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u/International_Gate49 Aug 27 '26
you gotta hit em with the "Yo Mr white, check it out
here's my assignment
Peace
Jessie"
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u/Rivka333 Aug 27 '26
A student once sent me an email in exactly that style (not about an assignment though) DURING class. He then emailed me a few minutes later apologizing, everything worded formally, and saying the first email had been meant for his friend.
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u/Mammoth_Reach_6366 Aug 27 '26
And make sure to send it from an address like, "pussyblaster2000@gmail.com" for additional benefis.
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u/conrad_w Aug 27 '26
Hotmail.com
For the nostalgia
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u/Eldan985 Aug 27 '26
I once worked in a place where I had to explain to the boss tht Hotmail wasn't porn and shouldn't be filtered as spam.
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u/SamsonFox2 Aug 31 '26
Hotmale.com absolutely used to be a porn site, although it was taken over years ago.
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u/StaceyPfan Aug 27 '26
I still have a Hotmail account. I've had it for 20 years. Too much trouble to change it.
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u/Gloomy_Tell_6215 Aug 27 '26
I didn't know Hotmail is out of date? I have had mine since 2000. Same phone number too. Why would people change? And what do they change to?!
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u/Prestigious-Data-206 Aug 27 '26
It's Gmail now, grandpa. Signed, an aging Millenial.
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u/German_Merman Aug 27 '26
I once got an assignment from a student like this. The email it was sent from was something like "bossMF9220@gmail.com" and there was no name on the assignment, no name in the filename, absolutely nothing to tell me who it was from. So I look at the document properties in Word, sure enough there's an author in the author field! Success. The author's name? "MOTHERFUCKINGBOSS!!!" I guess this guy really was the boss MF.
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u/Electriccheeze Aug 27 '26
Good yard!
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u/Ok_Mention_9865 Aug 27 '26
I have tried so hard to figure out what that guy was trying to say but I cant find any word remotely close to the same buttons that make since
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u/Electriccheeze Aug 27 '26
I don't see the issue, it seems like perfectly cromulent Drunken Aussie to me.
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u/NatNat29 Aug 27 '26
Good yarn maybe? As in a good chat.
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u/Blazured Aug 27 '26
"Dear Jesse,
You spelled your name wrong.
Sincerely,
Mr White"
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u/International_Gate49 Aug 27 '26
"Yo Mr White,
I recently transitioned and am going by Jessie now.
Bitch
Jessie"
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u/Stargost_ Aug 27 '26
"How about you learn how a compound properly transitions from solid to gas through sublimation instead of just guessing, Jessie?
6.5/10
- Mr. White."
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u/Chai_Enjoyer Aug 27 '26
I say stuff like that with some of the younger professors irl (like anyone younger than 45-50). They seem to like it, granted I am somewhat competent at their subject. I do not have the balls to talk like that with older profs though
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u/mstivland2 Aug 27 '26
When emailing a new professor or researcher, I always do a “Dear Dr. Davidson, (question), thank you, mstivland2”
And almost universally the response is “Hi (first name), (answer), -Dave
Then I just follow suit. Good advice is to start very professionally and then just follow their lead. Then when you’re the one getting emailed questions you can do whatever you want.
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u/Lonely_Nebula_9438 Aug 27 '26
I was taught that “professor” is the better title to use first. It’s technically the more honorable title and it also protects you from a faux pas because not all professors have doctorates.
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u/mstivland2 Aug 27 '26
Yes, I always confirm their degree. But not everyone I email is a professor, either. Either way, yeah, always good to confirm your honorifics.
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u/DarkArc76 Aug 27 '26
Well, I would never just assume someone has a doctorate. But if I know my professor has one, I'm going to address them as Dr. cause I feel like that shows respect to the time and effort they put in for it
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u/Cichato_YT Aug 28 '26
This is the way. I've had professors email me back in the same format as me, carefully checking their grammar and spacing, and I've gotten some "yeah"s back with not even a signature. Either way, doing too much means you're never doing too little
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u/trahsemaj Aug 31 '26
The rules changed for me once I was in grad school. Using first names is a a good screening test - if they ask me to call them Dr. Soandso I know they think of me as a peon. And I would make sure to never get them out on my committes or do research with the.
