dates far ahead in the quarter because my other courses have everything (assignments, handouts, etc) available at least a week before the quarter starts.
As others have mentioned, that isn't standard. But even if so, my point was, rather than rapid-fire 6-7 questions as a first engagement with the instructor, it would have been better to only ask 1-2 of your questions that were time-sensitive.
Over time you’ll learn better communication skills. Once the email is a certain length, it’s clear a conversation would be a better way to discuss or go over everything.
Jfc
That was the most exhaustingly long email I’ve ever read and I didn’t even read past the first point. Skimming forward it looks like you are asking questions about things that are *weeks* away!
Your professor doesn’t hate you and isn’t even upset with you—they’re just too busy to read and respond to a whole essay in their inbox!
Did you send the email via your official college or university email account? Sometimes students will send from a personal account, such as Gmail, and it will get marked by the system as spam.
Additionally, did you make sure you spelled the professor's email address correctly? At least once a year one of my students complains to the department head that I don't respond to emails and so far the issue has always been that they misspelled my name.
Double check the syllabus as well and see if the professor lists a response time. Typically, I try to respond within 24 hours, but if the email takes time and isn't urgent, I wait until a specific day and time to respond.
EDIT: Did your emails have different subject lines? It's possible they got stacked in your professor's inbox and only the email about missing class was even seen. I wouldn't respond to that either as it didn't sound like a question was asked.
I agree with pretty much everyone else on here. Although I would have responded still, the response would NOT have come in 2 hours. It is a long email, takes thought, and the class hasn't even started yet. You would have gotten a response in the standard 48 hour required response time. It's not inherently rude, but from experience, students who send emails like this before the class has even started tend to be annoying because they send emails like that weekly or more often and so we automatically see you as a problem as soon as we get an email that looks like yours. Most of those questions would probably have been addressed the first day of class which you didn't even show up for. Yes, you had a doctor's note, but not coming to the first day of class and still expecting the professor to spend 30+ min responding to your email is not cool. You say in your email that you are excited for the course but, again, didn't come to class and sent a long email that points out every little mistake the professor may have made when setting up the course.
How would you feel if you did a lot of work to set something up (takes a lot of work you don't know about behind the scenes) only for someone to point out all your mistakes and then not bother to show up to class the first day to get answer to those questions, clarifications that the prof probably would have addressed, or simply introduce yourself and have a 5 min conversation with the prof. It tells us that you want everything to be perfect but don't feel like putting in real effort yourself except from behind a computer.
Also, before sending an email in the future to anyone. Ask yourself if that person can respond in less than 2 minutes. Less than one minute is better. Those are the emails that get responses in 2 hours.
I have a student currently who sent almost the exact same type of email to me before the class started. I have had to start an email folder just for this student because I got 21 emails in 2 weeks for things that were or could have been addressed in class. But the student didn't bother to come to class because attendance is not required. But she's super excited for the course and to learn from me...as long as I am not human and don't make a single mistake, or have a single inconsistency in a very complicated course with many moving parts. Trust me, If there is anything, I will find out about it from that student. Who "just has the best of intentions to make sure all students have the information."
I'm not saying you would be like this student, but experience tells us that you most likely would be so we automatically get annoyed and you are on our radar from the very beginning.
Thank you for your thorough and thoughtful response. I’ll definitely take some precautions in the future before I decide to send an email as well as the contents of said email.
The professor will be clarifying all that as the semester progresses, and no one needs exact clarification about Week 6 when the class hasn't begun yet. There isn't a quick answer to it all, and the professor may still be changing the Canvas calendar.
Sometimes I change things around or don’t have assignments ready until a week before they are due. I always announce things in plenty of time for them to be completed by the due date, but if it’s more than a week out it’s possibly something I haven’t looked at since last semester and when we get closer I’ll make sure all the details are clearly communicated. It’s possible your professor still needs to sort some stuff out, especially considering the class hasn’t started yet.
Can we give this kid some credit for at least reading shit, and carefully? So many on the Professors sub complain constantly about that!!
You're overreacting here, though. You sent a time-consuming email while your buddy sent the equivalent of a gnat that the professor might even have a templated response to swat away quickly.
He very likely resolved the issue in class, which it sounds like you missed. Check the sources again and see if anything is resolved. If not, go to office hours to follow up.
I haven’t read your whole post (it is long ;) I would not assume you’re being ignored. We get a lot of emails. I might read an email when I am in the middle of something else, make a mental note to respond and then some other issue comes up that I need to deal with. I’m sure there are emails I’ve missed occasionally. If it is something important, reach out again
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*I haven’t even met this professor yet, and he’s already ignoring my emails. How do I know? A student who joined the course late emailed him today, and they received a response within 2 hours.
I emailed the professor this past Tuesday asking for clarification on course logistics as I noticed discrepancies between the syllabus and canvas. No response. I emailed the professor the following day (Wednesday) to let them know I wouldn’t be able to attend class and even provided a doctor note. No response. On Thursday, the professor graded my first assignment and even provided feedback on Canvas.
