Email Templates to Send to your Professors

Quick Notes

• This is a living document that we will periodically update as we collect resources. If you have any tips, tricks, or resources you want to suggest, DM us at @reformCAPSNU or email us at reformCAPSNU@gmail.com. (We are in the process of creating an anonymous form).
• These are general templates. Update to suit your style / tone / situation as you see fit.
• Share only what you are comfortable with.
• Depending on the professor, having accommodations through Accessible NU can help ease communication. However, you absolutely do not need (and should not need) documentation to seek support. Many of us have struggled with accessing ANU resources–you are not alone.
• Your struggle is valid whether or not you are approved for accommodations by professors or Northwestern!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Quick Notes        1

Templates        2

For general flexibility throughout the quarter for a course:        2

If you’re sick and went to health services:        2

If you’re sick and missing a large assignment/exam:        3

If your professor does not respond:        3

To get an incomplete in a course:        4

Useful Phrases        4

Useful Techniques        5

Templates

For general flexibility throughout the quarter for a course:

Dear Professor [insert professor’s name]:

I am looking forward to taking [insert class name] this quarter. I am reaching out to let you know in advance I will need flexibility and support during this quarter. [insert a brief description of your situation if comfortable sharing]. This means that I will need some flexibility with deadlines and attendance, as well as support in completing assignments. Last quarter this looked like me emailing my professors when something came up, letting them know if I need flexibility, and then meeting with them to discuss assignment details, talk about timelines, and other ways they can support me, so I can engage fully in learning.

[If you have accommodations through Accessible NU] I am also [disabled or other terminology that best fits] and have accommodations through Accessible NU for [insert your accommodations]. I have requested these, and you will be hearing from ANU shortly. While I do have some built in flexibility, I noticed last quarter that I often needed some additional time when urgent situations come up.

I want to thank you in advance for your understanding. I also want to emphasize I am excited to take this class, and I am not requesting this support in an attempt to get out of doing work. Please let me know if you would like to meet and discuss my situation and other possible support in advance. I will try to communicate when situations do arise as promptly as possible, but I want to be honest that academics are not at the top of my mind during these emergencies and so there might be a delay.

Best,

[insert name]

If you’re sick and went to health services:

Hi Professor [Insert Name]

I have been feeling sick for a few days and unfortunately still feel sick. As a result, I will not be in class today. If you would like to verify my illness, I went to health services yesterday and signed a release of information.

Best,

[insert your name]

If you’re sick and missing a large assignment/exam:

Dear Professor [Insert Name]

I am feeling ill today and do not think I will be able to take the midterm tonight. As instructed by Northwestern's policy for academic work missed for medical reasons, I am letting you know. I have made an appointment with NU Health Services for later today and will sign a release of information as soon as possible. Please let me know how I should proceed.

Best,

[insert your name]

If your professor does not respond:

Hello Professor [insert name],

I understand the inconvenience of this late notice. However, as I stated in my previous email, I am unable to [insert assignment / project] due to the impacts of my disability. I notified you of my accommodations, which include flexibility with deadlines and attendance, weeks ago. I did not receive guidelines or procedures for when I could or could not request an extension.

In my experience with using these accommodations in other classes, stipulations such as timelines for extensions or how to request extensions are discussed with my accommodations manager (CC’ed on this email) and then communicated to me. Since I received no such communication, I was under the impression that my accommodations were as stated in my original notification email.

I am happy to [turn in my assignment / take the exam / etc.] at a later date.

Best,

[insert your name]

To get an incomplete in a course:

Hi Professor [insert name],

I am writing to let you know that I am feeling a lot better now. My apologies for not getting in touch sooner. Since I have not completed my individual work yet, I am assuming that I will be getting an incomplete in this class. I wanted to check in about what seems like a reasonable timeline for completing this work. I would like to get it done as early as possible [insert more specific deadline] but I wanted both of your input on what seems reasonable to you.

By my assessment, the missing work I have is as follows:

• [list the missing work]

Please let me know if I am missing anything or if I have included anything that will not receive credit because it is overdue.

Best,

[insert your name here]

Useful Phrases

• Thank you in advance for your support/flexibility/accommodation/understanding
• I appreciate your support/flexibility/accommodation/understanding
• I want the opportunity to engage with / focus on / work to my full potential on this [insert assignment] and an extension would help me to do this
• For students registered with Accessible NU (or the parallel accessibility department at your school):

• If you’re comfortable, mention your disability and accommodations even when what you are asking for goes beyond them and say:

• Eg. I know that my accommodations do not cover this request however, I have difficulties with [blank] because of my disability and [circumstance] has made this worse

Useful Techniques

• Email professors and instructors as early as you know you will not be completing work or need flexibility.
• At the beginning of the quarter, sending a generalized email that you may need flexibility throughout the quarter can be helpful to give the professor a heads-up. It can make later requests easier to talk about.
• Instead of providing a specific new deadline for you to complete work if you don’t know if you can meet it, schedule a time to have office hours / send an email to your prof and/or TA to check in on the progress you have made, any roadblocks you have encountered, and any updates to whatever situation you are having outside of school (this can be as vague as “the family emergency is still ongoing.”)

• Emphasize checking in with the professor/TA regularly and working with them to make a plan to complete the assignment, instead of just promising to complete a new deadline and potentially missing it for reasons outside their control.
• If you know you can meet a specific new deadline for the work, include that. In some of our experiences, you are more likely to get leniency the earlier and the more specific you are about when you plan to complete the work in your initial email.

• You can be vague about specifics of the extenuating circumstance, but emphasize the urgency / severity / impact on your function / attention / ability to focus on schoolwork
• Emphasize that you are committed to learning / the class and are not trying to get out of work or get an easy A, but at this time you do not have the emotional capacity / time / bandwidth to do the work to your full potential because of [insert circumstance].
• You can offer to provide documentation of non-personal medical emergencies

• Generally, professors don’t want to verify your family emergency, but saying you can (if you feel comfortable) raises your credibility

• Use “loved one” or “close one” for family members, friends, or anyone who is close to you when you want to refer to a situation that involves someone else
• Even if you do not have a specific “issue” it is totally ok to write in vague terms that the pandemic is really overwhelming and impacting your ability to focus on classes, and you would benefit from more support / flexibility / extensions to better learn the material / engage with a class
• If you miss a discussion-based class, ask the professor to meet during office hours to talk through the content
• If you miss a class with attendance / participation requirements, offer and ask for alternatives to demonstrate your understanding of the material.

• E.g. write a reflection of the written material, make a meeting to discuss what was missed

• Do not be afraid to ask for extensions / flexibility… the worst they can do is say no

• Professors (for the most part) do not want to fail people or be mean, they just want to make sure you are learning and not taking the easy way out
• It is not cheating to ask for an extension or support and professors do not think less of you because of it

• If you have had professors in the past give you extensions / flexibility or provide support in some way that was helpful, it can be useful to reference those and explain that it has helped you. Professors may be more willing to grant you that flexibility if they know others have done it in the past.​​
• Mention that you will do your best to communicate promptly but because of [insert your circumstance], prompt communication might be difficult.
• It is ok to admit that academics aren’t the top thing on your mind right now.

• Professors understand that there are times you aren’t going to be able to focus on their course.

*Guidance on Health Service Releases of Information Coming Soon*