How NOT to impress a future advisor/employer

I often get e-mails that are not well crafted or written with care. The result is that 1) I am annoyed (and I remember which individuals have annoyed me in the past) and 2) I have to waste my time to seek additional information that should have been included in the original e-mail. For example, I just received this e-mail:

Hello Mary,

I am currently applying to enter the MS in Geosciences program (starting in the Fall 2009 semester). Last week I met with [an advisor in your department], and she suggested that I set up a meeting with you to discuss the program as well as potential research opportunities. If you are available to meet sometime in the next week or two, please let me know a day and time. If you are really busy right now, but are able to speak briefly over the phone, you can reach me at 415-xxx-xxxx.

Thank you,

[Potential graduate student]

At least he said "Thank you".

What's wrong with this e-mail? First, he starts by using my first name. I'm perfectly happy with students calling me by my first name but that is perhaps unique to geology (the culture is very different in other fields: for example, all students in the Chemistry Department address their professors with "Dr.", even to their principal advisor). Always (always) default to addressing someone in academia as "Dr." or "Prof." until you are either requested to do otherwise, or you get some other indication that you may comfortably use a person's first name (how do they sign their e-mails?).

Next delightful shortcoming of this e-mail: This potential grad student didn't bother to tell me anything (anything) about their background or research interests, and gave me no indication he'd even bothered to look at my web site to see what my research interests are. For such a wired generation, students fail an impressive number of times to even search Google (or check their syllabus or the course web site) before sending me an e-mail or coming to my office for information.

Then he goes on to request a meeting without telling me when he might be available, and instructs me that "If you are really busy right now" to telephone him.

I am always really busy.

What I wrote back was this:

Hi [Potential graduate student],

Why don't you tell me a bit about your background? Do you have a B.S. in geology? Do you have any research experience in the lab or field? Did you take a traditional 4-6 week field camp? What are your research interests? What is your ultimate career goal once you have an M.S.?

Thanks,
Mary

I'm really not in a hurry to meet with this guy....but you never know....so that's why I even bothered to reply.