College Research
Tips for Effective Email Communication with Colleges
05/22/20 Fri
Since many college information sessions, meetings, tours, and events are taking place online, you might find your inbox more full than usual. In the absence of on-campus visits, some of the best ways to learn more about those schools is through webinars, virtual tours, and student panels. Thus, I recommend that students subscribe to the prospective student email lists for all of the colleges they are considering. However, between the increased volume of online events and the unsolicited college-related SPAM, students are often overwhelmed with their overflowing inboxes. To help you navigate this new form of communication, here are a few tips to help manage increased inbox volume while establishing a professional relationship with the colleges.

Incoming Mail:
· Create folders to sort your emails by college, major, program, or topic (maybe things like testing, interviews, scholarships)
· Set up filters to automatically route emails into assigned folders
· Unsubscribe from email lists that are cluttering your inbox
· Pin emails that are a priority and need to be addressed in the next 24 hours and flag emails you need to circle back to at a later time
· Remember to respond to your emails promptly (within 24 to 48 hours) and over-communicate rather under-communicate.
Outgoing Mail:
· Keep it professional by using a greeting such as “Dear ___,” or “Hello ____,” and include a sign off like “Thank you,” or “Sincerely,”
· When emailing someone new, use “Dear first and last name,” or “Coach first and last name,”
· Be clear and concise with your message and what you need
· It is OK to follow up with people who have not responded to your email. You can send a follow-up email after a week. If still no response, you can send another in a few days
· Check for excess exclamation points. If you have more than two or three, remove some
· Do not use emojis or slang in formal correspondence
· Craft an email signature and include your contact information and LinkedIn URL
· Consider adding an appropriate photo of you to your email account so people can more easily recall who you are.
Happy emailing!

Incoming Mail:
· Create folders to sort your emails by college, major, program, or topic (maybe things like testing, interviews, scholarships)
· Set up filters to automatically route emails into assigned folders
· Unsubscribe from email lists that are cluttering your inbox
· Pin emails that are a priority and need to be addressed in the next 24 hours and flag emails you need to circle back to at a later time
· Remember to respond to your emails promptly (within 24 to 48 hours) and over-communicate rather under-communicate.
Outgoing Mail:
· Keep it professional by using a greeting such as “Dear ___,” or “Hello ____,” and include a sign off like “Thank you,” or “Sincerely,”
· When emailing someone new, use “Dear first and last name,” or “Coach first and last name,”
· Be clear and concise with your message and what you need
· It is OK to follow up with people who have not responded to your email. You can send a follow-up email after a week. If still no response, you can send another in a few days
· Check for excess exclamation points. If you have more than two or three, remove some
· Do not use emojis or slang in formal correspondence
· Craft an email signature and include your contact information and LinkedIn URL
· Consider adding an appropriate photo of you to your email account so people can more easily recall who you are.
Happy emailing!