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How to Finish a Huge Assignment or Project Overnight

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The great American writer Mark Twain once said,

“Never put off till tomorrow what may be done the day after tomorrow just as well.”

When we live by that advice, though, we sometimes find ourselves chugging concentrated coffee at 2 a.m. in a valiant effort to stay awake and finish a huge project that’s due in 6 hours.

As productive as I’d like to think I am… I’ve been there.

If you’ve been there as well – or maybe if you’re there right now – this week’s video is for you. I’m not going to waste time lecturing you about the importance of planning, there are other videos for that – let’s just look at the best plan of attack when you find yourself in a time crunch.

Now, we’re going to look at some specific concepts related to planning and willpower in a minute – The Impact Effort Matrix, Ego Depletion – but let’s start with the foundation: location selection .

I think your location is vital when you’re working under pressure, and personally I like to pick my study locations based on their “vibe” – that is, what’s going on around me. I tend to favor coffee shops and libraries – I still go to my university library at times even though I’ve graduated – because I work well when I’m surrounded by other people who are also working. Also, close proximity to caffeine is helpful.

The most important part of location selection, though, is avoiding the “call of the pillow”. When you’re studying in a time crunch, it’s likely you’ll be doing it late into the night. That’s why you want to get as far away from your bed as possible.

The later it gets, the more you’ll start rationalizing how good a nap might be and the more you’ll start deciding that certain parts of your project don’t matter. So pick a place where going to bed would be more effort than finishing the next part of your project.

That piece of business taken care of, it’s now time to plan your efforts . Before you start working, take some time to break down your workload into individual parts. Then, it’s time to figure out which ones should get the bulk of your attention.

Dwight Eisenhower often remarked that,

“What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.”

In the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People , Steven Covey popularized the “Eisenhower Decision Matrix”, which is based on this principle. In the matrix, tasks are categorized based on their importance and urgency.

When you’re in a time crunch, though, everything can seem urgent – so importance is the factor you should focus on in this case. To that end, let’s use a similar but more fitting tool – the Impact/Effort matrix .

Here, tasks in a project are given scores based on their impact to the overall success of the project and the effort it will take to implement them. To illustrate how this works, here’s an example from my life.

When I was a senior in college, one of my final projects was building a web app. My idea was called AMPanic, and it was an app that would require you to log in and tell if you’re awake before a certain time – otherwise it would send an embarrassing email to someone. This was actually the precursor to the early wake-up system I use now, which I detailed in this video .

With this project, though, I found myself in a time crunch trying to finish it. So I broke my project down into different parts that I’d have to code and prioritized them using this Impact/Effort matrix.

The core functionality – the code that would let you set an alarm and an email message, the code that would schedule and send the email on time, and the function to cancel the email if the user checked in on time in the morning – those required a lot of effort to build, but they also had the highest impact on the project.

On the other hand, some parts of the site – like the About, FAQ, and Contact pages – didn’t have as high of an impact, but they were low-effort tasks. Since they didn’t take much time to create, I made sure to include them to make the site look more complete.

The main element of the site that I chose NOT to focus on was the user registration and login system. A proper one needs functions for resetting passwords, but I decided that the core alarm setting functionality would be more important to my grade since that was the point of the whole project. So I used a login system I had written for an old project and didn’t bother creating a way to reset passwords.

In the end, it was a worthwhile decision; the alarm system was more advanced than most of the other projects in the class, so I ended up getting an A.

To assign Impact/Effort scores to each component of your project – or each assignment if you’re juggling multiple – consider the following factors:

• What the core deliverables are
• The grading criteria for the project, what which components count for the most points
• What percentage of your grade each assignment counts for
• How much each component will contribute to the knowledge you need to have for tests, which usually impact your grade the most

Once you’e assigned scores to each component, I think it’s a good idea to tackle the ones with the highest impact and highest effort first. This is due to Ego Depletion – a phenomenon explained in Daniel Kahneman’s book Thinking, Fast and Slow . Citing research from the psychologist Roy Baumeister, he reveals that:

“…an effort of will or self-control is tiring; if you have had to force yourself to do something, you are less willing or less able to exert self-control when the next challenge comes around.”

Use the bulk of your willpower to complete the harder tasks first; that way, you’ll only have to deal with low-effort, high-impact tasks when you’re feeling drained.

That’s where we’re going to close for this week. If you select your location well, plan based on impact and effort, and tackle your tasks in a way that utilizes your willpower effectively, you’ll make if through your time crunch in one piece.

Need help finishing a personal project you’ve been procrastinating on? Read this next .

If you’re unable to see the video above, you can view it on YouTube .

Looking for More Study Tips?

You’ll find more tips on planning, study environments, and maintaining willpower in my free 100+ page book called 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less) .

The book covers topics like:

• Defeating procrastination
• Getting more out of your classes
• Taking great notes
• Reading your textbooks more efficiently

…and several more. It also has a lot of recommendations for tools and other resources that can make your studying easier.

If you’d like a free copy of the book, let me know where I should send it:

I’ll also keep you updated about new posts and videos that come out on this blog (they’ll be just as good as this one or better) 🙂

Video Notes

• Eisenhower Decision Matrix
• Impact/Effort Matrix
• Ego Depletion

What other topics related to working under tight deadlines would you like to see covered in the future?

Do you have any additional tips? Share them below 🙂

If you liked this video, subscribe on YouTube to stay updated and get notified when new ones are out!

Images: Eisenhower , Twain , Twain living room , James Cameron , ocean trench , Everest , wall of books , Big Ben , coffee shop

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How to Buy More Time on an Overdue Assignment

Last Updated: March 28, 2024 References

This article was co-authored by Alexander Ruiz, M.Ed. . Alexander Ruiz is an Educational Consultant and the Educational Director of Link Educational Institute, a tutoring business based in Claremont, California that provides customizable educational plans, subject and test prep tutoring, and college application consulting. With over a decade and a half of experience in the education industry, Alexander coaches students to increase their self-awareness and emotional intelligence while achieving skills and the goal of achieving skills and higher education. He holds a BA in Psychology from Florida International University and an MA in Education from Georgia Southern University. This article has been viewed 267,180 times.

Deadlines sneak up fast. If you’re short on time, you can always request an extension from your professor—your request may be based on real or fictionalized reasons. Alternatively, you could submit a corrupted file (a file your professor can’t open) and make the extension appear like an unintentional, happy accident.

