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! 

Tags: Demonstrated Interest, preparation, professionalism, email, college research