Call professors by their first names?

[neuropsych76]

I never call professors by their first names. Even the ones whom I know very well. However, the professors I've talked to at the school for my interview always introduce themselves without the Dr. title and sign their emails with their first name. I'd feel uneasy calling them by their first name but am I supposed to under any circumstance?

thanks!

[robot_hamster]

I would say only if they specifically say "please call me _______". I would call them Dr. _______ until then.

Edited January 26, 2011 by robot_hamster

[MoJingly]

You know, if you feel uneasy about it, just call them Dr. _____. If they REALLY want you to call them by their first name, they will tell you that in person.

I call many of my professors by their first names because that is how they communicate with me (sign emails, answer phones, etc). As my general rule, I always start out with Dr. ______ during every new communication. (this might be strange, but it's worked for me).

The PI I want to work with, for example: I contacted him by email and called him Dr. He responded and signed with his first name, so I responded with his first name. But, when I talked to him on the phone the first time, I called him Dr. again. Eventually it will move to the first name too.

[MoJingly]

What's even more confusing, by the way, is when profs just sign emails with initials. Even just one initial.

M.

[arkel]

You know, if you feel uneasy about it, just call them Dr. _____. If they REALLY want you to call them by their first name, they will tell you that in person.

I call many of my professors by their first names because that is how they communicate with me (sign emails, answer phones, etc). As my general rule, I always start out with Dr. ______ during every new communication. (this might be strange, but it's worked for me).

The PI I want to work with, for example: I contacted him by email and called him Dr. He responded and signed with his first name, so I responded with his first name. But, when I talked to him on the phone the first time, I called him Dr. again. Eventually it will move to the first name too.

I do the same thing - judging based on their communications with me.

Sometimes I don't know what to do when they sign with their first and last name (because it would be kind of weird to start an email: "Dear John Smith...".

This happened the other day and I started an email "Dear Professor Smith...", and he responded saying "you should definitely be calling me John." A bit awkward, but at least I know now... As a general rule, though, it's probably safe to be more formal when in doubt, and wait to see how they address themselves in future communications.

[jaxzwolf]

I'm more or less the exact opposite-- I've always called professors by their first names. It was expected at my undergrad, and I've since carried that with me. It seems more normal to me now to do so. HOWEVER, when I begin communicating with a PhD/MD/DVM for the first time I ALWAYS refer to the individual in question as "Dr.", in email or otherwise. In emails, if the person responds by signing first name only, I'll start addressing him/her by first name. If they sign first and last name, last name only, initials, etc. (pretty much anything other than just their first name) I'll continue to address them as "Dr." until they explicitly state otherwise. Even if I've been calling someone by his or her first name in email correspondence, I will refer to that individual as "Dr." in phone conversations or when meeting in person. Typically, they'll state right away, "Please, just call me (first name)." If not, better safe than sorry-- stick with "Dr." until you're sure it's okay with them. Some people get really weird about their titles.

[Eigen]

What's even more confusing, by the way, is when profs just sign emails with initials. Even just one initial.

M.

A PhD comic for every occasion!

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1413

Edited January 26, 2011 by Eigen

[metaphorical]

This is also something that I wonder about every time I meet a new professor. I tend to err on the side of formality, but I'm also thinking....is it better to address professors as "Professor ______" or "Dr. _______"?

[green8715]

I agree with the majority of the other responses - unless a professor directly says to me "call me (first name)" i always use Dr.

[waddle]

I'm still calling my current (undergrad) research advisor "Dr. Gerbil" even though he doesn't mind being called by his first name. I figure once I'm either a grad student or (maybe) once I have a Ph.D., I'll move to a first-name basis.

[2am_frosty]

A PhD comic for every occasion!

http://www.phdcomics...hp?comicid=1413

LOL LOL i was thinking of the SAME comic when i saw the previous post. too funny.

[wtncffts]

For me, it may be partly cultural (I'm of Asian heritage, though born here), but I have never felt and probably never will feel comfortable calling professors by their first name, unless and until I achieve the same 'status' by virtue of having earned a doctorate. Even then I would probably be much more deferential to those with seniority than perhaps most would. I would find it difficult even if a prof explicitly told me that their first name was preferable, though I suppose I could become accustomed to it.

