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Center for Excellence in Academic Advising
Using eLion to Send E-mail to Advisees
The “E-mail Advisees” application of eLion allows you to send e-mail messages to one or more of your assigned advisees. After logging in to the Advisers section of eLion, select “E-mail Advisees” from the menu. Detailed instructions are available in the Help section of the application.
Below you will find some sample e-mail messages written by advisers. Feel free to copy the texts to use with your own advisees or to use as a model for a message that you need to compose. If you would like to have one of your e-mail messages added to this list, please send your suggestions to Eric R. White.
Typical Topics and Sample E-mail Messages
Academic difficulty #1
Dear xxx:
It's about this time each semester that I check grade reports on all my advisees. In doing so, I see that you didn't do as well last semester as I'm sure you had wanted and hoped to do. You'd be surprised to know how many good students have disappointing semesters, and for lots of different reasons. Personal problems (with family, roommates, friends, health, money, etc.) are most often the culprit, but sometimes poor scheduling strategy, study problems, tough courses, or change of academic interest can be the cause for class performance below expectations.
I'd very much like to meet and talk with you about your past semester in hopes of helping you improve things for this semester. There are lots of really good resources available around campus to help students with academic problems, and I want to be sure that you know what's out there. Please call my office (xxx-xxxx) as soon as you can to schedule a time when we can meet. I look forward to seeing you soon.
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Academic difficulty #2
Dear Student:
Sorry to hear that you are having trouble in your xxx course. Have you talked to the instructor about it? Have you gone to study sessions or the Learning Center? I would love to help if I can. Please make an appointment to see me.
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Early change of campus locations
Dear Name ...
The college received your request to relocate to the xxx campus for xxxx semester. All early change-of-campus requests are academic reviews to determine the appropriate time to be at this campus to make normal progress toward graduation. To help us in the review process, please take a few minutes to answer the following questions.
1. What is your educational goal? How do you plan to reach it?
2. What courses do you plan to take next semester? (I encourage you to speak with an academic adviser at your campus about an appropriate schedule of classes for your first semester at the xxx campus.)
3. Do you plan to take summer classes? If so, what courses do you plan to take? What institution offers the courses that you plan to take in the summer?
4. What prevents you from staying at your campus one semester longer?
Please return your responses to [name and address]. After receiving the information, an academic review will be completed, and the campus Registrar's office will be notified electronically of the college's decision.
I look forward to hearing from you. If I may be of help to you, please contact me at xxx-xxxx or email@psu.edu.
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I received your e-mail and will respond
Dear Name:
This is xxx, your adviser, letting you know that I received your e-mail. I haven't forgotten about you and will respond to your questions/requests. If you need to discuss something immediately, I have appointments open as early as Friday. But if you don't mind waiting a bit, you don't need to come in. Thanks for your patience. I hope all is well.
p.s. If you use Eudora and want to know if someone has received your message, you can click on the “Return Receipt” button before you send a message.
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I will be out of the office
Dear Advisees:
I will be out of the office from Monday, September xx through Thursday, September xx. I will be back in the office on Friday, September xx. If you need advising assistance while I am gone, please feel free to drop by the xxx advising center between the hours of 8:00 to 11:30 a.m. or 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. to see a walk-in adviser. Any available adviser will be able to assist you.
Sincerely,
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Let me introduce myself (sent around the 10th day of the semester)
Dear Students:
Welcome to Penn State! I hope all is going well for you this semester. As your academic adviser, I look forward to seeing you in person at least once during the semester.
[explain how to make an advising appointment]
When you want to set up an appointment with me, please do so by contacting the office receptionist at xxx-xxxx. I do not set up my own appointments. Please do not e-mail me to ask me what times I will be available for an appointment. I will just refer you to the receptionist. You should fill out the 'Advising Preparation' application in eLion (http://eLion.psu.edu/) after you have set up the appointment. This is not a requirement, but you and I will find the questions addressed in this eLion application quite useful.