Asking Your Teacher for an Extension

• If you're in college or graduate school, drop by your professor’s office hours.
• If you're in high school or middle school, ask to speak to your teacher after class or set up a time to meet with them.
• If you're making up an excuse, your professor might be able to see right through your lie. It might better to skip the face-to-face meeting and email them instead. [1] X Research source

• If you are struggling with depression and/or anxiety, don’t just say “I am overwhelmed.” Instead, explain how your mental health is affecting your ability to complete the assignment. “I’ve been struggling with depression all since midterms. I’ve learned that when I feel depressed, I have a very hard time focusing on my assignments. It has been very difficult for me to sit down a complete the paper.”
• “Due to my financial situation, I had to start working this semester. My work schedule and class schedule are very demanding. I am struggling to manage both.”
• "My parents are both working overtime right now. I have been watching my little siblings for them. I am having a hard time balancing school and my responsibilities at home"
• "I am training for a big competition. My practices are going way longer than expected and by the time I get home I am too exhausted to do my work." [2] X Research source

• “May I have the weekend to complete the assignment?”
• “Can I have three days to finish my paper?” [3] X Research source

• If they say “yes,” thank them profusely and work hard to meet your new deadline.
• If they say “no,” thank them for their time and start working on the assignment as soon as you can.
• If your teacher says “yes” but attaches a grade penalty, accept the grade penalty, thank them for the extension, and work diligently to meet your new deadline. [4] X Research source

Finding an Excuse

• If you have to print out your paper, experiencing “printer problems” may grant you a few extra hours to work on the assignment.
• If you typically store all of your work on a USB Drive, tell your teacher the thumb drive was stolen or misplaced. They may give you a few days to search for the missing drive. [5] X Research source

• “I am taking the MCAT next month and have been studying for the test non-stop. As a result, the assignment for your class fell off my radar. May I have a few days to complete it?”
• I am taking the SAT on Saturday and I really need to study for my Latin subject test. Can I have a few more days on my project?"
• “I have three papers due at the same time. I am struggling to devote attention to each assignment. May I please have an extension so I can produce a paper I am proud of?” [6] X Research source

• Be prepared for your professor to ask for proof or to look into your situation. [7] X Research source

Turning In a Corrupted File

• Professors and teachers are aware of this common trick. If you get caught, you may get a zero on the assignment and/or sent to the school's administrators. Before you consider this method, explore all of your other options and check your school's policies on the matter.

• You can copy and paste text from the internet, your rough draft, or even use an old paper.

• Name the document as your professor requested.
• Save the file to your desktop.
• Click Save .

• Navigate to [ Corrupt-A-File.net ].
• Scroll down to “Select the file to corrupt” and select one of the following options: “From Your Device”, “From Dropbox”, or “From Google Drive”. If you saved the document on your desktop, click “From Your Device”.
• Locate the file and click [[button|Select}} or Open .
• Click Corrupt File . Once corrupted you will receive the following message: “Your file was dutifully corrupted”.
• Click on the download button (black, downward pointing arrow).
• Rename the document (if desired), change the location (if desired), and click Save .

• Right-click on the document’s icon, hover over “Open with” and select “Notepad”. A Notepad file will open. In addition to the filler text, you will see the document’s code (a jumble of letters, numbers, punctuation marks etc.).
• Delete a portion of the code. Do not delete it all!
• Press Ctrl + S and click Save . [8] X Research source

• Mac users will see a “Convert File” dialog box.
• Windows users will see the message “The document name or path is not valid”. [9] X Research source

• If your professor or teacher discovers you intentionally corrupted the file, you may get in serious trouble. Ask for an extension or simply submit what you have completed before you try this method. If you are doing online school just be sure to send an email explaining why and you can even make up a lie on why it wasn't turned in on time. Tell them you were stressed and had too much work to do so you forgot about it.

Community Q&A

• Your professor has the right to say “no” when you ask for an extension. Be prepared for this response. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Tips from our Readers

• Although students see lying as the best possible way to get an extension, it’s really not! Only lie as a last resort or when the teacher absolutely won’t offer an extension.
• Try not to lie to your professors if you can help it. You may be kicked out of school for violations of the academic honesty policy or have other consequences.

• Do not submit several corrupted files to the same professor. They will catch on. Thanks Helpful 16 Not Helpful 1

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/09/how-to-get-an-extenstion-on-a-paper/ask-in-person
• ↑ http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/09/how-to-get-an-extenstion-on-a-paper/plan-ahead
• ↑ http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/09/how-to-get-an-extenstion-on-a-paper/dont-ask-for-a-long-extension
• ↑ http://www.ivoryresearch.com/how-to-get-an-assignment-essay-coursework-extension/
• ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgC-_9ZE5WA

About This Article

If your assignment is overdue, you may be able to buy more time by asking for an extension. Talk to your teacher as soon as you can and go after class or during break when they’ll have time to listen to you. Explain specifically why you’ve fallen behind and ask if it’s possible to get an extension. For example, if you’ve been struggling with depression, you’ve had to work a job to help support your family, or you’ve had technical problems, your teacher might offer you some extra time to finish your assignment. Try not to take it personally if they say no, since the decision might be out of your teacher’s hands, and it might be unfair to other students. For more tips, including how to make a corrupted file to buy you time on your assignment, read on. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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By submitting my email address. i certify that i am 13 years of age or older, agree to recieve marketing email messages from the princeton review, and agree to terms of use., 8 easy ways to finish your homework faster.

How many times have you found yourself still staring at your textbook around midnight (or later!) even when you started your homework hours earlier? Those lost hours could be explained by Parkinson’s Law, which states, “Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” In other words, if you give yourself all night to memorize those geometry formulas for your quiz tomorrow, you’ll inevitably find that a 30 minute task has somehow filled your entire evening.

We know that you have more homework than ever. But even with lots and lots to do, a few tweaks to your study routine could help you spend less time getting more accomplished. Here are 8 steps to make Parkinson’s Law work to your advantage:

1. Make a list

This should be a list of everything that has to be done that evening. And we mean, everything—from re-reading notes from this morning’s history class to quizzing yourself on Spanish vocabulary.

2. Estimate the time needed for each item on your list

You can be a little ruthless here. However long you think a task will take, try shaving off 5 or 10 minutes. But, be realistic. You won’t magically become a speed reader.

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3. Gather all your gear

Collect EVERYTHING you will need for the homework you are working on (like your laptop for writing assignments and pencils for problem sets). Getting up for supplies takes you off course and makes it that much harder to get back to your homework.

The constant blings and beeps from your devices can make it impossible to focus on what you are working on. Switch off or silence your phones and tablets, or leave them in another room until it’s time to take a tech break.

Read More: How to Calculate Your GPA

5. Time yourself

Noting how much time something actually takes will help you estimate better and plan your next study session.