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u/PlanSee Aug 27 '26
As a working professional the standard template is "Hi [recipient first name], [email body], Thanks/Sincerely, [Full professional signature]" in my workplace.
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u/autistic_homo Aug 27 '26
I can second this. The way you do it is absolutely standard. Not sure why people in the comments are having a hard time just adding someone's name to the email lol
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u/Digit00l Aug 27 '26
I think everyone is missing over the word "just" in the original context
Like just saying hi means it is not addressed properly, so "hi, body text, signature" instead of "hi target, body text, signature"
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u/hachekless Aug 27 '26
I'm almost never emailing one single person.
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u/Ralexcraft Aug 27 '26
“Hello everyone,
For those of us who work in the high security wing it is important that we remember which keys to use on which doors.
On an unrelated matter, the door to supply closet F is currently unusable and we will have maintenance coming in tomorrow to fix it.
Thank you for your time,
Jeremy, HR.”→ More replies (1)19
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u/Jcan_Princess Aug 27 '26
"Hi Team"
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u/Ducksaucenem Aug 27 '26
Yup, that’s my go to. If it’s for a committee it’s “hello “committee name” team.
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u/TwinStickDad Aug 27 '26
In the military you say ALCON (all concerned)
I remember my first email to a team of people after I got out of the Army I had no idea what to do haha. Same as my first day of work without an entire regulation telling me what to wear and how to wear it.
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u/SalvationSycamore Aug 27 '26
Hi team,
Hi folks,
Howdy y'all,
Salutations brothers and sisters,
Yo freaks and geeks,
Greetings all,
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u/Somerandom1922 Aug 27 '26
The main reason is to make people aware that the email really is intended for them, and wasn't just a template you copy-pasted (even if there are so many tools that let you send templates with the recipient's name in it).
If I receive an email that says:
Hi,
We have noticed an issue... etc.
My first thought will be "bullshit marketing nonsense, I'll ignore it".
If instead it says:
Hi u/somerandom1922,
We have noticed an issue... etc.
I'll think "Aaa FUCK, how do they know my reddit username, oh god oh fuck oh shit".
Very different reactions, the 2nd feels far more personal.
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u/grizzly_snimmit Aug 27 '26
And yet all the emails I get from senior execs are more like "hey, can you do that thing? Here are no details whatsoever. KR, J"
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u/PlanSee Aug 27 '26
Yup I write a nice detailed message and get back an uncapitalized, unaddressed, 3 word response
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u/Lazy_bon Aug 27 '26
approved KR B
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u/Adventurous-Sun4927 Aug 27 '26
The best part is… my professionally written email wasn’t even asking for approval. Where did you get approved?!
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u/CiDevant Aug 27 '26
That is perfectly fine for downline communication. Or for responding if there is only one recipient. Although it is good manners to include required information it is not required if you would expect the person to "figure it out".
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u/THE_DINOSAUR_QUEEN Aug 27 '26
Agreed, imo the cases where you don’t need to address it specifically are:
You’re emailing a shared address and don’t know the name of the person who’s going to be reading it (e.g., customer service emails, helpdesk emails)
You’re already in an active email thread with the person that has gone on long enough to be more casual with shorter messages
But if I’m writing an email to a specific person, why wouldn’t I address it to them lol
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u/SauretEh Aug 27 '26
Same but then the responses I get are:
“apporved
Sent from Outlook for iOS”
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u/littleloucc Aug 27 '26
Adding, even if you have multiple recipients, it's still polite to try and address the group. So, either
Hi [recipient1, recipient2]
Or
Hi [team/stakeholders/all]
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u/Maleficent-Drive4056 Aug 27 '26
Maybe US is less formal than UK. I begin all my emails ‘dear first name’. Everyone else does the same, internally and with clients. Sometimes close colleagues writing on phone will just say hi.
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u/NoGlzy Aug 27 '26
I work in the UK with people all round the world and this is how I'd email people I hadn't worked with regularly.
Then it decreases in formality based on personal relationships.
A
"Hey,
Got time to look at xyz today?
