I’ve summarised five of the most most common scenarios, ranging from making an appointment to meet with a professor to missing class due to illness, so I hope this is helpful~.
Situation 1: Appointment
Subject: Appointment request
Dear Professor [last name],
I am a student in your class. I am having some difficulties with [research paper topic/etc ……]. I am experiencing some difficulties with [research paper topic/etc.] and would appreciate discussing it with you during your office hours.
Please let me know if you are available this week.
Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
[your name].
If you can’t get to your professor during his regular office hours, you can use the following template
Subject Appointment Request
Dear Professor [last name],
I hope all is well. I’ve started working on the _____ assignment and I just wanted to ask a few questions to make sure I’m on the right track. I also wanted to ask a question about yesterday’s lesson on _____ because I was a little confused and I wanted to make sure I fully understood what I was going to be doing for the exam next week. I know you mentioned on the syllabus that your office hours are _____, but I can’t get there. Your office hours are _____.
Thank you,
[your name]
Situation 2: Asking how to improve your homework or test scores
Inevitably, we will encounter a class that gives us a lot of headaches in our academic career, and this is a good time to ask the professor how to learn the class and how to improve our grades.
Subject: Extra Support _____
Dear Professor [last name],
I hope you are well and that you had a good weekend. I saw that you posted the grades for our last report. I was a little surprised and frustrated with my grades.
I would like to know if you offer any opportunities for extra credit, revision, or if you have any suggestions for improving my future assignments. Would you be available to meet with me at _____ or _____ to discuss my report and plans? Please let me know what works for you.
Looking forward to your reply,
Best regards,
[your name]
Scenario 3: Requesting an extension
If you have a sudden situation and want to extend your assignment, please remember to attach your request to the email.
Subject: Extension _____
Dear Professor [last name],
I hope all is well. I have been very busy and stressed out with other coursework and _____ (sports, on-campus work, other commitments, health, etc.). I don’t think I will be able to submit my best work to you when I add in the other tasks on my schedule. I was wondering if you would consider giving me an extension to complete my upcoming project/thesis and submit it by ______?
Enclosed is the medical certificate.
Thank you,
[your name]
Situation 4: Personal Advice
When you encounter some difficulties and want to seek advice and help from your professor
Dear Professor [Surname],
I hope everything is fine. I have recently encountered some difficulties and would like to seek the professor’s advice and help. Would you be able to let me discuss this with you at _____ or _____?
Thank you,
[your name]
Situation 5: Not attending class
If you are unable to attend class, please remember to attach your medical certificate to prove that you are unable to attend class.
Subject: Class Attendance
Dear Professor [last name].
I am [your full name] from [class name]. I am writing to inform you that I will not be able to attend your class at _____ because I ____________________.
I will endeavour to go through the materials you have provided for the class and ask my classmates to share their notes.
Enclosed herewith is the medical certificate.
With best regards,
[your name]
These are the templates I’ve summarised for emailing professors in five common situations, and I recommend bookmarking them!…