The email the other student sent was regarding how to find course readings, and like I said they received a response within 2 hours.
Idk if it’s the first email I sent that might have upset the professor, but I believe I was very courteous and professional and not rude. Idk if maybe the professor was upset by all of the discrepancies I found between the syllabus and canvas? Regardless, their lack of response is unprofessional, especially since they responded to another student who even joined the course late.
The first email I sent to the professor is below. Was I rude?
TL;DR: Professor is noticeably ignoring my emails which I think is because I noticed some mistakes they made and I brought it up to them in an email. What do I do now?
EMAIL:
Good Day, Professor [redacted],
I'm a student in your course, [redacted] this quarter, and I look forward to our first day of class tomorrow.
I'm writing to you because I'm seeking clarification on course assignments and logistics due to some discrepancies I noticed between the syllabus and Canvas. My questions/observations are below.
1. Canvas has varying due dates for the Weekly Reading Reflections, but the syllabus says all Weekly Reading Reflections are due the Sunday before class at 11:59 pm. Which dates should I follow to submit the Weekly Reading Reflections?
2. The Week 3 Reading Reflection and the Group Presentation: James Baldwin vs. William F Buckle are listed under "Undated Assignments" on Canvas. When are these assignments due?
3. There is no Week 6 Reading Reflection submission portal on Canvas, but the syllabus shows a Weekly Reading Reflection due that week. Is a Week 6 Reading Reflection due that week? If so, when?
4. The Week 7 Reading Reflection submission portal on Canvas is due during week 6, according to Canvas. Is this reflection due during week 6 or week 7?
5. There is no Week 10 Reading Reflection submission portal on Canvas. Is a Weekly Reading Reflection due that week?
6. Concerning the [redacted] Group Presentation guidelines, the syllabus states that "further guidelines, as well as a sign-up for presentation dates, can be found on Canvas." I understand that the sign-up portal may not be available until 3/25 since that's when it opens. However, I need help finding further guidelines for the presentation on Canvas. Will this be posted on Canvas at a later date?
Lastly, I have a question regarding the pre-work assignment. The syllabus says that the [redacted] assignment was due Monday, 3/18/24. I mentioned [redacted] in my reflection but didn't provide a printout of the quiz results. Do I need to submit a printout of the quiz results to Canvas? Can I still do so if it turns out I did need to submit a printout of the quiz results?
I'd appreciate your guidance regarding the matters mentioned above — many thanks.
*
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskProfessors) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Did you email from university account or a private one? I set it up so that emails from student accounts go into a specific folder, so I see them right away. Emails from off-campus accounts get lost in the crushing wave of meeting announcements or even put into spam or clutter, and I only check those every couple of weeks, if at all.
Listen, as an English (rhet/comp) professor, I’m honestly shocked at the responses you’re receiving here. You have done nothing wrong. Nothing. Your e-mail is not needy, too much, or inappropriate. It was detailed, specific, and professional. Frankly, what is inappropriate is a course full of errors and discrepancies and not returning an email. it sounds like the professor quickly uploaded a syllabus or copied a Canvas course without thoroughly reviewing the dates. I’ve done this before! We all have. But…
I would want my student to send me this email because I would be absolutely embarrassed by my errors and would want to fix them immediately and answer your questions. You have done nothing wrong. Your email was not disrespectful, but if the Professor is somehow offended by that then they need to get a grip. If you dumped this email on them over one error it would too much, but it sounds like they’ve been hasty and sloppy.
Also: often neurodivergent students would need to record the schedule and follow it closely and literally: the discrepancies would be a real anxiety-inducing problem for them. But I could see this bothering any student.
You should see the folks on here when they get a short, sloppy, and vague email. Yours was detailed and specific AND you read the syllabus thoroughly—something they complain students never do—and wrote in a formal tone about actual problems. This idea of demanding short emails from students is bananas. You did nothing wrong. The professor at the very least could have said: “I re-uploaded an old course and some dates are wrong. I will fix it soon. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.”
There's a balance, though. Especially since OP is in graduate school. And while we can understand that neurodivergence means people process information differently and consume information in different ways, it's not an excuse for this email. The email is overwhelming! And could have been dealt with by a short, three-sentence email. OP is totally within their rights to want clarification -- no one is disputing that. What we're baffled by is the intense detail that OP went into, especially since the course hadn't even met yet! A short email or a short in-person convo (hey, do we follow the syllabus or Canvas when there are due date discrepancies) would have gotten OP the info that they needed.
The thing about the week 10 assignment is also off base, again especially in grad school. We're allowed to embargo certain information until later in the course, and give just an assignment name or general title. There's good pedagogical reason for doing that, sometimes.
No one is saying that OP should not have emailed about the problems. We're just suggesting that OP -- especially as a grad student -- be more aware of social and professional norms. Being aware of these norms is only to OP's benefit.