[qbtacoma]

This is also something that I wonder about every time I meet a new professor. I tend to err on the side of formality, but I'm also thinking....is it better to address professors as "Professor ______" or "Dr. _______"?

The people I have talked to about this say that either is fine.

[neshmi]

I have been wondering how to handle the situation where I have formed a friendship with a professor outside of academia. We have met and talked at conferences, and chatted many times in informal situations. Now where I am hoping to study under this professor, I am now challenged about how I should actually address him. Reverting to call him Dr so-and-so seems a bit cold and distant, but I would also like to show him the appropriate respect in the more formal situations. I suppose I will see how it goes in such situations should things turn out that way. I imagine I will revert to calling him Dr in the classroom environment, especially when addressing him in front of other students (unless they call him by his first name) and then in private or 1-on-1 situations, I will use more informal first name familiarity. Hopefully that will work!

[nhyn]

when i was an undergrad, i always called profs by "Professor X" until we were better acquainted,then I'd go with whatever other students were using. It also depends on how much i like the prof LOL if i dont have much emotional attachment (as in, liking/respecting them), i keep the formality. if not, i use first names.

coming from an Asian culture where teacher = godly beings, it was very hard for me at first to address the profs more informally, even if we're very very good friends. i think its a matter of a/closeness/acquaintance and b/comfort level. its always safe to use the more formal way of addressing, at least for the first couple of times.

[dmf]

I think it really depends on the person, the extent of your relationship, and the overall environment of the department. For example, EVERYONE called my undergrad research mentor Dr. X (last initial as name was super long and hard to pronounce). That's how she introduced herself, signed emails, etc so I called her that throughout the 4 years and 2 summers that I worked for her. Also, despite our extensive research relationship, we never had much of a personal relationship. However, I called most of the other profs that I dealt with on a regular basis by their first names. Although it took me a little while to feel comfortable with that (and make sure that that's what they preferred), I really liked the friendly, collaborative feeling that this gave to our relationships.

Currently, I call the big PI of my lab Dr. LastName, but I only see him once a week in lab meeting. I call my immediate supervisor (whose grant is paying my salary) and my other immediate coworkers by first name. I also call many of the other PIs I interact with the most in the department by first name.

The only one of my prospective grad school profs I've been contacted by, introduced herself as Dr. LastName, and the department administrator also referred to her this way in an email.

So there are no hard and fast lines... feel out the specific situation and do what is most comfortable for everyone involved.

[Scottielass]

I really do think it depends on the environment of the department and the individual professor. My department is pretty informal, so I am on a first name basis with many professors. But I also make a point to build a relationship with them outside of class. With some, I may use their first name if it's just us, but will use Prof/Dr X in the classroom. There are a couple that are sticklers for their titles, though, and I respect that. It took them years to earn the privilege of being called Dr.

[kateow]

My understanding of it is that you ALWAYS use either Dr. ___ or Prof. ___ in your initial communication. As soon as they reply to you (by email) using only their first name, or introduce themselves to you with their first name, the barrier to calling them by their first name is lifted. You can choose to maintain formality by continuing to refer to them as Dr./Prof. ___, but most of the professors I know of go by their first name as a matter of course, within their department (including both other faculty and graduate students).

[metaphorical]

I grew up in Taiwan attending Chinese-speaking schools, so at first I was also very hesitant to call my professors by their first names even after knowing or working with them closely for a long time. Lately, however, my advisor told me that I should really start calling professors by their first names, especially since I'll (hopefully) be in grad school and going on into academia. He said that's usually the norm in the States, and that I'd seem more like a peer and colleague and less like a kid/student if I address professors by their first names. I'm not sure if he's particularly open-minded about this, or if it really is the norm?