6. Stay on task

If you’re fact checking online, it can be so easy to surf on over to a completely unrelated site. A better strategy is to note what information you need to find online, and do it all at once at the end of the study session.

7. Take plenty of breaks

Most of us need a break between subjects or to break up long stretches of studying. Active breaks are a great way to keep your energy up. Tech breaks can be an awesome way to combat the fear of missing out that might strike while you are buried in your work, but they also tend to stretch much longer than originally intended. Stick to a break schedule of 10 minutes or so.

8. Reward yourself! 

Finish early? If you had allocated 30 minutes for reading a biology chapter and it only took 20, you can apply those extra 10 minutes to a short break—or just move on to your next task. If you stay on track, you might breeze through your work quickly enough to catch up on some Netflix.

Our best piece of advice? Keep at it. The more you use this system, the easier it will become. You’ll be surprised by how much time you can shave off homework just by focusing and committing to a distraction-free study plan.

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Savvy Calculator

Savvy Calculator is a free online tool of calculations.

Assignment Time Calculator

Introduction.

Assignments come with varying levels of complexity, and it’s essential to estimate how much time you’ll need to complete them. The Assignment Time Calculator is a helpful tool that allows you to determine the time required for your assignment. In this article, we’ll walk you through how to use the calculator, provide the formula, give examples of solving it, and address frequently asked questions.

To use the Assignment Time Calculator effectively, follow these steps:

• Input Total Number of Questions: Start by entering the total number of questions in your assignment. This is denoted as “Q” in the formula.
• Input Average Time per Question (min): Enter the average time you expect to spend on each question, in minutes. This is represented as “ATQ” in the formula.
• Calculate Assignment Time: The calculator will use the formula (AST=Q∗ATQ) to determine the total time needed to complete your assignment.
• View Assignment Time: The calculated assignment time will be displayed.

The formula to calculate the Assignment Time (AST) is as follows:

AST = Q * ATQ

• AST stands for Assignment Time (in minutes).
• Q represents the total number of questions.
• ATQ is the average time per question (in minutes).

Let’s consider an example to understand how the Assignment Time Calculator works:

Suppose you have an assignment with 15 questions, and you estimate spending 5 minutes on each question.

AST = 15 * 5 AST = 75 minutes

So, it will take you 75 minutes to complete the assignment.

Q: How accurate is the Assignment Time Calculator?

A: The accuracy of the calculator depends on the accuracy of the information you provide, such as the total number of questions and your estimated time per question.

Q: What if I’m unsure about the average time per question?

A: It’s recommended to make a reasonable estimate based on your experience and the complexity of the assignment.

Q: Can I use this calculator for any type of assignment?

A: Yes, you can use the Assignment Time Calculator for various assignments, including homework, projects, and tests.

Q: Is this calculator suitable for group assignments?

A: This calculator is designed for individual use. If working in a group, each member should estimate their time, and you can sum their individual times.

The Assignment Time Calculator is a valuable tool for managing your time effectively when dealing with assignments. By understanding the total time required, you can plan your schedule more efficiently. Keep in mind that this tool’s accuracy depends on the accuracy of your inputs, so make sure to provide the most precise information possible. Happy calculating!

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My assignment is due tomorrow and I haven't even started it yet!

English expert at Atomi

Well, if it really is due tomorrow, let’s do this and do it quick! You could have anything due tomorrow, so instead of a step-by-step guide let’s focus on some tips and tricks to pull off this craziness. Legions of students before you have done it and legions of students after you will do it so have faith—you can do it 💪.

1. Prioritise

This probably doesn’t need to be said but if it’s due tomorrow then clear your schedule tonight—this is absolutely your top priority right now! Normally we recommend getting plenty of sleep but if you have something due tomorrow, tonight's the night to push your bedtime back a little bit (still no all-nighters though!)

2. Get your head in the game

Okay, no matter how much of a mountain it seems, this has to be done tonight. Don’t let yourself even consider the option of handing it in late—just thinking that will make it even harder to finish in time.

It’s time to get your head in the game and focus on the task ahead. You want to grab some water and make sure you’ve eaten. Then, set yourself up in a clean, bright area, find a supportive chair and grab all of the resources you'll need to do your assignment.

You can check out our video on Study Spaces for everything you need to set up the perfect workspace.

3. Work out exactly what you need to do

To work as efficiently as possible you should first understand exactly what you need to do.

That means you need to think about exactly what ideas or topics you need to cover and what your approach should be. So, read the assignment and marking criteria carefully and identify any keywords. Also highlight any important details, like the word count or page limit, the submission format and any other info that will affect how you approach this task.

This will vary massively depending on the assignment. The point is basically just that you should make sure you know exactly what you need to do before you start. Trust me, it’ll make everything quicker if you do ⏰.

4. Do a brief plan

To make sure we can get this done properly in one night, the next step is to plan your answer. This will make it a lot easier to start writing and, if you have to do any research, you will know exactly what you’re looking for.

So, sketch out a brief plan onto a page. Work out what needs to go into your answer and how it’s going to be structured. It might feel difficult or pointless to plan at this point, but if you can get some of the hard work out of the way here it’ll become much easier to write!

5. Research efficiently

Now, this one is obviously only relevant if you need research for your answer. Gathering research for an essay or report can take time. By using the keywords from the syllabus and assessment notification, you’ll be able to focus on the resources that you actually need. As far as you can, drop your research straight into the plan and you’ll be moving much more efficiently.

Don’t forget to reference as you go! This will save you time and ensure you don’t make any mistakes 😅.

6. Quality over quantity

This is a seriously important tip. When you’re really under pressure, it can be tempting to just smash out as many words as possible so you can hit that word count—don’t do this! It’s just going to give you a whole lot of waffle and even worse marks.

Instead of waffling, stick to your answer plan, use your research and fall back on the ideas in our lessons . It will get you a much better result for not that much extra work ✅.

7. Do your final read over tomorrow morning

Once you’ve finally pulled off that answer, it’s time to go to bed. You’re probably going to be too tired, too stressed and too wrapped up in your answer to be able to give it a proper check and edit.

So, just get some sleep now, set the alarm 30mins earlier tomorrow and read over it again with fresh eyes and a clear mind. You should be able to pick up any little mistakes and make the whole thing read a lot better and generally end up with a stronger answer!

Even though this isn’t ideal, you can still pull it off! The secret is to be as efficient as possible. So, keep calm, find out exactly what you need to do, plan, research properly and don’t waffle.

Oh and next time, don’t leave your assignments to the last minute 😅. Instead, watch our lesson on Planning an Assignment and use the downloadable planner so you aren’t in this sticky situation again.