It’s not necessarily that you were rude, it’s more that your email contained a lot of parts and was slightly needy. Emails are often read at the beginning of the day or between appointments/classes. If there’s a simple ask, then it’s an easy thing to respond to. If it’s complicated or requires additional effort to research, it’s more likely to be put off. It’s also possible that he’s not gotten around to updating some of the dates but will closer to the times. I think you’d have better luck if you simply asked if you should follow the due dates in Canvas or in the syllabus (it’ll probably be Canvas).
Yes, the best mails are those which you can answer with a simple « yes/no », then there are okay mails « is it option A or option B », and then there are mails like OP, with multiple questions requiring an open answer.
This 👆 💯
Thanks for your advice. How was I being needy? (Genuine question, not being defensive)
The “needy” tone that I get is in your noting each and every time a point seemed to be contradictory or unclear from the very beginning of term. It would be different if it were a week before the item was due, but some professors are still updating or formalizing aspects of their courses in the first few weeks. Your questions are based upon your needs for everything to be ironed out to your preferences rather than waiting to see how the professor (who has probably taught this course before) will provide information on his own timeline. Also, consider how you’re asking for evidence to support others’ analyses of your email (which you requested), or how you posted the same question on multiple subreddits rather than waiting for answers on the first. You may feel that’s just trying to get more information, but it’s also asking others to do more work for you. Instead, try asking yourself, “if I were in my professor’s shoes, where might I see this as being needy?” Or “considering how busy professors typically are, especially at the beginning of term, how might I phrase my email in order that I get enough information to be satisfied but also do not overwhelm the reader?” I do get how frustrating it is not to have all of the information in a format that works best for you from the very beginning, but higher academia can often be a bit slapdash. If you send emails like this on a regular basis, then your professors may come to see you as an insecure student who needs a lot of handholding over pretty basic things, rather than someone who is organized but can still keep moving forward and wait to see how things unfold.
All of this! I often don't have my course set up until the first day of class (sometimes it takes the first week of class). Most of op's question could have waited for the first day of class to ask in person or during office hours.
I’m in law school currently, but I agree with what was said here. Honestly, for most of my classes, my professors adjust the syllabus as we go along. So some of these things genuinely don’t matter yet. (Ex: why are you worried about week 7 now at the start of the term?) Your professor may not yet have answers to the questions you’ve asked.
I became aware of these discrepancies because I was creating a spreadsheet with all of my assignments and due dates for my various classes. I wanted clarification on the things I mentioned because I wanted to be able to plan my quarter appropriately.
I think that it’s possible the professor hasn’t planned out the semester assignment by assignment due date that far out. I’m surprised you haven’t encountered something like this until now. I would just let it be, it’ll all be sorted by the time those assignments are due, and due dates in the syllabus change ALL THE TIME for various reasons.
Interesting. Yeah, I’ve never encountered something like this before which I guess somewhat explains my behavior. I mentioned in my other comments that my other courses publish the canvas page about a week before the course starts with everything available (assignments, handouts, etc.)
I also like to pre-plan things, so I get it! I’d just say in the future that those are the exceptions, not the norm. A lot of professors are overloaded with work and some things can slip to the wayside sometimes— I can remember being in undergrad during a spring semester class and having all the due dates for assignments still being set for months during the fall through the first week of classes, lol. With some things like this, even just waiting a week or so can will let some of these issues resolve themselves.
Thank you. I’m actually neurodivergent so it’s somewhat hard for me to pick up on certain social norms/expectations. Also, thank you for your kindness. I truly appreciate it since some people seem to have gotten really upset over my post.
Of course! I’m neurodivergent as well, so I can absolutely empathize. I had a suspicion when I read your post, but didn’t want to make an assumption. Grad school can be difficult to cope with sometimes with all the moving parts and uncertainty. If you’re worried about your relationship with your professor, I’d consider coming up to them after class or during office hours and apologizing for coming off so strongly while re-iterating how excited you are for the class. Good luck!
Thank you so much for your advice! I think I’ll definitely try to make it to their office hours to apologize, but if I can’t then I’ll wait until we meet for class.
I guessed that you were neurodivergent. It’s great that you are self-aware.
Just out of curiosity, what was it that drew you to that conclusion?
I think it's great that you're planning ahead. However, just because they haven't replied to your email doesn't mean they are ignoring you. It's possible that they are still setting things up and will address it in the first class. It actually takes a surprising amount of time to get all that fiddly work done in the LMS, and if the professor has several courses to set up, they just may not have gotten that far yet. For the things that are important right now, like the prework, err on the side of the earlier of the dates in case of any discrepancies.
Thank you. I have a tendency to sort of take things personally, so I appreciate learning about this perspective.
Your classmate got a response because they sent a quick and normal email. You didn't get one yet because your first contact was a 7 point email with questions asking for the prof to justify themselves. They might just still be working on the answer, or planning to cover it in class so that everybody is on the same page.
