Student Questions Why They Received A Late Penalty When Their Assignment Was Submitted 14 Mins Before The Deadline, Shares Their Emails With The Professor
Sometimes it seems that fair professors are a dying breed. Of course, that’s not exactly true, but certain educators are so unreasonable they make you forget about the rational ones.
Redditor u/videoresume recently told the ‘Mildly Infuriating‘ community about having to deal with a somewhat preposterous faculty member. The student submitted their assignment with time to spare and still had points deducted for being late. The professor came back with an absurd answer, which created quite a buzz in the comment section.
Some unfair professors make studying even harder than it is, especially when it comes to deadlines
Image source: Tim Gouw (not the actual photo)
This student submitted their assignment on time yet the professor deducted points for being late nevertheless
Image source: videoresume
Professors can greatly influence their students, and it’s up to them to decide whether they do it in a positive or negative way
Image source: Vanessa Garcia (not the actual photo)
It’s professors like this that make things harder than they have to be for those in school. Taking the points off was unfair at best, and surely didn’t help their interpersonal relationship. Lecturers can greatly influence their students, which makes it all the more important to be reasonable at least.
In a perfect world, the bar should be set higher than that. Teachers provide more than just knowledge of their subject. They can also affect students’ views and values and provide a stepping stone for their further academic achievements. Sometimes one great teacher is enough to make you fall in love with learning. Similarly, a bad one can lead towards never wanting to open a book ever again.
That is why showing that you’re approachable as a teacher can make a world of difference. Research shows that only 28% of scholars avoid knocking on their professors’ doors during office hours. Which means the vast majority come to them with questions or in need of some sort of assistance.
Exam season is likely the time students need help the most. That is when the pressure tends to reach an all-time high. Statistics show that roughly 30% of college students in the US name midterms and exams as the main causes of stress. In addition to that, nearly as many of them (29.5%) admit to feeling high levels of stress because of studying in general.
Image source: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)
Another major cause for such negative emotions is the challenge the OP had to face—deadlines. Nearly 60% of assignments are handed in during the last 24 hours, which likely means students have one of two things, a) terrible time management skills (around 90% of them agree that it is something they should work on), or b) an overwhelming amount of assignments due.
Meeting deadlines puts additional pressure that can cause anxiety. (And that is relevant not only for studies, but jobs as well—nearly 40% of people name deadlines as the main source for their work-related anxiety.) You’ve likely experienced it yourself; the feeling of a stomach full of butterflies, but far less pleasant than the ones you get after falling in love.
University clinicians say that anxiety is arguably the most prevalent issue when it comes to students’ mental health. Unsurprisingly, that can have a negative affect on their academic achievements (over 35% admit that stress surely does). Such data shows how torturous seeking an education can get. And the way professors contribute to it can make or break whether they’ll stick through it.
Image source: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)
As a matter of fact, 76% of students working hard for a bachelor’s degree say they’ve considered quitting because of stress. And when you’re already on the verge of leaving, it doesn’t take much to encourage you to close the door behind you and never look back. One unfair grade might be all it takes.
Luckily, data shows that not all hope is lost and such irrational professors might be in the minority. Nearly 90% of students agree that their faculty members grade them fairly. The OP might not have been among the lucky ones, but they did receive support from the online community at least.
People online had plenty to say about the situation and came up with similar examples to show how absurd it is
If he wants it at least an hour early, then he should state that. Report him to the head of his department and the dean
Exactly. He has to abide by the schools late policy and if it says midnight then that's what it is. An email to the Dean would rectify this quickly. Can't go making up your own rules.
Load More Replies...I went to college in the 80s. Did fine, got a BA. But this one class... I pulled out my books to study for the final... Oh when is that final lemme look... Holy s**t it was two hours ago! I grab skateboard, blast across campus. Get to the big classroom and it's completely empty. Huh. So in a complete panic I rush to the professor's office. There he is. "You missed it!" he says. "If I were still there, you would have given me three hours like every else. Even though they all seem to be done already. There's 45 minutes left. I'd like to take the final." And I did! Got a C! Totally true story.
So they've all left the room before you've arrived in it, and can therefore have told you what was on the paper? If this is a true story, and I have no reason to doubt you, the college made a mistake in allowing you to take the paper. For exams in the UK (not university, but school and FE college) we have rules about when you can enter and when you can leave an exam to prevent this circumstance occurring. That said, when I was at university we had a fire alarm (false alarm) TWICE during exams (two different years) and we were all allowed outside while the alarms were reset and, of course, we all discussed the papers. So... at uni / college, anything seems to go!