For more study tips, tricks and advice, keep reading the student blog or follow Atomi on Instagram . See you there 👋.

Published on

March 15, 2022

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8 December 2022

Are all your assignments due at once? Here’s how to manage multiple deadlines

Are your assignments starting to pile up? Having several competing deadlines can be stressful and leave you wondering how to get everything done on time.

Think the secret is to work on multiple assignments at once? This approach can actually make things harder. While many people believe that multi-tasking helps you to get more done, the human brain can’t do two things at once – it can only switch between the two as quickly as possible.

Dr Gillian Clark from Deakin’s School of Psychology  says trying to do more means you actually do less: ‘We make mistakes and take longer to complete tasks when we try to do multiple things at once.’

It’s possible to split your attention if you’re working on several simple tasks or automatic behaviours – think walking and talking, or making a sandwich and listening to a podcast. But you run into trouble when you try to focus on multiple tasks that aren’t automatic behaviours. ‘We reach a limit and our brain doesn’t have the capacity to allocate attention to everything all at once,’ Dr Clark says.

What not to do

Switching tasks makes you less productive – whether you’re reading multiple lecture notes or studying while chatting with a friend. ‘Because only one task is being focused on at once, it means that we miss things, make mistakes and slow down on all of the tasks we’re switching between’, Dr Clark says.

Research backs this up – students who use their smartphone or watch TV while studying or listening to lectures tend to have get less done, retain less information and achieve lower marks than students who don’t multi-task.

How to study efficiently

The most effective strategy is to focus on one thing at a time. Just. One.

‘Avoid distractions and interruptions – close your email, don’t answer your phone and make it clear you’re not to be disturbed,’ Dr Clark says. ‘Allocate  blocks of time for each task  and ensure you focus only on the assigned task during the allotted time.’

If there are simple tasks that can be automated through practice, you might be able to complete two tasks at the same time. For anything challenging, new or varied, however, ‘allocate as much of your attention to one task at a time as you can,’ says Dr Clark.

Feeling stressed? Try these tips

While stress is a normal part of managing competing demands, if your study load is making you feel out of control, try these tips to de-stress:

• Identify early warning signs. Notice the signs in your body that indicate stress is becoming a problem – such as muscle tension, headaches, poor sleep or irritability.
• Know your triggers. It can help to write a list of the situations or factors that tend to affect you.
• Make time to relax. This will help your body and nervous system to settle when you feel your stress levels increasing.
• Stick to routines, such as regular times for exercise and relaxation, mealtimes, waking and bedtimes.
• Eat plenty of healthy food and get regular exercise.

Ask for help

If you start to feel overwhelmed, the below services are free and available to all Deakin students:

• Make a Zoom appointment with a Deakin Language and Learning Adviser  to discuss your approach to work and learn how to complete your assignments on time.
• Check out the  DeakinWELLBEING app , which includes interactive tools, videos and podcasts that can enhance relaxation, focus, energy, mood and productivity in minutes.
• Have a confidential chat with one of our student mental health experts from Deakin’s  Counselling and Psychological Support service  or check out our  Ask Counselling  online blog for advice.

Edited version of an article originally published in  this .

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How to complete when you have lots of assignments ?

Assignment Juggling Mastery: Strategies to Efficiently Navigate and Excel When Facing a Pile-Up of Academic Tasks.

Managing multiple assignments can be overwhelming. However, with effective strategies and time management, you can complete them successfully. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to manage and complete multiple assignments on or before the given deadlines:

1. Prioritize Your Assignments:

- Start by identifying which assignments are due. Prioritize them based on deadlines. Consider factors like the complexity of the assignment, the amount of research required, and your familiarity with the topic.

2. Break Down Each Assignment:

- Divide each assignment into smaller, manageable tasks. It could include researching, outlining, writing, revising, and proofreading. Breaking down assignments into smaller steps makes them less intimidating.

3. Create a Schedule:

- Develop a detailed schedule or to-do list that outlines when you'll work on each assignment. Allocate specific time slots for research, writing, and editing. Be realistic about the time needed for each task.

4. Set Goals:

- Establish daily or weekly goals for completing portions of your assignments. Setting achievable milestones will help you stay on track and motivated.

5. Minimize Distractions:

- Find a quiet and focused workspace to minimize distractions. Turn off social media notifications and other distractions while working on assignments.

6. Use Time Management Techniques:

- Techniques like the Pomodoro Technique (working in focused intervals with short breaks) can improve productivity and prevent burnout.

7. Start Early:

- Begin working on assignments as soon as they are assigned. Procrastination can lead to stress and lower-quality work.

8. Utilize Resources:

- If you encounter challenges with a particular assignment, seek help from professors, or you can opt for platforms offering Assignment Help USA . Don't hesitate to ask questions when you're unsure about a task.

9. Stay Organized:

- Keep all your assignment-related materials well-organized, including research notes, outlines, and drafts. Use digital tools or physical folders to manage your resources.

10. Avoid Multitasking:

- Focus on one assignment at a time. Multitasking can reduce the quality of your work and increase stress levels.

11. Take Breaks:

- Allocate short breaks between tasks to recharge your mind. Use this time to stretch, walk, or do something enjoyable to prevent burnout.

12. Stay Healthy:

- Maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. Physical and mental well-being are crucial for effective time management and productivity.

13. Review and Revise:

- After completing an assignment, take the time to review and revise your work. Check for errors and improve the overall quality of your assignment.

14. Seek Extensions if Necessary:

- If you encounter unexpected challenges or circumstances that hinder your ability to complete an assignment on time, consider requesting an extension from your professor. Be sure to provide valid reason/reasons and request it before the deadlines mentioned in the instructions.

15. Celebrate Your Achievements:

- Acknowledge your accomplishments along the way. Reward yourself for meeting milestones and completing assignments. Positive reinforcement can boost motivation.

You must remember that effective time management and organization are crucial to completing multiple assignments successfully. Following these steps and maintaining a proactive approach to your coursework can reduce stress and produce high-quality work within your deadlines.

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An approaching deadline is a source of worry for most students! What if you realize you have an assignment due for submission tomorrow, and you haven’t even started writing it? It will put you in a state of worry! Right? 90% of students, in this case, started searching google or asking friends how to do an assignment in a day? 

Well! It’s time to put your worries aside as you have hit the right place. We have written this blog solely to answer this query and help you get stress free. After reading this blog, you can quickly write your assignment in a day. It seems Interesting, right? Keep reading to find out the recommended tips by experts!

13 Tips for you- How to do an Assignment in a Day!

With no further ado, you can dive right into the steps to know, “How to do an assignment in a day?”