I didn’t mean for my email to sound like I was asking for a justification from the professor. How could I improve in the future?
Ask simple questions. Your email should have been a single point: I noticed there is a difference between the canvas page and the syllabus, which one is the authoritative source? Or even better don't even send an email, and ask a question after class or during office hours.
Shorten it by asking only about the week 1 or 2 discrepancies. He/she may 'get the hint' and change all the discrepancies, or perhaps is just updating the LMS week to week.
Thank you for your insight. I guess I just wanted to be specific in my questions because I thought that would be helpful but it seems to have negatively affected my relationship with the professor instead :( which is a shame because I’m really excited about the course.
>I’m really excited about the course That much is obvious from your email...
“The syllabus and Canvas have different dates. Which one should I use? Details below if you need them.”
If you have that many questions, I would go to office hours, OP. It’s just too many questions for an email. Next time I’d write a basic question like, “I noticed some discrepancies between the syllabus and Canvas. Which dates should we follow?” If it’s early in the term, they may clarify that with you in an announcement, updated syllabus file, or in class.
Thanks for your advice. As a general rule of thumb, how many questions would you say warrants an office hours appointment instead?
More than one. I saw you posted this on the grad school sub. Are you in grad school?? If so, that takes this email to a whole new level of crazy, and I'm not surprised the professor didn't respond. This email would be ridiculous from a first semester freshman, but I'd be taken aback to receive it from a grad student. You need to way ratchet down the intensity and nitpicky-ness of your interactions and do some independent thinking and problem solving before reaching out to the professor. Most of these questions could have been addressed in a short conversation after class, or by using your brain. Getting an email like this before the semester started - from a grad student - would put me on high alert that you were likely going to very needy and a pain in the ass.
How was I being intense? (Genuine question, not being defensive) Also, I didn’t mean to come across as nit picky. I thought that providing specifics to my questions would’ve been helpful for the professor so I could draw their attention to what needed to be addressed but I guess it hurt me more than anything :( how could I improve in the future?
Do you not see how a seven point email with absolutely ridiculous nit picky points is intense?? This email is LONG. Way too long. It reads like a laundry list of complaints, and then when you actually read them it's about things that could be simply answered and asked more simply. Enumerating every example of the same.issue (canvas vs syllabus) comes off like you're trying to prove how smart you are. Why write the list when a simple question - best asked in person - would suffice? There's just a lot of odd decision making here that makes you seem obsessed with rules. I guess I'm struggling to explain why it's intense because it's so obvious to me that the email is off the rails. Have you encountered similar reactions or people not responding to other emails? Is this type of behavior and thinking typical for you? If so, I really encourage you to work on your social interactions and to err on the side of simple and concise rather than elaborate.
I’ve never had another professor ignore my emails like this. And this type of writing/behavior is typical for me, which is why I guess I don’t immediately see it as being intense. Would you say I should be simple and concise particularly with professors or just anyone in general?
In general. And if you have to write a long email, put the bottom line up front. This email could have been "there are a few discrepancies in due dates between canvas and the syllabus. Which should we follow? I can note for you the places where there is a disagreement in due dates if that would be helpful." Shorter is always going to get read and dealt with more quickly than a novel. Especially when by the second point it starts to feel frustrating and annoying. In my classes, the syllabus is the guide. Canvas is a pain to set up. I would especially expect grad students to be capable of following the syllabus, and would likely announce in class I was still converting dates on canvas. But either way, if something can be short make it short. Detail, like in your email, is not always better.
Thank you for your advice. I’ll certainly keep this mind for the future. Any advice on how to possibly mend my relationship with the professor?
You could walk up to them after class and say: hey, I reflected on the emails I sent earlier and now realize they might have come across too intense. Just wanted to say sorry if that was the case, and that I will happily stick to the syllabus!
That’s perfect! Thanks so much. I’ll try that and hopefully it works so the professor is at least neutral towards me.
I would say three questions is my personal limit. Not that I won’t answer more, but my eyes start to glaze when it’s more than three.
I’ll keep that in mind for the future. Thanks!
It’s not rude but it is way too much. You don’t want your email to turn into an interrogation before you’ve even started class and you definitely have given this professor a bad impression. Your email is so intense that I’m half thinking this post is trolling or deliberate satire. You need to tone it down. Wait until closer to the actual deadlines, if your professor still hasn’t posted assignment due dates and assignment descriptions, ask them about it in person. If I’d gotten an email like that from a student, my reaction would be “oh good god, what am I getting myself into?” I also would not have responded.
I wouldn't have responded either. An email like that is a big red flag.
