I’ve always been an A student. I graduated with a 4.0 GPA from my undergrad at the top of my class. This is my first year of my Master’s in Criminal Justice. Last semester I did fine, ending with all A’s. This semester has been tough. I’m taking difficult classes and I’ve been working 15 or so more hours a week than I normally do along with having my step-daughter more than normal (not looking for sympathy, just trying to explain why I’m struggling).
So, I had a paper due today at midnight. I had a lot to do on it still, but I fell asleep last night on my laptop. I’ve been working on it all day, but I didn’t meet the deadline. I have about 1-2hours left of work. My professor seems nice but in his syllabus he says he won’t accept late submissions. I submitted another assignment three weeks late (somehow I missed it on the syllabus) and I didn’t get credit for it.
Anyway, has this ever happened to anyone else? What did you professors do? I’m going to keep working on it and submit it ASAP, but I’m freaking out because I’ve never submitted a paper late before. I also feel terrible because I’m a graduate student and should be better than this. This paper is 15% of my grade and the other assignment was 5%.
If he doesn’t accept it should I see if I can withdraw from the course?
Yes, this happens a lot. Generally speaking, the professors refuse to accept the assignment and you bear the consequences to the grade.
Go talk to the professor and ask his advice. If you are getting a zero on 20% of the grade then an A is almost certainly out of reach and even a B may be unlikely depending on how you do on the other 80% and how grading is handled in the class. Remember that a C is a failing grade in grad school, so if he thinks you are headed for a C you should withdraw and take the course again at another time.
Graduate professors can be both more strict and more lenient on this. The assumption is that you learned to manage your time as an undergrad, and that late papers should be less of a problem - maybe once or twice your entire graduate career, not twice in the same class.
However, for good students many grad professors realize that things happen and you may need more time. However, there’s a few things you can do to increase the chances they’ll give it to you:
-Don’t just wait for the deadline to approach or pass. If you have even the barest hint you may have trouble getting the paper in, go talk to the professor ahead of time (at least 24 hours, but a couple of days is best) and let them know you’re struggling. Let them know how much extra time you’d need, too. Be realistic - you don’t want to ask for an extension twice.
-If you do accidentally submit an assignment late by a couple of hours, don’t just submit it and hope something happens. Say something to your professor!
Thank you for the advice. I just got my paper back and he took a 10% late penalty but still accepted it. With the penalty I got an 80% and just received a 90% on the last exam. I think I should be able to get through the course with a high B.