1. A Productive Start to Your Day

When you ask how to do an assignment in a day, the first step would be to give a productive start to your day. Start your day off with a nutritious and energizing breakfast to provide your body and mind with the energy to stay organized and productive. You are now ready to begin working on your task. The most crucial step is to choose a suitable workplace, as this will ensure that you complete the task on time. It is preferable to turn off your phone and go somewhere peaceful, where you will not face any disturbance.

2. Plan Your Time

When your deadline is approaching, students often start writing assignments. But it is not the right way! To achieve optimal productivity, create a plan of action by dividing the time left in hand for doing different tasks. For example, if you only have 8 hours available, allocate an hour for research, two hours for brainstorming ideas and organizing points, four hours for writing the assignment, and an hour for proofreading and editing.

3. Overcome the Distractions

Do you feel that social media consumes all your time, but you can’t stop using it? Let me share a fact! Studies have shown that social media sites and other texting applications are two of the most common roadblocks to completing your homework before the deadline. To meet the deadline, you must try to overcome distractions in your life. Log off of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and do not speak with your buddies on Whatsapp for some time, as they will stop you from completing your assignment on time.

4. Understand the Topic and Read the Guidelines

Every assignment is usually centered on a single topic, and depending on the nature of the topic, students must provide an objective or subjective response. As a result, it’s critical to comprehend the problem and know what you’re supposed to write in the assignment. Also, read your professor’s directions carefully because you get all the requirements you must follow while completing the assignment. Therefore, you can prevent making serious errors in your assignment by spending a few minutes comprehending the topic and reading the instructions. 

5. Establish Deadlines

Establishing deadlines helps you effectively manage your time. Effective time management can make a huge difference in your ability to succeed. Set a deadline for every task you perform (for example, brainstorming, generating an outline, writing the entire assignment, and complying with the specific guidelines of your professor) and stick to your schedule. Remember to take some time out to refresh your head. Otherwise, you will not be in a position to complete your work.

6. 1-hour Extensive Research on the Topic

Although it may appear counterintuitive, students can conduct significant research on any topic in just one hour. Read all you can get your hands on regarding the subject to add to your knowledge bank. It will help if you read multiple perspectives and viewpoints on the same issue by skimming through pages of books and articles online. It guarantees that you have compiled all the essential details regarding the subject without going into extensive analysis. In less than an hour, you’ll have read all of the resources on the subject that will help you create your perspective. It is the best technique to conduct research when short on time.  

7. Make a Rough Note of all the Points you want to Include

After you’ve completed your research and written all the vital points, it’s time to brainstorm and consider the facts and data that will help you create your perspective. Make a list of all the points you wish to cover in your assignment. This stage ensures that you don’t get caught in your thoughts and don’t waste time reiterating your opinions when writing.

8. Form a Skeleton of your Assignment

Do you know what the skeleton of an assignment is? An introduction, a thesis statement, the body of the assignment, and a conclusion. Therefore, before you begin writing, make a skeleton by outlining all of your ideas and points on paper.

9. Spend Time Creating a Good Hook for your Introduction Paragraph

It is finally time to write after completing the preparation, researching, brainstorming, and constructing the skeleton of the paper. The way you begin an assignment significantly impacts your score. It is critical for you to develop an intriguing first sentence or the hook to make your assignment enticing. Avoid introduction paragraphs to ensure originality and creativity.

10. For Writing Assignments, Logically Listing Points in Order

Following the introduction, you must logically list all the points to support your argument. It will ensure content flow in the assignment.

11. Conclude Strongly

Always make it a point to finish your assignment with a strong note, especially while writing a research paper. It would help you score high if you reiterated the main ideas in your assignment conclusion. 

12. Take Small Breaks When you Feel Exhausted

When you work till the wee hours to finish an assignment at the last minute, your mind and body will be exhausted. As a result, it will affect the quality of your work. Therefore, it’s critical to take small pauses now and again to avoid fatigue. 

13. Proofread and Edit

The last step to how to do an assignment in a day. Proofreading is a must if you are dealing with Online Assignment writing services . After you’ve completed the writing process and taken a small break, proofread your piece to look for and correct grammatical and logical errors. If you find any issues, trim them immediately to ensure that your assignment is error-free. Besides, you must dwell time to ensure that your assignment is factually correct.

Hassle-Free Assignment Writing Experience with TutorBin!

If the fear of deadlines does not let you write your assignment in a day, we have a piece of good news for you. At TutorBin, we relieve all your stress and give you a hassle-free assignment writing experience. Our assignment helper ensures that all your requirements get fulfilled. If you have a question like “How to do an assignment in a day?”- TutorBin is the solution to your query. We have a pool of expert tutors in here for making impeccable assignments for you.

They will craft your assignment to the instructions given by your institutes & help you fetch high grades. Not just that, they understand the consequences of missing deadlines. Hence, they ensure to deliver it before the deadline.

Final Verdict

Though we don’t advocate leaving your assignment till the last minute, we hope that this post will assist all students who are terrified of deadlines. It will be a boon for the students who don’t know how to do an assignment in a day.

If you found this article helpful and are searching for similar content regularly, TutorBin is there for you. We share such content regularly to help you with your studies. We wish you luck in your academic endeavors!

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Jeffrey Epstein secret transcripts: Victim was asked, Do you know 'you committed a crime?'

The Jeffrey Epstein saga began — and could have ended — in Palm Beach County, Florida, in 2006. The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Network, sued in 2019 to find out why it didn't. Now, secret documents detailing what happened 17 years ago when Epstein was indicted on only a single prostitution charge are public.

After a nearly four-year court battle to obtain secret grand jury materials in the Jeffrey Epstein case , The Palm Beach Post has documents in hand and reporters are poring over them to see why the serial sexual predator wasn't stopped by the first prosecutor to consider criminal charges against him.

The Post sued for the release of the materials after it found in its 2019 investigation that then-Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischer undermined his own case against Epstein in 2006. His office never spoke with any of the victims, according to state attorney documents, and once Epstein's famous defense attorneys came to town, his office quit communicating regularly with police.

No longer secret: Jeffrey Epstein 2006 grand jury documents are public. Read for yourself what happened

Read the 2019 investigation: How Jeffrey Epstein's first prosecutors failed his victims, seeing them as prostitutes

In a highly unusual move, Krischer convened a grand jury, which is secret except in extraordinary circumstances, to consider criminal charges against Epstein. During the proceedings, prosecutors questioned two victims, the grand jury documents show. Sources told The Post prosecutor Lanna Belohlavek questioned a 14-year-old girl. Belohlavek then undermined her own witness by using her MySpace pages, which were supplied by defense attorneys and appeared to depict drinking, drugs and simulated sex.