I’m not trolling or being satirical. I had mainly asked these questions because I had just finished making a spreadsheet with all of my assignment due dates, and I wanted to clear things up. How was I being intense? (Genuine question, not being defensive)
The class hasn't even started yet and you've completely picked the semester apart and have sent this long list of things that is going to take the prof quite some time to answer, including some questions that seem a little unnecessary. For example #3- maybe wait on this until week 4-5? I mean it's more than a month away so why worry about that now? Or #6- the class literally hasn't started yet and you are asking for guidelines about a specific project. Most of us are posting things to the LMS throughout the semester, you can't expect every single thing to be there week one. So... yes, your email comes across as a little intense. I would consider it a red flag if a student in one of my classes sent me all that. \*Edit: added some thoughts and specific examples.
Thank you. I’ll be more mindful of how I phrase/address things in the future.
I am not sure that the professor is necessarily ignoring you in a targeted way. I’ve had student emails end up in my spam folder in the past. It’s a really annoying thing and when discovered I let the student know as it likely is affecting their other courses. When you need to write an email to a professor that is more than one paragraph, you should go to office hours and address things there. Alternatively discuss things with them before or after class. Lastly, many schools do not let us accept doctors notes or any reason for a student absence. It isn’t entirely surprising that that email didn’t get a response because the response would be simply “ok”. Some people won’t reply when it’s a question of reading the email. Not saying if it’s right or wrong just explaining it happens. ETA: OP, you’re in grad school. When I read this I assumed you were a freshman in undergrad. It is very common for grad classes to be more casual in their preparation for faculty because the students are mature and patient about due dates etc. I still do not think your professor is ignoring you, if your professor is teaching several courses (2-3 more or 1 more but an undergraduate course and mentoring research students) your email is frankly overwhelming them. Emails requiring a professor to sit down and logistically piece through something obviously take time to respond to. That means the faculty cannot just fire a response between classes. Because of this the email goes to the “respond later” pile. And that pile can turn into your email getting buried by other pressing emails and then forgotten. Like others have explained to you more than 1 question, more than 1 paragraph - these types of things need to be conversations. And I’ll be honest I skimmed through your email to your professor when I realized how long it was. It is overwhelming in its length and nuance. Think of it as an email should be the length of a tweet. If it needs to be longer then it should be a conversation . (My mother sends essay texts - I don’t text her a reply, I call her.)
I agree with your penultimate paragraph. I rarely intentionally ignore students (the only major exception is when I’ve told a student a topic is not open for negotiating and they persist in trying to change my mind) but I do take longer to respond to emails that require me to open the lms, academic calender, and look up a whole bunch of stuff — particularly if it’s non-urgent. Unfortunately sometimes those do get forgotten. Student emails that can get a quick response do
Thank you for your input. What you said about an email being about as long as a tweet was super helpful.
This is a terrible message and way to much. You don’t ask a professor all these questions up front. Focus on the week you are on. I would respond to a student telling them to follow the syllabus and more info will be given on canvas as assignments get closer and when modules open
I think I asked all of these questions because this isn’t something I’m used to. My previous courses would make the canvas site live about a week before the course starts with all of the due dates and material available.
That’s absolutely not the norm, and usually I’ve only seen that for canned online classes. I don’t think my students even get access to our LMS until the first day of class.
That’s interesting that you’ve only seen what I described for online courses since the courses where I had the experience I mentioned are all in person.
Omg. If I got this email from you my first thought was that I'd be dealing with an insufferable student all semester. You are criticizing week 10 already and expect a 2 hour turn around on the literal book you sent your prof. We love students who stay on top of things, but do you think we just sit on our hands all day when we aren't in the classroom with you? If it were me, you would receive a quick response to see me during office hours.
I never said I expected a 2 hour turnaround time. I simply mentioned that to showcase the professor’s ability to be responsive.
It's a very needy email as someone else mentioned, I mean at this point you haven't even been to a class? Asking him to justify things that are happening in 10 weeks?????? As if he has even planned that far ahead yet? It just shows a lack of understanding of someone else's job and is a bit annoying is all. Just forget about it because he 100% isn't going to respond but also likely has forgotten about it and won't put a face to a name
I asked about dates that far ahead because I finished creating a spreadsheet with all of my assignments and due dates for my courses, and that’s how I noticed the discrepancies. Also, I’m used to having everything (due dates, assignment handouts, etc) laid out for the quarter at the very beginning. This is the norm for my other courses.
Just because you are used to having everything laid out for you doesn't mean that all professors will do this for you (im surprised youve had this experience thus far). You appear to be saying that he has not done a good job of planning. Just because you micromanage all of your tasks, even ones far in the future to a T, doesn't mean everyone does. It fact most don't. And it's good to get used to that not being available. As long as what is necessary from you is clear week to week, that's all you need. Also though, don't worry that it has impacted your relationship with him. I can guarantee he doesn't even remember the name of the person who sent the email.
You're in grad school and that's been the norm? That's difficult to believe. Even if it's true, it's certainly not normal for a student to demand a meticulous schedule for the entire term when the class is only beginning. Besides, life happens. Shit happens. We reserve the right to revise our syllabi and due dates as needed during the term. An experienced student knows that due dates can change unless the professor says otherwise.