Load More Replies...I'm a teacher and I hate this kind of b******t. First because it's (obviously) not fair. Second, because it makes students think we are the enemy. I just want my students to flourish and succeed and I don't need students to have hostile and defensive attitudes when we need to work together.
many universities have an appeal process for things like this. Just bring the proof, and they will force the professor to switch it. If the professor is untentured it will count against them when it comes to tenure time.
This is true but if this is a professor in the student's major, he/she can make the student's life very unpleasant. They can turn other professors against the student - academics is a very "power over" environment and students have none.
Load More Replies...I am a professor - this is nuts. I just told my students yesterday that the intended deadline is 11:59 pm but if they finish during the middle of the night, it doesn't matter because I certainly won't be grading it in the middle of the night.
Most of my professors were like this also. No penalty if I had it turned in before the early morning. So if it was 2 or 3 a.m it wasn't a big deal. And for me being a mom of 6 kids, I often was up middle of the night doing work. It was my only quiet time. Managed to earn a BA and an MS in psychology and went on to earn an M.Ed. my long nights are finally over lol.
Load More Replies...My freshman year of college, I had a prof who had a strict "3 days missed and you fail" policy. I had a perfect score in her class, but had to be in the hospital several times that year. Each time I missed her class, I had been in the hospital and gave her a doctor's note for the absence as well as completed every assignment on schedule. Upon the third miss, again, with a doctor's note because I was in the hospital, she told me not to come back because I failed the course. I panicked, but another professor found me crying and went to the head of her department. She very tersely told me to never miss another class and that there was no way I'd pass, but I guess she didn't find a way to screw up my grade because I passed with a perfect score and a lot of stink eye from her.
It's my colleges policy that a student can't miss more than four classes a semester. If they do they fail the course. It's so upsetting and anxiety provoking. I'm sorry that happened to you but glad it worked out in the end
Load More Replies...I had the coolest professor ever. Incident #1: until this point, all of our exams were during normal class time. This particular one needed more time, so it scheduled for the evening. I totally forgot about it. I called his office the next day and he allowed me to take the test with no penalty. Incident #2: a new class, same professor. This time, it's the final exam. I have another class where the professor made the final optional. I opted to skip it. BUT, I got the days confused with the exam for the coolest professor ever, so I missed yet another exam for this professor. I call his office. "Didn't this happen with you last semester?" "Yes, that's me. I'm the idiot." He LET ME TAKE THIS ONE TOO with no penalty. Dr Singh, you are a great man and I hope your life has been great.
It was due ON the 1st, not BEFORE the 1st. That means he was OVER A DAY early.
technically I'm pretty sure it was 12 AM (maybe 11:59 pm which would be on the 31st), which is why they turned it in 15 minutes before the deadline. It wouldn't *technically* be over a day early
Load More Replies...I ran across something like this when I was in college. A professor refused to let me take a make-up exam for one I'd missed due to an extended medical leave (with doctor's note). He proceeded to give me a long lecture about how if this had been a job, I would have been fired. I was like dude, I'm literally paying you and the school tens of thousands of dollars a semester. You work for me. Not the other way around.
I don't get these professors who think they're above everyone else.
Load More Replies...Back on 1979, I had an incomplete on Criminal Justice class at UICC in Chicago. There were over 200 students at each lecture and you never dealt with the professor, only your assigned TA. I needed to turn in a term paper that was a huge portion of the final grade. I pulled an overnighter and finished it and drove from the suburbs to Chicago intending on leaving the paper and an explanatory note for a TA. I get to the Professor’s office and hand it to the secretary asking that she forward it to him (w/a brief, verbal confession). She has me wait as the Professor is there. I end up being shuffled into the Prof’s office and forced to watch him read my paper. He finishes and comments that he “hopes I’m not expecting an A.” He knocks it down to a B (for both paper and final grade) and I am dismissed. Dude, I just wanted to get rid of that incomplete, I didn’t care what grade you gave me.
If he wants it at least an hour early, then he should state that. Report him to the head of his department and the dean
Exactly. He has to abide by the schools late policy and if it says midnight then that's what it is. An email to the Dean would rectify this quickly. Can't go making up your own rules.
Load More Replies...I went to college in the 80s. Did fine, got a BA. But this one class... I pulled out my books to study for the final... Oh when is that final lemme look... Holy s**t it was two hours ago! I grab skateboard, blast across campus. Get to the big classroom and it's completely empty. Huh. So in a complete panic I rush to the professor's office. There he is. "You missed it!" he says. "If I were still there, you would have given me three hours like every else. Even though they all seem to be done already. There's 45 minutes left. I'd like to take the final." And I did! Got a C! Totally true story.