Yet that 14-year-old girl, stood up to a man who hobnobbed with the likes of former Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton.

USA TODAY Network exclusive: Never-before-seen Jeffrey Epstein biography surfaces

The grand jury indicted Epstein on only one charge — felony solicitation of prostitution, what a "john" would face propositioning an adult sex worker. The mysterious outcome did not address the fact that police say they found multiple incidents of sexual abuse of about two dozen underage girls.

Palm Beach police thought the crimes were more extensive. They'd found five minors who were victims and whose accusations could prompt criminal charges, according to the law at the time. Seventeen witnesses, many of whom were 16 or 17 when Epstein abused them, could have backed up their stories, which were strikingly similar.

This survivor wanted documents released: Jeffrey Epstein victim goes public: ’I want to know why’

Charges recommended by police could have put Epstein in prison for decades. He ended up spending 13 months in jail and left six days a week, 12 hours a day, on work release.

The outcome of the grand jury proceeding and another prostitution charge that Epstein pleaded guilty to allowed him to traffic, rape and molest underage girls for 11 more years after he pleaded guilty. One victim's attorney estimates Epstein abused at least 500 victims.

Jeffrey Epstein victim was asked, Do you know 'you committed a crime?'

When the Palm Beach County assistant state attorney presenting her case concerning Epstein to a 2006 grand jury, she asked a child testifying whether she was aware "you committed a crime,” according to the secret transcripts made public Monday.

The grand jury came up with only one solicitation of prostitution charge against Epstein that didn't reflect the ages of the victims who testified.

The girl told Belohlavek that she was 14 when she went to Epstein's mansion in Palm Beach and that she was 16 when she testified.

A juror asked the girl: “Do you have any idea, deep down inside of you, that you -- what you’re doing is wrong?” A: “Yeah. I did.”

Juror: “Have you set the goals to not do it anymore?”

Juror: “And you’re well aware that -- what you’re doing to your own reputation?”

A: “Yes. I do.”

Lanna Belohlavek: “You’re aware that you committed a crime?”

A: “Now I am.

What more we could learn from the 2006 Jeffrey Epstein grand jury transcripts

What charges did grand jurors have to choose from? What was the most serious charge on the menu given to them by the prosecutors?

Were the charges that had been recommended by the Palm Beach police on the list? Those included one count of lewd and lascivious molestation and/or four counts of unlawful sex with a minor, all second-degree felonies that had the potential to put Epstein away for 75 years.

The state attorney's office said at the time that grand jurors could choose from the most serious charges to the least serious but has never said what they were.

What about all of the victims Palm Beach police found?

Was there testimony or even questions indicating police found multiple victims?

Two victims took the stand, but did Assistant State Attorney Belohlavek question Palm Beach police detective Joseph Recarey about others? Police had found roughly two dozen young women and girls who described sexual abuse at Epstein's Palm Beach mansion.

What about the age of the victims testifying in the Jeffrey Epstein case?

Was it clear to grand jurors that one of the victims who testified was underage? The question is relevant because the solicitation of prostitution charge did not reflect the fact that she was a minor. It was a charge a "john" would face when soliciting an adult sex worker.

It did, however, label her a prostitute. State law at the time recognized 18 as the age of consent, but also allowed children her age to be charged with prostitution — and Krischer had charged children with prostitution more than once.

Jeffrey Epstein grand jury documents: Read for yourself what happened

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Knowing that most students submit assignments right around the deadline, is it advisable not to set deadline that is very late at night?

Like many on this site, I use a Moodle-type online Content Management System to give assignments to my students, and receive the finished work for grading. This is in a traditional context where the students are physically present in the classroom, and the online part is seen as a simple tool to be used in addition to the classic paper-based route. Students' first class for the day usually begins at 8 a.m.

For the last few years, I put the deadline for assignment acceptance at midnight, with plenty of time (2-3 weeks) to do the work, so each student can handle his/her workload as they wish. These are young adults aged 18-25, and are in theory very much responsible for their acts. Observation gives us actual hand-in times with approximately the following distribution:

• 1-2 days before deadline: 5%
• 3-24 hours before: 10%
• 1-2 hours: 10%
• less than 1 hour: 65%
• emails in distress after the deadline has expired saying they have encountered a computer glitch or some other excuse: 10%

Which I guess is about par for the course. :-(

So it is clear that while in theory these students are responsible young adults, in practice they tend to plan ahead in a less than stellar way. The impression that is perceived is that the online nature of the submission system makes students take slightly more liberties with deadlines than when assignments had to be handed in, in a face-to-face situation - although it is clear that even then there will always be a certain percentage of people with difficulties respecting deadlines.

OK, here is the question: without getting into considerations on whether students should plan better (and possible ways in which I and other teachers could help them do so), would changing deadline times from midnight to, for example, 10 p.m. be a good move from the standpoint of their getting enough sleep (moral considerations welcome) and actually attending class at the beginning of the next day? Do I get to patent this Great Idea?

No, that last bit was a joke. ;-)

Reactions from people who are not actually teachers, but have experienced this context as a student are also welcome.

I have ended up accepting the answer by Superbest below, basically because I liked his discussion of alternative possibilities. This is a bit subjective, since many other answers are also of very high quality IMHO - and I would certainly encourage the reader to peruse all the answers given here, and the varying points of view expressed (also in comments). Much appreciated.

• online-learning

• 28 I had to take a take-home exam when I was 25. There was no Internet (this was almost 40 years ago). I had to run 3 miles (about 5 km) trying to meet the 8 a.m. deadline. Yes, I was a responsible adult (I swear). No matter what your schedule is, your observed distribution would look about the same. So, I would suggest move the deadline to 8 p.m. so the students would have plenty of time to get on social media or play games after they submit their assignments.;-) –  Nobody Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 8:27
• 19 Considering the concept of deadlines itself, I really like the idea described elsewhere on this site (or on Math Educators) a while ago to slowly worsen the grade of late submissions until they automatically fail. So you can still get a decent grade for submitting 10 minutes late but not for submitting 48 hours late (depending on the total length of the assignment, of course). Also, I think that computer glitches are today’s “the dog ate my homework” and should not be a valid excuse. –  Wrzlprmft ♦ Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 12:41
• 71 One trivial advantage of 10pm over midnight - no danger of someone getting confused over which day is meant! –  Andrew is gone Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 16:05
• 50 As a student, I am usually part of that 65% who turn their hw in last minute, but it's not because it took that long, it's just that I am usually paranoid about handing in something earlier than I have to and then realizing that I made a mistake or could have done better. So, I tend to turn assignments in last minute, although I finished them much earlier. –  dramzy Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 17:19
• 22 As a somewhat recent student, one reason why I often submitted close to the midnight deadline was that evenings and late nights were often when I had the time to work. If a deadline were set to be earlier in the day when I had classes and activities to attend, then I would be much more likely to submit the night before with plenty of time to spare. Then again, that might mean I would just stay up until 3 instead of 12 :) –  David K Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 18:46

18 Answers 18

While I admire your concern for the students, I feel that ultimately your endeavor is quixotic.