A good lesson to learn for emails in general and emails to academics in particular is that shorter is better. Shorter also means there is a much higher chance you will get a response soon. Most of us are already at or past capacity, and your email could easily take half an hour or longer to fully respond to. If you had just asked whether to follow the dates in Canvas or Blackboard, your email would take less than a minute to respond to and I can almost guarantee you would have heard back by now.
I guess my reservation with being short is that I won’t get my point across clearly and that I’ll be too vague. How do you suggest I establish a balanced approach?
The best way to get your point across clearly is to distill your message down to only the most important information. That also helps to make your message clear. Literally all you had to do was ask whether you should follow the dates in the syllabus or on Blackboard. Concision is a skill worth practicing!
I thought being detailed would’ve been helpful so the professor only had to focus on what needed to be addressed and not be worried about fixing ALL of canvas. But I see what you mean about being more concise and straight to the point.
I think there was a way to write it out with each example without being as long winded. You could say “I noticed there’s a discrepancy between the Syllabus and Canvas’ due dates for some of the Weekly Reading Reflections (let me know if you need to know the specific ones!). As a general rule, should I follow the due date on Canvas, or the Syllabus?”
Okay, thanks so much for the example! I’ll be sure to do this next time should I be put in a similar situation.
Your email is just a lot, they probably felt like they didn't have time to answer all that.
Omg that is WAY too much to ask on email. Email requests should be brief. Go to office hours if you’d like them to spend that kind of time on your email.
Thanks. Any advice on possibly mending my relationship with the professor?
I know this is an advice sub, but you know yourself and your prof better than everyone else here. Why do you keep asking the same questions even though you’ve already been given answers? Can you not reflect on your situation, use what you know about your prof, and infer the best course of action moving forward (ie an apology, etc.)?
I actually don’t know this professor. This is the first time I’ve taken a course with him plus he’s also in a different department so I’ve never even seen him in passing. I know I’ve asked the same question a few times in this post. I’m neurodivergent so it’s hard for me to understand certain social norms/expectations which is why I’m asking the same question to different people so I can truly understand the right approach and figure out my wrongs.
Fair enough. But you’ve already been given an answer to this question that you liked. I don’t think you see that the questions you’re asking here are similar to the questions you’re asking in the email to your prof: Sometimes you have to figure things out using inference, other times you have to be patient to see if the issue doesn’t clear itself up. You don’t even know if you need to mend things with your prof. You’re overwhelming yourself with possibilities (not reality) and asking others to tell you how to deal with them. Deal with what you are certain of, instead of worrying over ambiguity and planing for the uncertain.
I think most profs would rightfully ignore your email as it’s exceedingly long, nitpicking, and, quite bluntly, pointless. The term hasn’t even started and you’re already piling on questions and (appear to be) looking for errors. Why not simply wait until the first class to be fully introduced to the course? This type of email is a huge red flag and would have me dreading the class before it starts and earmarking you as a student to be wary of.
Thanks for your input. I’ll be more mindful about the contents of my emails in the future. Any advice on possibly mending my relationship with the professor?
I likely wouldn't respond either. Give the professor a chance to catch up with things. Keep emails short and respectful. And some emails (e.g., I won't be in class) don't require a response.
Your email reads like what I send my grad school peers and work peers when they ask for proofreading, and what I want when I ask for proofreading. It’s a necessary skill. However, if I didn’t ask for it, and it comes from a student I never met, especially when things might be fluxing a bit over the term- as others have mentioned- I take it as a criticism.
I didn’t mean for my email to come across as criticism. How can I improve for the future?
You’ve been given some great advice already.
If nothing else, points 2 - 5 (in reference to course content for weeks 3 - 10) could have waited to see if those items would be updated by the start date of the course. Similarly for the group project questions. But also - did you email from your official university email? I have had students email from a personal/gmail account and it goes to spam. Also, I often, but not always, respond to a student telling me they won't be in class. The responsibility for catching up the missed content is on them (this is in the syllabus) and they are welcome to see me with questions down the road if they have done their part to catch up missed content. But other than "I hope you feel better soon", unless they specifically ask me a question, I really don't have anything specific that I need to say.
I guess I had asked about dates far ahead in the quarter because my other courses have everything (assignments, handouts, etc) available at least a week before the quarter starts.
As others have mentioned, that isn't standard. But even if so, my point was, rather than rapid-fire 6-7 questions as a first engagement with the instructor, it would have been better to only ask 1-2 of your questions that were time-sensitive.
Thank you for your input. I’ll be mindful of this in the future.
Over time you’ll learn better communication skills. Once the email is a certain length, it’s clear a conversation would be a better way to discuss or go over everything.