Cheers, "
Is absolutely fine between members of a team
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u/scarletcampion Aug 27 '26
Ooh that's interesting (also UK here). I never use dear, but will often open with "good morning/afternoon firstname" for more formal writing or to someone I've not written to before. Anyone else will get a "Hi firstname" and then a "best, Scarlet" at the end.
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u/Boyhowdy107 Aug 27 '26
As someone who works with UK and US colleagues, I weirdly think of the UK as less formal, but that's entirely because you can get away with a "cheers" to close a work email, which is both friendly and somehow appropriate in a "business casual dress code" sort of way.
That said, I'm with you on best or all the best. "Sincerely" always struck me as trying too hard to the point of being counterproductive. Also it is funny how much we overthink and read into the 5 or so options we have to start and stop a work email.
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u/kakakakapopo Aug 27 '26
Dear?? I would find it really weird to get an email like that, sounds like it's from some elderly relative
Hi First name
Blah blah blah
Kind regards My name
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u/Mindless_Method_2106 Aug 27 '26
I'm also from the UK, worked in a few places in Europe and it is by far the standard unless replaced by good morning/afternoon.
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u/Inside-Nebula5325 Aug 27 '26
From Denmark working for English language companies: yes same here, dear until we know each other, then we switch to hi.
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u/walnutwithteeth Aug 27 '26
It's pretty standard across the working world to send an email with Dear/Hi (recipient name), have the body of the message, then sign it off kind regards/sincerely (sender name). It's not a text message but a piece of correspondence. It is a good habit to get into now.
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u/WarLorax Aug 27 '26 edited Aug 27 '26
"Dear" is deprecated, in my experience. Has been for years.
Edit: this appears to be a North American thing.
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u/alfius-togra Aug 27 '26
Etiquette varies depending on where you are. I'm a UK lawyer, for me Dear is formal, Hi less so - I use hi internally and dear for most external emails. Sometimes will use hi with clients if I know them well and they use it first.
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u/an_illithidian Aug 27 '26
CAN lawyer here. Formal mail I will have a 'for the attn of' line + file info before the letter so I skip the address and just launch in. Respectful emai to counsel I may start with Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening instead of dear or hi. Most of my clients are workers so informality goes a long way in letting oxygen back into the relationship lol
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u/HydrogenButterflies Aug 27 '26
Agreed, I use a greeting like “Good afternoon, [Mr. / Mrs. / Dr. Lastname]” when I’m writing a professional email to someone I don’t know personally, “Good afternoon, [Firstname]” with people I work with every day, and “Dear, [Firstname]” when I’m writing to family and close friends.
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u/nikas_dream Aug 27 '26
In North America I use it when sending a formal email to someone we have a friendly respectful relationship.
Dear [name],
[my team] would like to invite you to…10
u/the_Real_Romak Aug 27 '26
not here. It's drilled into my head that starting an email with "dear" is preferred over "hi". You're addressing a colleague/client/your boss, not inviting a friend for pints
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u/Sirbuttercups Aug 27 '26
I moved to "Hello" after a professor asked me not to use "dear" because it was too intimate." Hello is just the safest option in my experience.
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u/ZestyToastCoast Aug 27 '26
I know it's just a phatic expression but dear feels creepy and weird coming from someone I barely know.
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u/autech91 Aug 27 '26
In NZ I don't think I've ever seen an email addressed as "Dear" andnI work solely business to business. To me that's what you do when sending a handwritten letter via snail mail.
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u/being-weird Aug 27 '26
I mean sure, I send emails that way too, but if I received an email without my name I wouldn't assume it wasn't addressed to me? That seems like a weird presumption to make
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u/Erfeo Aug 27 '26
He doesn't mean it literally, he's just saying that he expects his students to format mails this way.
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u/hailspork Aug 27 '26
Is the professor asking for "Hello Professor Xavier" instead of just "Hello"?
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u/mkp132 Aug 27 '26
This was what I gathered. And I don't think that's unreasonable? Address your professor as a human who has a name, not a chat bot.
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u/becaauseimbatmam Aug 27 '26
Yeah, and it's solid career advice as well.
