What kind of respect should a person have to their college advisor? I am going to be respectful and everything, but is it wrong if I say don't capitalize letters in my e-mails? Is it okay if I start the letter off with something like Hey! Btw, since there are only a couple of honors physics majors in the college, my advisor only has about 10-15 people that he advises, and only four new ones for this upcoming fall.

Yafa, I wouldn't take any liberties in how you approach this person. You don't know him/her and you should put your best foot forward. Spelling and grammar will be what they see as a first impression of you. I wouldn't make any assumptions or anything - treat this person with respect and once you get to know them better, you will have a feel for who they are and how you can act.

I spoke to him three times on the phone before I got accepted and he was the one who gave me the idea to be a physics major, and before hand I didn't know what kind of science major I wanted to be. I also had a meeting with him yesterday. My mom suggested I just e-mail him and ask him how I should adress him in the e-mail. Do you agree?

Since you've met him - call him whatever you called him when you were there. I think I'd stick with the Hello or Hi for a bit and see how informal his writing is before going with any shorthand or greetings like "hey".

Or, you could do what your Mom suggests and ask - - you can't ever go wrong just asking.

The reason I feel he might not mind I guess you can say informal is because he told me to call him by his first name.

yafa,

Here are a few tips.

1. Although it is also his job, make sure you keep track of your courses, that you are getting all the GER courses.

2. Know the reqs for the major.

3. When you make an appt, show up, or let him know if you have to cancel. I don't know how many students have stiffed me without so much as an e-mail.

Remember, he has a bunch of advisees, plus he has to teach and do research.

Great advise Juan! (I would NEVER stiff you! )

Yafa, individuals who are educated or who have more experience than you should always be respected.

Until you know this individual pretty well, I'd say formal language in e-mails and letters with correct punctuation and sentence structure.

If he told you to call him by his first name in person, it should be fine in an email as well. Follow his lead. If he takes liberties with grammar and capitalization and uses informal language, feel free to follow suit. If his emails are formal, yours should be as well. If he hasn't emailed you yet and you need to email him, keep it fairly formal for the first one and see how he responds (better to be a little too formal than a little too informal).