To be sure, I see nothing wrong with making your deadline be at 10 pm. It won't change anything, so you might as well. But I wouldn't expect it to have any notable effect, and I would be wary of the slippery slope that leads to you blaming yourself for the students' errors.

The reason I am so pessimistic is that I don't think procrastination and irregular sleep are caused by deadline timing (unless the work demanded is truly overwhelming, but in college it never is ). They are caused by poor personal discipline and bad habits acquired over many years leading up to the present. Regardless of what you do, the procrastinators will still invent ways to procrastinate, because the problem is rooted in their own behavior, not yours. You therefore cannot solve the problem by changing your behavior.

For instance, if you have the deadline at 10 pm, the procrastinator will drop everything that evening to work on your assignment and submit it around 10. Then he will still stay up doing the things he just postponed for the sake of your assignment. Because, recall, this person is not selectively procrastinating on your course only - they have also other courses that have deadlines. Even if all courses had the same early deadline policy, the students would still have their own errands with self-imposed deadlines at later times that they stay up for.

By the same logic that makes you consider 10 pm, we can explore other alternatives:

• 5 pm is a fair time, since it would presumably encourage students to concentrate their last ditch effort in the typical working day. However, there will also be students who have classes right up to the deadline that day, and if they procrastinate (as some certainly shall) they will now skip class to do the assignment, which is arguably worse than staying up!
• Noon is another time that sounds like a good idea. Being too early, you might expect that it will make students feel they have no choice but to start working on it early since the morning isn't nearly enough time, and if they can't finish it the night before they can safely go to bed, get some sleep, and finish in the morning. But realistically, the procrastinators who stay up late and hand it in at midnight now will just start working at 1 am and stay up all night to finish it.
• 9 am can be argued for as a realistic time - it's not like you will start grading at midnight, so there isn't really a point in requiring the assignment by midnight - instead of having the students rush their submission to a deadline just so it could sit in your mailbox for several hours, you could tell them to that you will start grading at 9 am and they should have it done by then. This makes the deadline less arbitrary, since there is now a clear logic to being required to meet it (ie. you will be delayed if they don't do their part). But of course you will again have the same problem of students staying up all night because they procrastinated.

For what it's worth, I think the midnight deadline came about as codification of an unspoken tradition. Often deadlines are given as days, without time - with this, there is always much controversy about what exactly counts as meeting an August 6 deadline: Does it have to be done at the beginning of Aug 6? Does it have to be before the instructor leaves the office? Does it have to be before the end of the day, ie. before you go to sleep? Well, what if you never go to sleep, can you squeeze out a few more hours and still "meet your Aug 6 deadline" by submitting at 3:14 am on [technically] Aug 7?

Even though informally "today" means "until I go to sleep", the convention is that the date changes at midnight, which is also reinforced by how computer clocks show the date. Hence, I think the midnight deadline came about as an extension of this - it's just a date delimiter.

As for the students, since you are concerned about how late they go to sleep, surely you will agree that planning ahead and not leaving everything to the last minute is an important skill to be learned as part of tertiary education. This, then, the students must learn on their own, you cannot help them by tinkering with deadlines, since indeed the deadline is not what is preventing their learning. In fact, one could argue that you should maximize the negative reinforcement, and set the deadline at the worst possible time - say 6 am: The more misery you inflict on the procrastinators, the better they will appreciate how important it is to learn discipline, and the sooner they will take steps to unlearn their bad habits.

Granted, I'm not seriously suggesting you do the above, since it seems like it could go horribly wrong. Realistically, I could instead suggest the following:

• Set your deadline at some reasonable, early time such as noon.
• Secretly (ie. do not tell this part to the students) have the "real deadline" (for instance, the one you lose points for missing) be quite a bit later, say 5 pm.
• In class, say that it is very important they not miss the deadline even by a minute (don't say why), and they should come talk to you if they feel they won't make it.
• When they inevitably come asking for more time, be liberal with the extensions, but not before making them explain why they were late and lecturing them on the importance of planning ahead. When giving the extension, explain that they absolutely cannot miss the extended deadline, because then you would not be able to meet your own deadline for grading (whether true or not).
• If anyone misses the noon deadline (but not the 5 pm deadline), confront them about it to discourage submitting late without asking for an extension (which allows bypassing the social discomfort of asking for more time).

With this, you might create something like a low stakes environment (you don't lose massive points just for being a few minutes late) while still creating a fair amount of social pressure to increase the likelihood of a lightbulb appearing and the student thinking, "Hey, Dr. Ward is very nice and reasonable about deadlines and everything, but maybe it's worth for me to try to stop leaving everything to the last minute?". Furthermore, if you force them into an explicit discussion about their procrastination, they have an opportunity to ask you for advice on how to plan their work.

But all of this requires quite a bit of effort from you (much more than just replacing "midnight" with "10 pm" on your syllabus). So if you are not willing to commit the energy, there isn't really much that can be achieved with quick fixes.

• 3 Basically, you are recommending a holistic approach to the way I use the online platform, am I not correct? ;-) Fair enough. Since I cannot handle the complete discussion in one step, I will be concentrating separately on each aspect. But you are very right to comment on the fact it is a complete process with many aspects to it. –  ALAN WARD Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 20:02
• 44 "...unless the work demanded is truly overwhelming, but in college it never is..." I feel the need to say that this is largely a matter of opinion. What is a piece of cake to one person could very well overwhelm another person. Just because you never got/get overwhelmed by college doesn't mean that nobody does. However, I realize this does not invalidate your answer, nor does it even invalidate the first part of the sentence saying that lack of sleep is probably not tied to the timing of deadlines. –  PrinceTyke Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 12:20
• 6 Imagine a single parent with a full-time job who is also going to school full-time. It is certainly possible that they could get overwhelmed at some point. I like your answer other than that part. –  Benjamin Hubbard Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 14:39
• 5 +1 to @PrinceTyke, -1 to this answer. Overwhelming is a relative term. Also, you're way too pessimistic about people's reasons for their habits and generally the whole thing. –  user541686 Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 21:00
• 3 "and not leaving everything to the last minute is an important skill to be learned as part of tertiary education" -- I learned this is an incredibly effective way of getting s*** done in college. One semester Sundays 8pm - 4am was one problem set, Thursdays 6pm - 6am was another, A's in both courses. Now I go to work and generally do work doing the day so not at night, so it's moot. And as far not procrastinating on things like going to the DMV, getting bloodwork done, paying rent on time, etc., those have nothing to do with things I learned in college. –  user18072 Commented Aug 9, 2015 at 22:19

First of all, I think the distribution that you're seeing is not very unusual, and indeed looks very similar to the distribution of times that I see coming from mature scientists submitting conference papers and grants.