Student to professor, it's going to be pretty clear that it's a legitimate email for the most part. But if you're in your career emailing people at other companies who don't know you, failing to directly address the recipient(s) might make them think it's a spam email that's been blasted out to every address you can get your hands on.
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u/apocryphalaxolotl Aug 27 '26 edited Aug 27 '26
It’s good career advice since there’s definitely still people who expect such etiquette. Also if it’s a cold email, using their name is a very small way to make your message seem more targeted.
Personally, I think it’s a bit silly and has never affected my ability to read or understand emails. I think the vast majority of professors, at least in the US, also do not care but academia tends to be less formal here.
Also if they were trying to make it a teaching point, they could have explained.
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u/PomPomMom93 Aug 27 '26
I think it’s considered polite to say their name. Like, “Hi Bob” instead of just “Hi.” At least AIs do it.
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u/Arratril Aug 27 '26
I think context means a lot, but I’ve had messages sent to me at work and in my personal life that just start with “Hi” with no personalization, and I get the distinct feeling they just copy/pasted the exact same message to a bunch of people.
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u/fakesongs Aug 27 '26
Damn, I don't even work anywhere serious and I still text my manager "Hi, Manager Name! It's My Name. So on, so forth."
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u/Fiametia Aug 27 '26
Most of my professional emails start with "Good afternoon [name]" (or whatever the greeting for that time is), though I know profs that sends "Hi/Hello [name]". Frankly I doubt anyone cares that much as long as you're polite.
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u/JuniperGem Aug 27 '26
As someone who’s inundated with hundreds of emails daily, an email needs to be made clear that it is, in fact, addressed to me.
This is particularly important if there is more than one person on the email chain, or if the message is more general. I don’t have time to figure out who you’re directing this email to.
Additionally, it can sound very impersonal. And in an age where A.I. is taking over email-writing, the least you can do is show the email recipient that you know their name. It’s not hard to do that.
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u/BeardySam Aug 27 '26
He’s teaching you professional communication
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u/DaveFoSrs Aug 27 '26
I love the modern urge to run to social media for literally the most benign interactions
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u/BurritoLover2016 Aug 27 '26
Of all the resources to find an answer on the internet, why not go directly to the absolute worst option?!?
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u/Fen_LostCove Aug 27 '26
I had a professor do that for me in my first year of uni, and I really appreciated it. Nobody had taught me anything about proper email communication, so I was just typing the email body and that was it. He responded with an answer to my question, along with a “by the way, here is how to format professional emails”
And then I was wondering why that was never brought up in any of the job prep classes from high school.
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u/dancingbanana123 Aug 27 '26
I'm a grad student and student emails are always funny because they're so weirdly formal. Like, I get it, I did it too, but it's weird to be on the other end. I get emails like,
Dear Professor dancingbanana123,
The past few weeks have been quite tumultuous for me and my family, as we have suffered through tough hardship this winter....
[8 more paragraphs of stuff]
Could you please consider giving me some form of extra credit? I appreciate your help in these troubling times.
Best regards,
Forgettable Student 7
And then my response is just some half-assed shit I typed on my phone like,
nah
-dancingbanana123
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u/ellie_elysian Aug 27 '26
Back when I taught at uni, the emails I received were either really formal as you describe or "Heres my hw" + an attached file. No middle ground.
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u/rewt127 Aug 27 '26
I get a kick out of it at work.
First 3 emails in a string are professional. Then the intro gets dropped. Then the ending. By email 6 we are DMing over outlook basically.
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u/ManicMaenads Aug 27 '26
I know it's polite to use someone's name, so why does it feel so weird/invasive/disrespectful to address someone by name in an e-mail? This is definitely something I struggle with but I don't understand why.
Does anyone else feel weird using someone's name? Like it's violating, or it doesn't feel like we have permission?
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u/TheSeaFellows Aug 27 '26
Very much so. It feels so intimate.
Some of it, for me, is determining their title. I was emailing with my manager who is in her 70s and it both felt wrong to call her "Jan" and "Mrs. Jan". It's most appropriate that i call her "Mrs" due to the age gap and authority, but most people don't. Not sure she minds either way, she signs her name without the title. However, i wimped it and went entirely unprofessional by including only the body of the message. Thankfully, I could get away with it because we were only emailing because she prefers the computers keyboard over her phone, otherwise it would have all been text messages.
