Thanks to your professors’ kindness and devotion to their careers, you can finally rest assured your parents don’t disown you for your GPA. And what better and simpler way to express your gratitude than a simple thank you letter to your professor?
This article will show you the ropes on how to thank a professor in email genuinely and politely. Professors, you should share this with your students!
Table of Contents
When And Why Do You Need To Write A Thank You Letter To Your Professor?
I’m sure we can all agree that being a university student is much harder than expected. Not knowing where to look for research data, not having enough revision materials, or even lacking 0.1% in order to get the GPA you worked so hard for, etc. All can be confusing and exhausting to try to fix by yourself. And when your friends are in the same situation as you, there’s only one person you can turn to – your professor.
Suppose you were simply asking for suggestions and materials. Still, it is asking for a big favor, even if they are happy to help, and the favor becomes gigantic when it comes to saving your GPA. Even if they don’t ask for it, a simple thank you email can surely make their day and show them you are grateful. So the answer is, if you have to ask your professor for something, especially by email, you should write a thank you letter to your professor.
How To Write That Letter
Now let’s get down to business.
Say “Thank You” In The Email Subject.
Professors are busy dealing with a huge number of students, so save their time by letting them know first and foremost what your email is about. Get to the point quickly.
Address Your Professor Appropriately.
Give a proper salutation at the very start of your letter like “Dear Mr. Lastname” or “Dear Prof. Lastname.” If you two are close and informal enough, feel free to call them by their first name. And in this day and age, it is important that you got the pronoun right. You don’t want to misgender anyone accidentally.
Be Specific
Specify what you are thanking your professor for. Go into a bit of detail if possible, so they know exactly the point that you appreciate. And why not tell them how you feel after getting their help? That will show how grateful you really are and why.
Reiterate
It’s a thank you letter to your professor, so it’s obvious that you should end it by saying thank you one more time (at least).
Sign Off
End your email appropriately with “Best regards” or “Sincerely.” Again, if you’re close with your professor, feel free to play around a bit if they don’t mind. Then end your email with your name just like any other normal professional one.
Tips For Writing A Thank You Letter To Your Professor
Write ASAP
Don’t delay saying your thanks, especially after getting big help from your professor or after a job opportunity/interview.
Be Sincere, But Within Limits
Trust me, you don’t want to come across as an a** kisser. Professors, especially experienced ones, deal with a lot of students and can surely tell if someone is being sincere or just hoping to get close for selfish reasons. So express your gratitude, but don’t overdo it. Honesty is the best policy.
Check Your Grammar
Thankyou or thank you, that is the question. Some might write “thankyou” in the subject of their thank you letter to a professor, as they thought it might stand out. But trust me, be grammatically correct, and write the proper “thank you” if possible.
Be Brief
Professors don’t have much free time, so keep your email short.
(Like what I’m doing with this paragraph on purpose)
Personalize Your Letter
Include specific parts of your conversation if you can, and if you guys have inside jokes, include them too. Don’t just copy and paste your emails, that’s plainly ungrateful and fake, which renders the whole point of writing a thank you letter to your professor useless.
A Sample Thank You Letter To A Professor
Subject: A thank you note
Dear Mr. Green
Thank you so much for writing me a letter of recommendation for the part-time job at the Faculty.
I really appreciate you taking the time to write the letter, you will be the first to know if I get the job for you have helped me so much.
Again, thank you very much. I greatly appreciate your assistance with my job application.
Best regards,
Tim Earles.
Bottom Line
By now, you should know how to write a proper thank you letter to your professor. In case you want to practice, Jobandedu‘s email is always open to a thank you letter telling how much this career advice has helped you.
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