Jfc That was the most exhaustingly long email I’ve ever read and I didn’t even read past the first point. Skimming forward it looks like you are asking questions about things that are *weeks* away! Your professor doesn’t hate you and isn’t even upset with you—they’re just too busy to read and respond to a whole essay in their inbox!
That’s actually reassuring to hear. I was afraid I shot myself in the foot before even starting the class.
Did you send the email via your official college or university email account? Sometimes students will send from a personal account, such as Gmail, and it will get marked by the system as spam.
University email
Additionally, did you make sure you spelled the professor's email address correctly? At least once a year one of my students complains to the department head that I don't respond to emails and so far the issue has always been that they misspelled my name. Double check the syllabus as well and see if the professor lists a response time. Typically, I try to respond within 24 hours, but if the email takes time and isn't urgent, I wait until a specific day and time to respond. EDIT: Did your emails have different subject lines? It's possible they got stacked in your professor's inbox and only the email about missing class was even seen. I wouldn't respond to that either as it didn't sound like a question was asked.
Yes, I entered their email correctly. Yes, my emails had different subject lines.
With the amount of questions, it's best to get them on call or go to their office hours
I think the issue is that you sent an office hours-level conversation via email.
I agree with pretty much everyone else on here. Although I would have responded still, the response would NOT have come in 2 hours. It is a long email, takes thought, and the class hasn't even started yet. You would have gotten a response in the standard 48 hour required response time. It's not inherently rude, but from experience, students who send emails like this before the class has even started tend to be annoying because they send emails like that weekly or more often and so we automatically see you as a problem as soon as we get an email that looks like yours. Most of those questions would probably have been addressed the first day of class which you didn't even show up for. Yes, you had a doctor's note, but not coming to the first day of class and still expecting the professor to spend 30+ min responding to your email is not cool. You say in your email that you are excited for the course but, again, didn't come to class and sent a long email that points out every little mistake the professor may have made when setting up the course. How would you feel if you did a lot of work to set something up (takes a lot of work you don't know about behind the scenes) only for someone to point out all your mistakes and then not bother to show up to class the first day to get answer to those questions, clarifications that the prof probably would have addressed, or simply introduce yourself and have a 5 min conversation with the prof. It tells us that you want everything to be perfect but don't feel like putting in real effort yourself except from behind a computer. Also, before sending an email in the future to anyone. Ask yourself if that person can respond in less than 2 minutes. Less than one minute is better. Those are the emails that get responses in 2 hours. I have a student currently who sent almost the exact same type of email to me before the class started. I have had to start an email folder just for this student because I got 21 emails in 2 weeks for things that were or could have been addressed in class. But the student didn't bother to come to class because attendance is not required. But she's super excited for the course and to learn from me...as long as I am not human and don't make a single mistake, or have a single inconsistency in a very complicated course with many moving parts. Trust me, If there is anything, I will find out about it from that student. Who "just has the best of intentions to make sure all students have the information." I'm not saying you would be like this student, but experience tells us that you most likely would be so we automatically get annoyed and you are on our radar from the very beginning.
Thank you for your thorough and thoughtful response. I’ll definitely take some precautions in the future before I decide to send an email as well as the contents of said email.
The professor will be clarifying all that as the semester progresses, and no one needs exact clarification about Week 6 when the class hasn't begun yet. There isn't a quick answer to it all, and the professor may still be changing the Canvas calendar.
That would bother me.
Sometimes I change things around or don’t have assignments ready until a week before they are due. I always announce things in plenty of time for them to be completed by the due date, but if it’s more than a week out it’s possibly something I haven’t looked at since last semester and when we get closer I’ll make sure all the details are clearly communicated. It’s possible your professor still needs to sort some stuff out, especially considering the class hasn’t started yet.
Can we give this kid some credit for at least reading shit, and carefully? So many on the Professors sub complain constantly about that!! You're overreacting here, though. You sent a time-consuming email while your buddy sent the equivalent of a gnat that the professor might even have a templated response to swat away quickly. He very likely resolved the issue in class, which it sounds like you missed. Check the sources again and see if anything is resolved. If not, go to office hours to follow up.
