<p>I've always referred to profs as "Dr. XYZ".</p>
<p>So if I do get in touch with a Professor and they allow me into their class. Is their ok communicated through the form that one can download, or is a copy of their e-mail ok.........And, where does one take/send this form? ISIS head quarters (if one does exist)? Sorry to be so needy, but I'm not finding distinct instructions anywhere. If I'm just not finding these instructions, I've got no false pride, please point me in the right direction...Thanks</p>
<p>Cav302>>Good to know. Having just come back from orientation where they drill in the pertinent lingo aspects of UVA, I think I would have used the title "Mr." thinking that I was being a good citizen on the UVA Grounds</p>
<p>Just to clarify. Standard profs who don't have a Phd are Mr/Ms. Only Phd's are addressed as Dr. </p>
<p>Nobody gets professor?
Am I straight???</p>
<p>Sincerely,
Eager to do the right thing :-0</p>
<p>yeah, I follow the standard line, but they say that since TJ didn't have a PhD, that as a sign of respect for him, all PhD's at UVA are called "Mr." as in "Mr. Jefferson".
Only MD's are called "Dr." at UVA--or so they say (not PhD.s). It's some Western European custom, according to their publications, and that is why I ask.
So, when in doubt, I default to Professor, because it sounds like the safest response to me? But what do I know??
It's not a big deal, but thanks for answering vistany! Your advice sounds good and I capiche!</p>
<p>FWIW, I don't know anyone who makes a point to call their professors "Mr", "Mrs" or "Ms". Most people call them "Dr XYZ" or sometimes "Professor XYZ". Thomas Jefferson didn't have a PhD because the world was a different place 250 years ago and the PhD wasn't a commonly earned degree (nor was it necessary or even desirable for someone like TJ). I don't know why it would be a sign of respect for him to not use normal academic titles for professors. In fact, I think it's proper and respectful to acknowledge a professor's personal and professional accomplishment by referring to him/her as "Dr".</p>
<p>When in doubt, go with Professor. If it's a TA, go with their given name. For non-Ph.D's, go with whatever you want besides Doctor. No one will get offended or anything. If you say freshman, campus, or the like, then you might get your head bit off.</p>
<p>I laughed with the last remark! Thanks!</p>
<p>Jimmy, I was asking not telling! Sorry I didn't make myself clear. UVAMalex and Cav thanks for clarifying.</p>
<p>thats actually a lot of good info. I was worried about the mr/mrs/ms thing as well. Every time I have talked to a prof so far I have called them Dr. YYZ. It just doesn't feel right calling them mr/mrs/ms</p>
<p>Regardless of whether they hold a doctorate or not, I always call professors> Prof. <strong><em>, deans> Dean </em></strong><strong>, and if I KNOW that they arn't either, it's Ms/Mr. _</strong><em>, and medical doctors are Dr.</em>___.
A few rules of thumb:
-at UVA, unless they're medical, it's Mr/Ms or Prof. in respect to TJ.
-in the real world, it's generally the same thing unless it's a medical or a teaching person, then you generally use Dr, but Mr./Ms. is ok as well
-for females, it is appropriate to use Ms. all the time since it is marriage-neutral (Mrs=married, Miss=not marrried, Ms=doesn't matter)</p>
<p>Remember, most of your prof's didn't go to UVA so it probably ticks off the PhD's down deep to be called "Mr." or "Ms.", as that shows no respect for the degree (especially in the med school, where PhD's often are treated as second class citizens by the MD's). Of course they won't take offense, since it is the UVA tradition and they are at UVA, but this is also the 21st century. When you work your butt off to get an advanced degree, you would like some respect, at least in the academic world. I think you are best off going with Prof. (whatever they tell you) as that is both correct and respectful.<br>
Don't they think "MR. Jefferson" was a man who adjusted to his times?</p>
<p>It's not a big deal... Just go with Prof. or Prof. XXX when addressing them, and call TAs by their first name.</p>
<p>
[quote]
especially in the med school, where PhD's often are treated as second class citizens by the MD's
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This is clearly wrong.</p>
<p>Do ppl take their laptops with them to orientation?</p>
<p>I did, but didn't see much point to it, as I just left it in my room all day, and at night, I couldn't access the internet. All I used it for was for iTunes and Freecell, and that's about it. Plus I only spent 15-20 mins on it. Don't bother with it.</p>
<p>Tell me Cav, when was the last time you were a Ph.D. faculty member in a med school? Maybe UVA is different from the rest of the world, but you are talking second class citizen - start by looking at the salaries. This I know firsthand. Also, the med school is the place where you would really notice the difference between the "Mr" and the "Dr" titles. Why not call the MD's "Mr" or "Prof" as well at UVA?<br>
There was even a time way back when, when some med schools wouldn't let PhD faculty join the faculty club (UNC Chapel Hill for one before the late 70's).
The best way to be respected as a PhD in the biological sciences is to stay as far away from MD's as possible. Cornell got it right - they put the med school about 250 miles away from the main campus.</p>