I really dont understand this people who use other people's names in conversation. It still shocks my husband if i address him by anything other than "hey".
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u/ManicMaenads Aug 27 '26
Absolutely! I don't even really like when people use my name, I assume they're either angry with me or trying to sell me something.
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u/kriegmonster Aug 27 '26
Because you haven't written enough formal letters or emails. Formality requires proper acknowledgment of the sender and receiver. Hi, Hello, To whom it may concern, are all open and could be intended for a group of people. By addressing a specific person in the opening, you are telling them it is written and intended for them in response to something they sent, or to be responded to by them.
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u/FloppieTheBanjoClown Aug 27 '26
You younguns definitely find some.new things to be anxious about. I applaud your neurotic creativity.
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u/Conscious-Wind-7785 Aug 27 '26
I don't have the issue in email at all but it has never felt right when talking directly with people, especially people I know in any degree.
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u/Pharaoh_Misa Aug 27 '26
I say "Good morning, insert name" whether it's morning or not.
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u/largepopcornandcoke Aug 27 '26
lol i say "good day" bc i dont know if it's being read in the morning or evening but a day is still a day.
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u/Crunchy-Leaf Aug 27 '26
What if they read it at night
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u/largepopcornandcoke Aug 27 '26
my logic is that night is a time of day and a day is 24 hours. so it's good day regardless. :')
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u/Schnuribus Aug 27 '26
Maybe I am old-fashioned but I have never seen an e-mail addressed to me or someone else in a professional setting without my name or Dear…
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u/M474D0R Aug 27 '26
10 years on wall street here.
Hello (first name) is fine.
Just a hello, into the body of the text, is not. He is right about that part, you need to be clear who you are addressing.
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u/granadesnhorseshoes Aug 27 '26
I'm not sure this is an email thing but more a basic English thing? If I don't explicitly include who I am addressing then by definition i haven't "addressed" them have I?
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u/Lazaras Aug 27 '26
Just a hi is for when you're making a quick/informal response from your phone or you're deep into an email chain and don't really need to add names anymore
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u/BusyBeeBridgette Harry Potter Aug 27 '26
Yeah just having "hi" just seems a little bit too casual. I am not your friend. Either just have the name or Dear (Name) etc like a normal person.
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u/much_longer_username Aug 27 '26
I think if they look harder, they'll see that it is in fact addressed to them, otherwise it would not have arrived in their inbox. It's OK though, email is only 55 years old, I know it can take a while to catch up to all this new-fangled technology.
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u/EveningAnt3949 Aug 27 '26
People make mistakes and send email to the wrong person. Email has become a bit of a mess because most email clients use nesting and or auto-filtering. Email is often forwarded.
That's just three reasons to use a name.
In a busy week I might receive over 40 important email messages, and maybe a hundred in total (excluding promotional emails), I appreciate it if people add a subject and use my name.
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u/CankleDankl Aug 27 '26
The professor is teaching them how to construct a professional email. You should be adding the person's name before the body of the email. It's expected in pretty much every professional setting and they will write every single email like that for the rest of their life (or at least until email gets phased out by something else).
It's not about not being used to the technology, it's about teaching the correct way to communicate in a professional environment. And college can most definitely be a professional environment
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u/Aetylus Aug 27 '26
Don't worry, recorded civilization is roughly 5000 years old, and we've been addressing each other by name that entire time. You'll catch on.
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u/much_longer_username Aug 27 '26
We should carry that tradition on for screen-based communication. Maybe we could call it a 'screen name'. And since it's so important, we can give it a field of its own!
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u/medyolang_ Aug 27 '26
Next time, they're going to ask for a "Dear" in there to make it a real letter
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u/scarletcampion Aug 27 '26
"I remain, Sir, you most humble and obedient servant" at the end for good luck
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u/guys_pm_urprettyface Aug 27 '26
It is. Lol.