Please keep in mind that e-mail advising is not a substitute for an advising interview. E-mails can be useful for a few things: imparting information, referrals, and general introductions. I receive dozens of e-mails a week, and it can take me a while to sift through all of them. If you do decide to e-mail me about something, please be sure to send it to me from your own PSU e-mail account; include a descriptive title in the subject line; and please be sure to include your full name in the body of the e-mail so I can look up your information quickly. Due to security reasons, please do not include your full student number in the subject line or body of the e-mail. If I don't respond right away, it's because I try to answer e-mails in the order received, and yours may be further down the list, or I else I am out of the office.
[insert how to get a quick answer]
Whew! Now that I've gotten the housekeeping tasks out of the way, I would like to introduce myself. [insert own biographical information or link to personal Web site]
[insert general college/department/major information]
See you soon!
Sincerely,
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Let's meet #1
To all of my advisees:
It's hard to believe that there are only six more weeks of class. I hope your semester is going well. Most of you have been in to discuss your educational plans and also to plan your schedule for next semester. However, I have not seen all of you. I encourage all of you to set up an appointment for any reason or to just come in and talk. In addition, you may want to set up an appointment for the following reasons.
1. If you are a first-semester student or one of my other advisees and we haven't met, please come in and introduce yourself.
2. If you haven't planned a schedule for next semester yet or would like to change your schedule for next semester, lets talk.
3. If you are uncertain about your educational plans or you are considering alternative majors, let's discuss how you can go about making decisions regarding programs of study.
4. If you are not doing as well as you would like to be doing in your classes, let's discuss how you can improve your grades.
5. If you would like to discuss co-ops, internships, or other ways you can get involved in the College of xxx or at Penn State, let's explore the possibilities.
Presently I have lots of open times. If you want to set up an appointment for any reason, please call the advising center office at xxx-xxxx. Questions by e-mail and phone calls are also welcome. Take care.
Dr. xxx
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Let's meet #2
Dear Name:
I'm concerned that we haven't met this semester to discuss your goals and to work on your schedule for next semester. Your scheduling priority is slipping away and you may not have access to the courses you need. Please come by my office and sign up for an advising appointment.
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Low mid-semester grades
Dear Name:
I just found out that you received a mid-semester evaluation in three courses. That tells me that you are having some trouble, and I'm worried! Please meet with each of your instructors as soon as you can to see exactly what your grade is and what can be done to improve it. Then let's get together. I would like to talk about how you are doing and discuss some strategies to make this a successful semester. Call xxx-xxxx to make an appointment to see me. Looking forward to seeing you soon.
Your adviser, Jane Doe
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Missed an appointment #1
Dear Name:
I'm worried about you; you missed your appointment with me today. Are you ok?
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Missed an appointment #2
Ms. X ...
You had an advising appointment with me this morning at xx o'clock. You didn't come. I hope that you're not ill.
Last month, we discussed your courses for next semester, and you should have scheduled courses on xxxx. I see, however, that you haven't yet scheduled. You should do so.
If you want to see a xxx Department adviser, you should call the department (xxx-xxxx) to schedule an appointment.
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Scheduling an appointment #1
Dear Name:
To schedule an appointment, please contact the xxx receptionist (xxx-xxxx). Hope to see you soon.
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Scheduling an appointment #2
Dear Student:
Just a tip--be sure to include your full name whenever you e-mail an academic adviser so I can look up your information quickly. [This sentence is omitted if the student did provide his/her full name in the body of the e-mail.] Please refer to my introductory e-mail dated xx/xx/xx on how to set up an appointment with me.
Hope to see you soon.
Sincerely,
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You have not yet taken a first-year seminar
Dear Name:
According to my records, you have not yet taken a first-year seminar. This requirement is something you need to have completed by the end of your second semester. If you have not taken it by then, it could cause you difficulty.
Please make an appointment to see me. I have lists of what is offered as well as the authority to register you for the seminars that you cannot schedule yourself. Thanks for listening, and please contact me if you need help with this requirement! Take care.
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