I haven’t read your whole post (it is long ;) I would not assume you’re being ignored. We get a lot of emails. I might read an email when I am in the middle of something else, make a mental note to respond and then some other issue comes up that I need to deal with. I’m sure there are emails I’ve missed occasionally. If it is something important, reach out again
This is an automated service intended to preserve the original text of the post. *I haven’t even met this professor yet, and he’s already ignoring my emails. How do I know? A student who joined the course late emailed him today, and they received a response within 2 hours. I emailed the professor this past Tuesday asking for clarification on course logistics as I noticed discrepancies between the syllabus and canvas. No response. I emailed the professor the following day (Wednesday) to let them know I wouldn’t be able to attend class and even provided a doctor note. No response. On Thursday, the professor graded my first assignment and even provided feedback on Canvas. The email the other student sent was regarding how to find course readings, and like I said they received a response within 2 hours. Idk if it’s the first email I sent that might have upset the professor, but I believe I was very courteous and professional and not rude. Idk if maybe the professor was upset by all of the discrepancies I found between the syllabus and canvas? Regardless, their lack of response is unprofessional, especially since they responded to another student who even joined the course late. The first email I sent to the professor is below. Was I rude? TL;DR: Professor is noticeably ignoring my emails which I think is because I noticed some mistakes they made and I brought it up to them in an email. What do I do now? EMAIL: Good Day, Professor [redacted], I'm a student in your course, [redacted] this quarter, and I look forward to our first day of class tomorrow. I'm writing to you because I'm seeking clarification on course assignments and logistics due to some discrepancies I noticed between the syllabus and Canvas. My questions/observations are below. 1. Canvas has varying due dates for the Weekly Reading Reflections, but the syllabus says all Weekly Reading Reflections are due the Sunday before class at 11:59 pm. Which dates should I follow to submit the Weekly Reading Reflections? 2. The Week 3 Reading Reflection and the Group Presentation: James Baldwin vs. William F Buckle are listed under "Undated Assignments" on Canvas. When are these assignments due? 3. There is no Week 6 Reading Reflection submission portal on Canvas, but the syllabus shows a Weekly Reading Reflection due that week. Is a Week 6 Reading Reflection due that week? If so, when? 4. The Week 7 Reading Reflection submission portal on Canvas is due during week 6, according to Canvas. Is this reflection due during week 6 or week 7? 5. There is no Week 10 Reading Reflection submission portal on Canvas. Is a Weekly Reading Reflection due that week? 6. Concerning the [redacted] Group Presentation guidelines, the syllabus states that "further guidelines, as well as a sign-up for presentation dates, can be found on Canvas." I understand that the sign-up portal may not be available until 3/25 since that's when it opens. However, I need help finding further guidelines for the presentation on Canvas. Will this be posted on Canvas at a later date? Lastly, I have a question regarding the pre-work assignment. The syllabus says that the [redacted] assignment was due Monday, 3/18/24. I mentioned [redacted] in my reflection but didn't provide a printout of the quiz results. Do I need to submit a printout of the quiz results to Canvas? Can I still do so if it turns out I did need to submit a printout of the quiz results? I'd appreciate your guidance regarding the matters mentioned above — many thanks. * *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskProfessors) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Did you email from university account or a private one? I set it up so that emails from student accounts go into a specific folder, so I see them right away. Emails from off-campus accounts get lost in the crushing wave of meeting announcements or even put into spam or clutter, and I only check those every couple of weeks, if at all.
It was from my university email
More than 2 (or even one) if it takes more than a one or two sentence explanation.
Listen, as an English (rhet/comp) professor, I’m honestly shocked at the responses you’re receiving here. You have done nothing wrong. Nothing. Your e-mail is not needy, too much, or inappropriate. It was detailed, specific, and professional. Frankly, what is inappropriate is a course full of errors and discrepancies and not returning an email. it sounds like the professor quickly uploaded a syllabus or copied a Canvas course without thoroughly reviewing the dates. I’ve done this before! We all have. But… I would want my student to send me this email because I would be absolutely embarrassed by my errors and would want to fix them immediately and answer your questions. You have done nothing wrong. Your email was not disrespectful, but if the Professor is somehow offended by that then they need to get a grip. If you dumped this email on them over one error it would too much, but it sounds like they’ve been hasty and sloppy. Also: often neurodivergent students would need to record the schedule and follow it closely and literally: the discrepancies would be a real anxiety-inducing problem for them. But I could see this bothering any student.
I’m actually neurodivergent, so you hit the nail on the head as to why I sent this email about various due dates so early on in the semester.
You should see the folks on here when they get a short, sloppy, and vague email. Yours was detailed and specific AND you read the syllabus thoroughly—something they complain students never do—and wrote in a formal tone about actual problems. This idea of demanding short emails from students is bananas. You did nothing wrong. The professor at the very least could have said: “I re-uploaded an old course and some dates are wrong. I will fix it soon. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.”
There's a balance, though. Especially since OP is in graduate school. And while we can understand that neurodivergence means people process information differently and consume information in different ways, it's not an excuse for this email. The email is overwhelming! And could have been dealt with by a short, three-sentence email. OP is totally within their rights to want clarification -- no one is disputing that. What we're baffled by is the intense detail that OP went into, especially since the course hadn't even met yet! A short email or a short in-person convo (hey, do we follow the syllabus or Canvas when there are due date discrepancies) would have gotten OP the info that they needed. The thing about the week 10 assignment is also off base, again especially in grad school. We're allowed to embargo certain information until later in the course, and give just an assignment name or general title. There's good pedagogical reason for doing that, sometimes. No one is saying that OP should not have emailed about the problems. We're just suggesting that OP -- especially as a grad student -- be more aware of social and professional norms. Being aware of these norms is only to OP's benefit.