My prof would not even read the mail if I start with respected or dearly beloved
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u/Perfect_Capital_3051 Aug 27 '26
Dearly beloved?? That’s a bit much lol 😭
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u/frogunderarock Aug 27 '26
dearly beloved are you listening?
i can't remember a word that you were saying
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u/Hello_phren Aug 27 '26
Are we demented or am I disturbed?
The space that’s in between insane and insecure.
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u/agailen Aug 27 '26
I think the issue is that they are saying "hi" and not "hi (professor name)"
Imo it's kinda odd not to address the professor by name when emailing
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u/ghostlacuna0 Aug 27 '26
I am part of a multi cc chain letter i sure as hell wont do anything other then keep it as a FYI if i am not adressed by name.
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u/loservampiresmustdie Aug 27 '26
I was always do:
"Dear/Hello [Recipient],
I hope you are doing well. [Email body]
Thank you for your time. (/help if applicable)
Best/Regards/Sincerely,
[Signature]"
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u/sdklrughipersghf Aug 27 '26
prof at my uni.
me: dear professor x,
... professional writeup of what i want
Best regards
sdklrughipersghf
answer from prof:
yes do that.
this might help: links to stuff
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u/hellogoawaynow Aug 27 '26
Hi Professor LASTNAME,
I’m NAME from your TIME class on DAY. I wanted to introduce myself, but I also had a question about RELEVANT TOPIC. Could you please provide clarification on that when you get a chance so I can properly finish my assignment?
Thank you,
NAME
(My whole job is emails, you’re welcome.)
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u/CRISPRcassie9 Aug 27 '26
This may have already been said, but when someone emails me "Hi," I assume this email went to multiple people. But if someone sends me an email saying "Hi CRISPRcassie9," I know it's an email that requires an answer specifically from me. Academics get so many emails that this is a useful distinction.
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u/raddaya Aug 27 '26 edited Aug 27 '26
I think two things:
1) You're legitimately off your rocker if you actually seriously care about whether a mail sent to you has your name after "Hi"/"Hello"
2) But it's still the professional standard pretty much across the world to include someone's name anyway if you're sending a mail addressed to them. Or something like "xyz team" if it's sent to a broad group.
So if this is the prof's way of basically telling the students this is how it works, then sure. If it's something they really care about they're insane, but then most professors are, so that's still okay anyway.
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u/drt0 Aug 27 '26
I think it's part of academic culture to address them as Prof./Dr./[Other Title] [Last Name]. It shows basic respect for the institution that you are spending your time/money being a part of and working to get a degree in.
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u/Sudden_Juju Aug 27 '26
This has been the strangest Reddit thread to read lol. I've never seen so many people argue that a standard greeting on an email is unnecessary. An email is basically a letter, and no one writes letters without a name in the greeting lol. At best, it clears up any confusion. At worst, it comes off as friendly and abiding by basic social business norms.
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u/SensitiveBarracuda61 Aug 27 '26
We've definitely had issues at my work recently with new grads sending embarassingly casual emails to clients and have had to make a point to add this to our training program. If it's between coworkers I dont care but some of the older generation do get bent out of shape about that stuff so it's good to just know the etiquette and use it. Professor's like OP's are absolutely right to teach this in college before they have the opportunity to piss off some older client in a professional setting.
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u/joelluber Aug 27 '26
I'm surprised by how many people here don't seem to understand the utility of including a name in separating a message the recipient may need to respond to from all of the CC messages they get.
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u/davidptm56 Aug 27 '26
It depends. If I'm writing to my immediate colleagues (as people working next to me or nearby, we talk to each other in person every other day...) Hi or hello is enough. If it's someone I may know but we don't get to talk often, I'd add their name. If it's someone I don't know I'd definitely add their name. Also if there's a lot of recipients as destination or CC to make clear who am I talking to.
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u/MyBedIsOnFire Aug 27 '26
You're supposed to address it to the person, that's totally normal did we forget how to write letters?
You always say "Hi/Hello [Persons preferred name/title]"
Often times I'll do "Hello Professor [Blank]"
"Hello Dr [Blank]" or for more casual emails "Hello [First Name]"
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u/veracity8_ Aug 27 '26
I hate when someone IMs me at work with “hi”. What do you want? Why are you wasting time by waiting until I respond to start your message? I typically ignore those messages. If the matter was urgent they would call me or send the request right away.
