THE RULES OF UNIVERSITY ETIQUETTE FOR

STUDENTS

Rushan Ziatdinov‡

www.ziatdinov-lab.comCarol Griffiths§

www.carolgriffiths.net

If not you, who? If not now, when?

1 At university

a) Go to class and get there on time.

b) Be prepared for class and be an active participant.

c) Don’t talk to your friends in class and turn off thegadgets (cell phone, Blackberry, Internet etc.).

d) Be a good listener.

e) If necessary, bring your laptop on every lesson.

f) Show everyday progress in your studies.

g) Try to understand every topic as much as you can.

h) Try to do research in areas connected with acourse.

i) Work in groups.

j) Do not complain about your professor. It is easierand more humane to solve all problems face-to-face.

k) Respect your university and try to make itstronger by giving meaningful suggestions. Do notforget that the knowledge you shine with outsidecan motivate other people for studying in youruniversity.

2 At home

a) Do your homework on time. Do not plagiarize!

b) Do everything precisely and in details.

c) Work hard.

d) Write correct and polite business letters to all ofyour professors without any exemption. The sim-plest example is found below.

Dear Dr. Mehmet Kaya:

‡Department of Computer & Instructional Technologies,Fatih University, Istanbul, Turkey.

§Department of English Language Teaching, Fatih Univer-sity, Istanbul, Turkey.

Hope and wish the best for you and your family.(or some other kind wishes)..................................................................................................................................Thank you very much.

−−Sincerely,Ismail DemirStudent Number: 00000000Department of Psychological Counseling,Faculty of Education, Fatih University,34500 Buyukcekmece, Istanbul, TurkeyCell. phone: 000-0000-0000E-mail: demir@gmail.com

You may also refer to the book “How to Say It”1

which provides clear and practical guidance forwhat to say and what not to say in any situation.

3 After examination

a) Don’t talk about or complain about grades, justaccept as they are. Your professor knows muchmore than you and interested in a fair evaluation.

b) Don’t go to a professor’s office to lobby for a bettergrade. The university is not a bazaar where oneis welcome to bargain.

c) Do not think about your GPA, think about theknowledge you got and how it can be useful foryour future.

1Rosalie Maggio. (2009). How to Say It, Third Edition:Choice Words, Phrases, Sentences, and Paragraphs for EverySituation, Prentice Hall Press.

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