Cold Email Policy

I receive far too many cold-emails to be able to respond individually to all of them. Thus, I have one simple request:

If you want me to respond to your cold email, make sure I can read AND respond to it within one minute.

Otherwise I probably won't respond. There are three exceptions:

• I already know you or know someone who knows you.
• You are from a professional organization that I belong to.
• You are affiliated with UCSD (see next section).

If you want to send me a longer email, the best strategy is to first send me a short email to see if I request more info. But even if you send me a short email, there's no guarantee that I will reply.

If you are a UCSD student or affiliate:

• If you'd like to chat about anything, come to my office hours or talk to me after class; no need to email!
• Please do not email me about course registration or scheduling logistics. Talk to Thanh Maxwell or Quynh Dieu (undergrad advisors), or Ethel Lu (grad advisor). However:
  • If a course is overbooked and you are trying to get in, our policy is that we must prioritize students who fulfill all of the prerequisites and are on the waitlist. In those cases, I encourage you to look into other courses to enroll in.
  • You can always come to class to talk to me.
• If you're in one of my classes, please use the course discussion forum (you can send private messages there) instead of email.
• Do not email me about course grades unless there is an error. Each course's syllabus will have grading policies listed on it.
• I'm not currently seeking undergraduate students for my research lab; but I'm happy to chat in person if you'd like my advice on job opportunities in general (see first bullet point). Also check out HCI/Design Jobs for New College Grads