[Poppet]

I will always call a professor "Professor X" no matter how they refer to themselves, how they sign their emails, or what other people call them. Until they explicitly tell me that I can call them by their first name, I will not presume that they want me to. I only have one professor who I know on a first name basis, and it's because I worked as her research assistant before she became my professor - but I would never call her by her first name in front of anyone else. She's very friendly so the majority of students call her by her first name, but she confided to me that she secretly hates that and finds it disrespectful. "No professor has worked this hard for this many years to have the 'Dr.' arbitrarily removed from their name by a student," she said. Frankly, I don't blame her, and I'm going to presume that all professors secretly feel this way - until they tell me otherwise, anyway. (And even then, it's unlikely that I'd do it.)

Edited February 3, 2011 by Poppet

[noir_it_up0716]

Well, I've always gone with more traditional ways, but I have had professors that begin classes with... "We're all adults here, so call me insert first name." I prefer first names, but I try not to be too forward! It's usually pretty easy to tell what's appropriate by the demeanor of the professor though!

I never call professors by their first names. Even the ones whom I know very well. However, the professors I've talked to at the school for my interview always introduce themselves without the Dr. title and sign their emails with their first name. I'd feel uneasy calling them by their first name but am I supposed to under any circumstance?

thanks!

[Kathiza]

I had mail contact with a professor from a school (to which I didn't apply in the end, but for different reasons). And she always signed her mails with her first name. So I thought maybe that's common to call professors by their first name in the US and one day I started my answer e-mail with "hello [firstname]". The next e-mail I got, she signed with "Prof. xxxx". So that was a clear sign for me.

But to be honest, that's REALLY strange for me. In my country people don't do this. If I want/dont mind to be called by my first name, I sign with my first name. If it's a professional relationship I sign with title + first and last name. I NEVER would have thought that I would offend her by calling her by her first name because she always signed her e-mails that way.

For me it was like meeting somebody in person and introduce myself as "kathiza" and then be offended if the person calls me kathiza. Well, even though I'm from Europe, there might be more cultural differences than I thought....

[sbowman]

I grew up in Taiwan attending Chinese-speaking schools, so at first I was also very hesitant to call my professors by their first names even after knowing or working with them closely for a long time. Lately, however, my advisor told me that I should really start calling professors by their first names, especially since I'll (hopefully) be in grad school and going on into academia. He said that's usually the norm in the States, and that I'd seem more like a peer and colleague and less like a kid/student if I address professors by their first names. I'm not sure if he's particularly open-minded about this, or if it really is the norm?

I don't think that there really is a national norm. I am at a reasonably progressive school, and in most departments its generally expected that unless you hear otherwise, you'll use first names with *anyone* you are at all familiar with—i.e., after you've spoken to them extensively more than once or twice, taken a smaller seminar with them, or the like. There are plenty of (mostly younger) faculty who quite clearly prefer this, and only a handful of faculty who would be put off by it.

That said, I've heard very different things from other schools. It's never inappropriate to start off with Prof. X, but if the tone of the conversation is relatively friendly and the department doesn't seem too formal, switch.

[HappyCat]

For me, it generally depends on who it is. Younger faculty I tend to call by first name--not out of disrespect--but I tend to have more informal relationships with them as well. Some explicitly tell me "Call me <firstname>." Others I have taken to calling them "Prof. <lastname>" in the classroom and by their first names outside of the classroom. Older professors I always call professor.

However, outside of the classroom and such, I typically call professors by just their last name (especially if it's two syllables--I don't know, it just sounds good lol). One time, when I was saying goodbye to my thesis adviser (and LOR writer), I said "I'll see you later, <lastname>" and forgetting to say the title! I was so embarrassed but he just said "See you around, <mylastname>!" Hahaha

EDIT: I was also in an MA program and am a bit older, and I teach at the school as well, so I frequently had this weird student/friend/colleague thing going on, which is another reason I flip-flop between names so much,

Edited February 4, 2011 by Geekoric

[Eme19]

In undergrad everyone was always Dr. X for me except for my PI. I've been on 2 different sets of interviews and all the professors introduced themselves by first name only so that's how I addressed them. It would've been weird to use a title after that especially if you have no clue how to pronounce their last name since they didn't say it first. Also all the grad students currently in the dept. used first names only. But take your cue from them first. If it's a cold email you're writing with no prior contact it should always be formal anyway so use their title.