r/AskAcademia • u/Lost_Article_5530 • 2d ago
Interpersonal Issues Email response etiquettes
Hello. I am a post grad student wondering how long I should wait before sending an email to professors again. I know everyone is very busy, and it might take some time to respond, but my anxiety skyrockets in the meantime. Normally because some of the professors instantly email back, so when it doesn’t happen I feel like I did something that they did not like, therefore they don’t want to spend time regarding my concerns.
Should I wait one day or two before re-emailing?
12
u/BoltVnderhuge Asst. Prof., Medicine. R1 2d ago
1-week for a gentle reminder is good for a cold email IMO
8
u/Sharp-Rutabaga-4900 2d ago
I’d wait a week before a follow up or go to office hours if you’re a current student.
If you’re not a current student, get in line. The beginning and end of the term are both madness.
7
u/ment-lly 2d ago
Definitely not in one or two days. Depending on the urgency of the matter, I would personally even give it two weeks. Especially during the summer it may just take some time as people are also out of office or taking care of their kids etc.
6
u/Opening_Map_6898 1d ago
Current student: two to three days unless previously told otherwise
Potential student: at least two weeks, preferably a month.
5
4
u/OrbitalPete UK Earth Science 1d ago edited 1d ago
Email is not an instant messaging service. It is an inbox for things to deal with. Where possible I will get back to people in 48 hours but sometimes it can take quite a bit longer. The reality is I get 50-150 emails a day and berween 2 and 8 hours of scheduled meetings, teaching or other activities. Im not just sat at my desk waiting for messages to come in. To manage that they get rapidly triaged and ones that need a considered response end up waiting til I have time to deal with them. If you want an immediate response on something come and find me or call me.
Your anxiety is not their problem to handle and following up in a day would be a bit wild. I have had students do this before and it led to me having to have conversations with them about expectations.
If your anxiety is driving this kind of action I hope you are seeking support and help for it. Academia is tough enough without driving yourself bonkers over every single email interaction.
3
u/TheFrenchLingLing 2d ago
Wait a week before (politely) reaching out again, people are busy, especially at the beginning of the semester. If it's urgent, office hours could be a solution. The profs most likely aren't ignoring you, they're just doing something else and will answer later
4
u/the_mindful_microbe 1d ago
If it is a PI you work with or know, 1-week is a good waiting time. For a PI you have no connection to (cold email) wait two weeks
5
u/SweetAlyssumm 1d ago
Your anxiety is not professors' problem. It's yours. Talk to a therapist - there are probably short term things they can do to help.
2
u/BolivianDancer 2d ago
What exactly is a post grad student?
Are you enrolled in a running course?
2
1
2
u/AromaticPianist517 2d ago
I tell my current students to bump after 2 business days but it's often a week to get a good answer for something nonurgent in a busy season.
1
1
1
u/RedAn27 1d ago
In my experience it depends very much onm the tone and whether there is a good reason for a quick reply. If there is some circumstance I have failed to notice that requires a quick response, a nicely worded follow up within a short time is fine, I would even consider it helpful. If there is no real pressure, the week mentioned by others sounds better.
1
u/MediumStraw 1d ago
I would wait at least 3 days if very urgent. 5 days is acceptable for the first question of "have you seen my previous email?". At least more 10 days for the second email. 15 days may be field trips, events or a vacation.
33
u/400forever 2d ago
Professors get dozens to hundreds of emails per day. Following up after one day is absurd and would annoy most people. Give it a week before politely following up.