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u/CalantheJace Aug 27 '26
I was taught, if you know who you're addressing, your address them by name. First or last, depending on who they are to you.
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u/Technical-Weekend677 Aug 27 '26
I remember emailing my teacher just the word “bruh” about a lesson we were learning while she was teaching, and she pulled it up on the smart board after she heard the notification 💀
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u/whyyyyyyyT_T Aug 27 '26
In academics it's just an unwritten rile that you start with the most fully formally written email you can think of and then they respond with 'Hi,
Yes that's fine
Best,
Liam
Sent from my iphone'
And then you follow what they do but slightly more structured.
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u/bremsspuren Aug 27 '26
It's normal enough, but I never personally start an email with just "Hi" or "Hello". Always with the name as well.
It's a habit from growing up with dead-tree mail, I guess. Not having your name in the salutation was synonymous with junk mail.
Computers make it so effortless to give people things, I think it's good to show you made at least some effort specifically on their behalf.
Obviously, the prof's being a twat, but I imagine a lot of people who grew up in a world of paper feel a similar twinge.
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u/SKR158 Aug 27 '26
I remember I once emailed a prof with "hello prof [last name]" asking for more clarification on some notes and hw solution where he would skip like 100 steps since of course its trivial and I was hit with a 5 para email on how it is disrespectful to not say "dear prof [full name]" and to not ask for more since he is doing his best???
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u/CankleDankl Aug 27 '26
See that's ridiculous and a professor that's just power tripping. What you did was correct and professional and expecting that isn't crazy at all. But expecting a full name? Who the hell does that?
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u/Possible-Tangelo9344 Aug 27 '26
If it's to a specific person it usually needs that person's name everywhere I've worked. Generic openings are generic emails sent to everyone.
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u/Key_Detail2475 Aug 27 '26
I had this with so many companies here in Germany:
Me: Dear Mr. X, (professional stuff + full company signature)
Answer: Hi, Yes, of course we do Y, would you like to- (stuff + full company signature)
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u/johnnybhf Aug 27 '26
In my country we for some weird reason insist on using the correct titles. For example if someone is Prof. Name Surename, PhD., the professor (not in a sense of teacher, but real Professor title, named by president of the country) is the highest title, do you call them Dear Professor Surname. If you start your email with Dear Dr. Surname, it’s similar to calling them a fucking asshole. Never understood why.
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u/hauntedrob Aug 27 '26
That standard held by the professor is perfectly fine. It’s good to address people by their name/title, especially if they’re in a position of authority. “Hello Dr. Lennon” is more polite than “Hello” alone. It’s not that they’re fundamentally better than you as a person or anything, it’s just being respectful of their title and authority. You get more done that way and they’re more likely to be affable to you if you’re polite. That’s all there is to it.
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u/yourfavechild Aug 27 '26
First day of grad school I got my professors WhatsApp group chat so idk what kinda program u going to
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u/BardoBeing32 Aug 27 '26
“Hi, /insert name/.” is the accepted form of starting formal mail in Germany and maybe the rest of the EU. (Lived there 3 years.) And informal mail, too. (That was 14 years ago.)
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u/TACharlotte Aug 27 '26
Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening covers everything. The with a Thank You and you're good to go.
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u/joelluber Aug 27 '26
No, you should include a name to help the person tell the difference between messages for them specifically from the huge number of messages they are CC'd on.
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u/ISpyM8 Aug 27 '26
A good way to do it is to start with “Good morning/Good afternoon” instead of “hi” or “hello.”
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u/Electrical-Fig-5009 Aug 27 '26
Professionally dressed emails should be addressed like a proper letter
Name,
Body
Thanks, your name
My boss gets about 300 emails a day. If I don't specifically say hello John, can you please take a look at it he's going to put it on his back burner to check later bc hes CCed in a lot that doesn't actually need his immediate attention. If you properly address, you can assure the person knows its meant for them.
