Control the email, don’t let it control you – UW Graduate School Skip to content

Control the email, don’t let it control you

I get a LOT of email (including this one, no offense), and I can’t keep up. How do I get off all of these email lists? Shouldn’t there be one place I can change my preferences? —Anonymous

This question was originally published in December 2015. The answer has been updated to reflect the University’s new email management system. 

Hi there,

I get it. We’re all swamped with emails. No offense taken.

Unfortunately, just due to the sheer size of this university and the autonomy of various units, there is no one definitive, central place to management your subscriptions. However, if you focus on a few key sources, you should be able to drastically reduce your inbox.

  1. You can manage many of your subscriptions through the Subscription Preference Center. Fill out the form with your email address, then you will receive an email with a link to your personal subscription preference center. In the subscription preference center, click on “Manage all UW Preferences” at the top of the page, then scroll through the units. Expand the options for unit-specific emails by clicking the “+” to the left of the unit name. Deselect an email to unsubscribe. This will allow you to manage communications sent through a particular software (Marketo).
  2.  Some units may use another software other than Marketo, such as MailChimp. You will have to manage subscriptions for those outlets separately. There should always be options to unsubscribe for the email at the bottom.
  3. Some emails may be coming from the Registar’s office, or Financial Aid, etc. You will not be able to get off of these lists.
  4. Some emails may be coming directly from your department or a professor. You’ll need to consult with the relevant unit.
  5. If you can’t get out at the source, take advantage of your email software: set rules and filters.

You should have control of how much communication you receive, of course, but I want to advise you to unsubscribe thoughtfully. There have been instances where students opted out of all emails from a unit and then were frustrated they were not getting some of the notices regarding funding opportunities, events, etc.

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Published November 30, 2017