So they've all left the room before you've arrived in it, and can therefore have told you what was on the paper? If this is a true story, and I have no reason to doubt you, the college made a mistake in allowing you to take the paper. For exams in the UK (not university, but school and FE college) we have rules about when you can enter and when you can leave an exam to prevent this circumstance occurring. That said, when I was at university we had a fire alarm (false alarm) TWICE during exams (two different years) and we were all allowed outside while the alarms were reset and, of course, we all discussed the papers. So... at uni / college, anything seems to go!
Load More Replies...I'm a teacher and I hate this kind of b******t. First because it's (obviously) not fair. Second, because it makes students think we are the enemy. I just want my students to flourish and succeed and I don't need students to have hostile and defensive attitudes when we need to work together.
many universities have an appeal process for things like this. Just bring the proof, and they will force the professor to switch it. If the professor is untentured it will count against them when it comes to tenure time.
This is true but if this is a professor in the student's major, he/she can make the student's life very unpleasant. They can turn other professors against the student - academics is a very "power over" environment and students have none.
Load More Replies...I am a professor - this is nuts. I just told my students yesterday that the intended deadline is 11:59 pm but if they finish during the middle of the night, it doesn't matter because I certainly won't be grading it in the middle of the night.
Most of my professors were like this also. No penalty if I had it turned in before the early morning. So if it was 2 or 3 a.m it wasn't a big deal. And for me being a mom of 6 kids, I often was up middle of the night doing work. It was my only quiet time. Managed to earn a BA and an MS in psychology and went on to earn an M.Ed. my long nights are finally over lol.
Load More Replies...My freshman year of college, I had a prof who had a strict "3 days missed and you fail" policy. I had a perfect score in her class, but had to be in the hospital several times that year. Each time I missed her class, I had been in the hospital and gave her a doctor's note for the absence as well as completed every assignment on schedule. Upon the third miss, again, with a doctor's note because I was in the hospital, she told me not to come back because I failed the course. I panicked, but another professor found me crying and went to the head of her department. She very tersely told me to never miss another class and that there was no way I'd pass, but I guess she didn't find a way to screw up my grade because I passed with a perfect score and a lot of stink eye from her.
It's my colleges policy that a student can't miss more than four classes a semester. If they do they fail the course. It's so upsetting and anxiety provoking. I'm sorry that happened to you but glad it worked out in the end
Load More Replies...I had the coolest professor ever. Incident #1: until this point, all of our exams were during normal class time. This particular one needed more time, so it scheduled for the evening. I totally forgot about it. I called his office the next day and he allowed me to take the test with no penalty. Incident #2: a new class, same professor. This time, it's the final exam. I have another class where the professor made the final optional. I opted to skip it. BUT, I got the days confused with the exam for the coolest professor ever, so I missed yet another exam for this professor. I call his office. "Didn't this happen with you last semester?" "Yes, that's me. I'm the idiot." He LET ME TAKE THIS ONE TOO with no penalty. Dr Singh, you are a great man and I hope your life has been great.
It was due ON the 1st, not BEFORE the 1st. That means he was OVER A DAY early.
technically I'm pretty sure it was 12 AM (maybe 11:59 pm which would be on the 31st), which is why they turned it in 15 minutes before the deadline. It wouldn't *technically* be over a day early
Load More Replies...I ran across something like this when I was in college. A professor refused to let me take a make-up exam for one I'd missed due to an extended medical leave (with doctor's note). He proceeded to give me a long lecture about how if this had been a job, I would have been fired. I was like dude, I'm literally paying you and the school tens of thousands of dollars a semester. You work for me. Not the other way around.
I don't get these professors who think they're above everyone else.
Load More Replies...Back on 1979, I had an incomplete on Criminal Justice class at UICC in Chicago. There were over 200 students at each lecture and you never dealt with the professor, only your assigned TA. I needed to turn in a term paper that was a huge portion of the final grade. I pulled an overnighter and finished it and drove from the suburbs to Chicago intending on leaving the paper and an explanatory note for a TA. I get to the Professor’s office and hand it to the secretary asking that she forward it to him (w/a brief, verbal confession). She has me wait as the Professor is there. I end up being shuffled into the Prof’s office and forced to watch him read my paper. He finishes and comments that he “hopes I’m not expecting an A.” He knocks it down to a B (for both paper and final grade) and I am dismissed. Dude, I just wanted to get rid of that incomplete, I didn’t care what grade you gave me.

































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