I imagine college professors also get added to a lot of emails they don't need to be on or doesn't require immediate attention bc thats just how it works now
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u/itstimegeez Aug 27 '26
If I’ve never emailed someone before I start with good morning or good afternoon. Then once they reply the first time I say Hi first name.
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u/Cute_Marzipan_4116 Aug 27 '26
Yep Professor has never worked in the real world so they have no clue how things work. Yes usually your first official contact with someone you address them in the email but moving forward no one needs a fluffer just tell me what the hell you want or need I have 50 other emails to go through.
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u/RaisedByBooksNTV Aug 27 '26
It's not professional. Hi is after a relationship has been established. And honestly, it's only after the relationship has been established and you're confirmed they don't have a stick up their butt. It's Dear Dr./Mrs./Ms./Mr./Mx./Whatever.
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u/Cookieyourdaddy Aug 27 '26
I've written full emails addressed and properly signed and have gotten "ok" emailed back so
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u/Pristine-Barracuda52 Aug 27 '26
I always addressed my professors by their professional title (Hi Dr. Jones.) It’s respectful and it doesn’t take any extra time.
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u/brigyda Aug 27 '26
This doesn't apply if you're customer service lol. If you don't start with a greeting it comes off as cold and now your customer that was feeling neutral about you is pissed at you.
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u/CankleDankl Aug 27 '26
Everybody saying that A) it's crazy to expect a name at the beginning of an email and B) that the address bar does enough, does not know how to structure a professional email lol.
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u/throaway_247 Aug 27 '26
Beginning a thread yep, but on replies no. Imagine every comment here starting 'hi <your name>'. Waste of space, time, resources.
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u/TheRealBobbyJones Aug 27 '26
You have to waste time telling them their name for some reason.
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u/joelluber Aug 27 '26
It's to help the recipient now that the message is for them specifically and not one of the dozens or hundreds of CCs they get every day.
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u/NothingVerySpecific Aug 27 '26
a professor being old-fashioned, behind the times & extremely sensitive to status?! colour me shocked
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u/MrsFrobert Aug 27 '26
Idk its a good lesson for employment. Old-fashioned people are likely to exist everywhere in life, especially the workplace. It only takes an extra second to add their name in there, i just play it safe. Id rather make a small concession than to risk giving a client/coworker/interviewer a negative impression of me
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u/mkp132 Aug 27 '26
When I was a freshman in college, a few professors teaching classes full of freshman had a section in their syllabus that was just: "Here's how to structure a professional email in your communications with me". It wasn't because they were stuck up. It was to promote a very simple and basic form of professional courtesy. College is the perfect time to learn the proper structure for sending an email. From all I can gather, this guy isn't asking to be addressed as "Your majesty". He's literally just asking for his name to be put in the email. "Hi [Professor name]" instead of just "Hi".
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u/MrsFrobert Aug 27 '26
Yesss i really wish more people would teach this stuff. You want to learn professional etiquette when the stakes are low
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u/Ms_Meercat Aug 27 '26
Since when is it old fashioned though in the working world to incude the name of the person you're writing to after 'Hi' in an email? It's not a text. I'd say 99% of emails I've written and received in over 15 years working had it.
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u/littleloucc Aug 27 '26
He's explaining professional etiquette to young people who probably haven't ever worked in a professional setting but hope to one day. He's setting them up for success, which is his job.
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u/CankleDankl Aug 27 '26
A professor teaching a college student how to construct a professional email for a professional setting, like the very ones the professor is likely preparing them for? Colour me shocked
In a professional setting, addressing someone by name in email is pretty much expected. Teaching that and building that habit is absolutely a good thing, especially in college.
Like, I had a professor that everyone called "dude" or just by his last name in person and he would do the same in kind. But over email, everything was professional and correctly structured. It's just common manners and good to teach to college kids
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u/Obscu Aug 27 '26
...for telling students to follow the standard universal convention of putting the recipient's name in their email?
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u/pietroetin Aug 27 '26
Writing "Hi [name of the professor]" instead of "Hi" as a student is just basic respect and a minimal required etiquette.
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u/qualityvote2 Aug 27 '26 edited Aug 29 '26
u/TheWebsploiter, there weren't enough votes to determine the quality of your post...