Sample Email To Professor About Missing Exam
Most of us have been there at some point in our college education. You try to manage various activities to the best of your abilities but something unexpected comes up.
It’s not easy but you’re left with no choice but to forgo one task in order to attend to something else.
And since most professors do not take attendance, you may choose to miss a class to attend to much more urgent tasks. Unfortunately, this sometimes results in missed tests and other forms of assessment.
But whatever your reasons for missing a test, it’s always advisable to communicate with your professor to explain the situation and hopefully make arrangements for a makeup test.
To make things simpler, this article will provide tips to help you get started on the email to your professor. Additionally, we’ve also included some templates you can modify as necessary for the purpose.
Tips For Writing To Professors
To increase your chances of getting a positive response from the professor, it’s essential to keep these tips in mind.
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Use School Email
There’s a reason why colleges provide students and staff with personal email addresses. You should always use the school-issued email address to ensure that the email lands in the professor’s inbox.
If you’re not sure where to find the professor’s email address, we’ll provide some tips later in this article. Never use your private email when communicating with faculty, as it could be blocked by spam filters.
Explain Your Situation
This isn’t the time to lie to the professor. They were once students and can tell the obvious lies from experience. Explain your situation and exactly why you missed the test to them.
Most professors would understand if you’re honest with them. Keep in mind that professors encounter students who try to lie to them all the time.
Telling them a lie would only serve to annoy them. Be honest with them and they would understand your situation.
Ask For Second Chance
To avoid losing points, it’s advisable to ask the professor for a second chance to take the test. This is also where the honesty about the reason why you missed the test comes in.
They’re more likely to be lenient with you if you’re honest about the reason why you missed the test in the first place.
Clear Subject Line
Professors receive loads of emails daily and may skip over an email without a subject. Ensure that you include a clear subject to the email to easily convey its purpose. A typical example includes:
Apology for Missed {{Class title}} Exam
Formal Address
Use the instructor’s appropriate title when addressing them. It may seem like a simple mistake when you address a professor as a Dr., but academics can be quite keen about their titles.
Avoid addressing professors as doctors as the title means a lot to them. Recognize their position and make sure you are familiar with their official titles. Use their official titles (Dr., Professor) when addressing them to avoid making a bad impression.
If you’re unsure of their official title, simply visit the school’s website and the instructor’s page. Alternatively, you could also visit the course page on your learning management system to view the details of the professor associated with the course.
Formal Tone
Regardless of your relationship with the professor, don’t use colloquial language while communicating via professional email.
Refrain from using acronyms, emojis, and other slang in your emails. Avoid bringing up personal details that are unrelated to the conversation or subject.
Identify Yourself
Professors may teach more than one class and interact with multiple students daily. Simply sending an email with your name isn’t enough for them to identify you, and the class you’re in.
Don’t give them extra work to go through their list of students to identify which class you may be in. The worse part would be going through their list only to later realize you’re not even in their class or the same school.
They’d most likely ignore your email and focus on other pressing matters. Make it easy for them to recognize you by providing your full name, and the class you’re in which they teach.
Correct Grammar
The role of a professor is to educate their students and they expect students at that level of education to have good grammatical skills. Writing an email that’s difficult to read will lead to the professor ignoring your email.
If you aren’t confident in your writing, let a third party carefully read through the email before submission. Additionally, you can leverage tools like Grammarly to help identify errors in your writing.
Keep in mind that these tools aren’t perfect so it’s advisable to go through your writing to identify any errors.
Clear And Brief
Refrain from writing an entire essay when emailing a professor. They receive multiple emails from students, parents, colleagues, and other academic and non-academic sources daily. So, it’s advisable to keep your email clear and brief to avoid taking too much of their time.
Be Polite
Being polite in your email can go a long way toward scoring points in your favor. Ensure that the tone of your email is polite and the necessary respect is being conveyed.
Irrespective of any negative impressions you might have of the professor, it’s advisable to show them respect in your communication.
End Formally
At this point, you need to show appreciation to the professor for taking the time to read up to the end of the email. Simply thank them for their time and sign off your email with “Sincerely” or “Best regards” followed by your full name.
How To Find A Professor’s Email
If this is the first time emailing the professor and you aren’t sure where to find their emails, you can try:
School Website
Check your school website for the faculty pages. The professor would be listed on their respective faculty pages with their email address and other official contact details.
Learning Management System
If your school uses a learning management system, you can check the course overview page. The professor’s official contact details will be listed on the overview page of the course they teach.
Course Syllabus
Look through the course syllabus to find the professor’s official contact details. Most tertiary institutions include each course’s professor’s contact email on the syllabus. This enables students to easily find their professor’s emails and contact them when necessary.
Ask Other Students
Chances are, you aren’t the first student, among your peers, to email the professor. Ask your classmates for the professor’s email address.
Your class probably has a WhatsApp, Telegram group, or even a forum for discussions. You can ask your peers on these platforms. At the very least you may receive some tips from someone, even if none of your mates knows the professor’s email.
Sample Email To Professor About Missing Exam
Template 1 – Missed Exams Due To Illness – Asking For Options
Email Subject
Apology for Missed {{Exam title}} Exam
Body
Dear Professor {{last name}},
I would like to apologize for missing the {{Exam title}} {{Day}}. I fell ill and had to visit the doctor’s office. I’ve attached a copy of the doctor’s note for your reference.
I understand the importance of the exam and would like to know the options available to make up for the missed exam.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely
{{Your name}}
{{Class and section number}}
Template 2 – Missed Exams Due To Emergency – Asking For Options
Email Subject
Missed {{Exam title}} Exam Due To Family Emergency
Body
Dear Professor {{last name}},
I hope this finds you well. I would like to apologize for missing the {{Exam title}} {{Day}}. Unfortunately, {{State family emergency}} and had to leave campus to {{What you needed to do}}.
I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and would appreciate it if you could let me know of the available options to make up for the missed exam.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely
{{Your name}}
{{Class and section number}}
Template 3 – Missed Exams Due To Technical Difficulties
Email Subject
Missed {{Exam title}} Exam Due To Technical Difficulties
Body
Dear Professor {{last name}},
I hope this finds you well. I am writing to inform you that I was unable to take the {{Class title}} test due to technical difficulties. Unfortunately, the {{Exact technical issue}} made it difficult for me to {{What it caused}}.
I attempted to {{What you tried}} without success. I’ve attached screenshots of the error messages for your reference and would appreciate it if you could let me know of the available options to make up for missing this exam.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely
{{Your name}}
{{Class and section number}}
Template 4 – Missed Exams Due To Miscommunication
Email Subject
Missed {{Exam title}} Exam Due To Miscommunication
Body
Dear Professor {{last name}},
I would like to apologize for missing the {{Exam title}} {{Day}}. I was not present for the exam as I was informed that it was going to be on {{Date}}.
I understand the importance of staying on top of the course schedule and I take full responsibility for the miscommunication.
That said, I am dedicated to doing well in your class, and would appreciate the opportunity to make up for missing this exam, at your convenience.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely
{{Your name}}
{{Class and section number}}
