Getting through graduate school coursework while working full-time can be a tough road. The benefits are endless; however, it can seem overwhelming in the thick of things. There are only 24 hours in a day and seven days in a week. It can feel like there is never enough time to get everything done and is not for the faint of heart.
Many of the times grad students feel this kind of stress are during specific times of the school year, including, but not limited to, the beginning of the school year, at report card times, and at parent/teacher conference times. These time-intensive spots in the K-12 school year have the possibility of conflicting with impending coursework assignments or graduate program classes.
Grad students may feel pressured that there simply isn’t enough time in some weeks to do their best work and fulfill their work obligations equally. When family or personal issues are added to that mix, the result can be significant stress.
Steps to Take to Postpone an Assignment Deadline or Miss a Class
If you find yourself in one of those situations where you don’t think you can meet a graduate school deadline, communicate with the professor as soon as possible. Your graduate school professor will appreciate that you are being proactive in letting them know it will be difficult for you to do your best on an assignment and still be able to get it in on time. Ask for a deadline extension so that you can do your best work on it.
The same thing applies to the situation in which you may have to miss a class. Simply let the professor know that you will have a hard time getting to class due to whatever the circumstances are, and then ask how you can make this up. Professors may have an extra assignment or other way to make up that class. But you can’t expect to get a free pass. It can be tough to juggle required work evening commitments and your regular night of class. The bottom line is that effective communication early on is very helpful.
Use Your Best Judgement
Using good judgement is important in every aspect of your life, especially when having to juggle grad school, work, and family. When asking to miss a class, always offer to do something extra to make that up. When asking for an assignment postponement, be sure that the reason sounds worthwhile and not something the professor is going to think is questionable.
Always err on the side of caution when it comes to attendance or a homework deadline. Illness, a death in the family, schedule conflicts with work responsibilities are all items that are entirely valid reasons to ask for a postponement.
Things like having to attend a party, a birthday, getting your hair done, etc. may not be looked upon as favorably. One strategy worth considering is to take a personal day to complete an assignment if you are running into some difficulties. That may help to alleviate the stress.
Be Honest and Forthright
It is crucial to be very honest with your professor when requesting an extension for an assignment or exemption from a class. Do not beat around the bush or make excuses. Remember, your instructors have been doing this job for a while and have been in the same spot that you are now finding yourself in.
Just straightforwardly state the issue and ask for the extension or accommodation in person or through an assignment deadline extension email. Let them know why, how you will handle this, and what you will do in the future to prevent the same thing from happening. Taking ownership of the situation will put you in a much better light than making excuses.
Don’t Let it Become a Habit and Plan Proactively
Missing a class or having to postpone the deadline of an assignment is not the end of the world. Things do come up in life and it is better to be proactive about handling it. Do not make this a habit.
A professor will be most impressed when you have taken the steps to chart the semester ahead of time, comparing the class times and due dates with your work dates and personal life dates. Then, way ahead of time, you can talk to the professor about potentially rough times that may arise and give them a heads-up that you might have to ask for a deadline extension during a certain week. As long as you are proactive and organized, this will not reflect poorly on you.
Try to put things in perspective and not let these glitches in assignments or classes spoil the experience; concentrate on giving your best efforts to your coursework and making connections with peers while in class. They will also be struggling with the same things and being able to talk together about things that pop up can be helpful to all.
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