It is simply that people, including your students, tend to overcommit themselves and to underestimate the difficulty of work. When that is combined with tasks on which there is a flexible amount of effort that can be invested (e.g., quality of work on an assignment), it is generally the case that "this work is done" is an ill-defined notion, and instead it gets triaged at some point of time shortly before the assignment. Better and more prepared students (or whoever) simply climb farther up in quality before triaging.

Given that, I generally advocate for a policy of "tight deadlines, lots of mercy." That means setting the deadline slightly before when you really want the assignment turned in, and then being very liberal about accepting requests for extension up until your secret "real deadline."

Addressing your specific question about timing, I think that if you want your students to get more sleep, moving the deadline up a couple of hours is a totally reasonable tactic: given the phenomena at work, it is unlikely to affect the distribution or quality of the assignments you receive. Depending on how your automated system works, you may also be able to explicitly support an official deadline of 10pm, with the de facto ability to leave the submission system open longer to receive the main tranche of "just a little bit late" assignments.

• 3 Yes, this strategy is indeed possible with our (Moodle-based) system. The only point that hinders me in applying it is the fact that students will rapidly become aware of the rules actually being applied. It is worth some thought, though - and the analysis is well appreciated. –  ALAN WARD Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 12:12
• 81 I think this is unfair to students who take deadlines seriously. If they had problems with a homework, they would turn in what they had shortly before the stated deadline. They lose the points they could have gained if they had known the real deadline, and taken a few more hours. –  Patricia Shanahan Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 13:29
• 28 A good policy they had at my university was staggered penalties. IIRC you'd lose 1 point out of 22 for missing the deadline, no excuses, then another point for each additional 24 hours. So those who overcommit learn a valuable life lesson without their work being completely wasted, and those who plan ahead are rewarded. And if, like me, you discover a catestrophic error 24 hours before deadline, you make a tradeoff between submitting fixed work a day late at -1 point and incorrect work on time at -?? points –  user56reinstatemonica8 Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 14:17
• 21 Set the official deadline to 22:00 and let the system accept submissions until 22:30 - this will not really be unfair to diligent students, because 30min will not likely decide between life&dead - but many students will be happy akin wow... already 21:59 and the internet is slow as hell.... 22:03 uploading - yeah I got lucky it sill worked! –  Falco Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 14:48
• 15 @O.R.Mapper you can easily add this as a benefit rather than penalty - if your submission is more than 3 days before the deadline you get 3 extra points for free. Because with an overall assignemtn time of 3 weeks, most students start to work on the problem 1-2 days before deadline... so either you start early to get the bonus, or you are already one of the late ones and don't complain if someone was 20minutes slower... –  Falco Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 14:51

I would consider a deadline at around 10p.m. very wise and student-friendly. I remember staying up late night as long as the submission system allows to post a new version and polishing the hell out of my assignment, although it probably made little difference.

As a lecturer I have always readily given small extensions to people who asked at least a little (about a day) in advance before the deadline, because I think that this fosters good habits in life: it is OK to fail sometimes, but you should handle the failure responsibly and warn people depending on you in advance.

I like the "tight deadlines, lots of mercy" policy mentioned in another answer (which I think is one of the good solutions). If you are worried that students will learn and exploit this policy, you can have a deadline that is openly less strict: for example subtracting 10 points from the evaluation of the assignment for every hour of delay or letting the students to submit until the next lecture, but for half the points. I experienced this a few times as a student and it was motivational yet forgiving to small lapses.

• 1 Nice solution. I have applied at times a variant, which is to waive the penalty the first time - but not on successive occasions. As you say, I was aiming for the motivational aspect. –  ALAN WARD Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 12:35
• 2 +1 for the second paragraph; this advice is especially useful in professional life. If you have a team of people waiting for 'your piece', then letting them know in advance that you won't have it ready until a day after the deadline is nothing but helpful. At that point, they can work on something else that doesn't need your piece. This applies to group projects especially (university or professional). –  Chris Cirefice Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 15:27

I'd like to add my two cents as a current student with three years of college behind me. In my experience, I've always preferred having a deadline of midnight to a deadline of 10pm because during the school year, I'm often up until midnight regardless, and sometimes my workload requires me to prioritize my assignments in such a way that many things get submitted in the eleventh hour, so to speak. Furthermore, I tend to do much of my work in the late evening, as that's when I personally am able to focus on assignments the best. This experience comes from three years from a Computer Science undergrad, so take it with whatever that information brings. I think the deadline will mean different things to different students regardless of when it actually is, and I think students will still end up submitting just before the deadline is due, but I personally prefer midnight to 10pm.

• 3 Agreed; also as a Computer Science undergrad, our CS labs are usually just about empty between 8 PM and midnight. I don't like to work from home because there are too many distractions, and an empty CS lab at night is the perfect working environment (for me). Those are the only assignments that I put off (which is a bad idea because coding is prone to a million errors for simple mistakes), but for me it makes the most sense to do that. Midnight for me is a good deadline time. –  Chris Cirefice Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 15:29
• 1 I completely agree with the sentiment that an empty (I'll settle for simply sparsely-populated, provided I have some headphones) CS lab at night is the perfect working environment. Putting off programming assignments is awful, but I think the vast majority of CS students do so. I know I do. –  PrinceTyke Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 15:36
• @ChrisCirefice, I have fond memories of allnighters in the computer lab to which I had a key as a graduate student, as regular labs were closed and the machines weren't hopelessly overloaded at night. But there was no staff on hand to unwedge your account (happened regularly as a result of some stupid command combinations). That was time to go home ;-) –  vonbrand Commented Aug 26, 2015 at 20:37

As a PhD candidate who has taught (as in was the primary lecturer, not just a TA) and recently taken classes I have a different opinion than to move assignments to an early time, e.g. 10PM. My solution for a programming intensive class that I taught was to make the assignments always due at 5AM on Saturday. I picked Saturday specifically because if they wanted to stay up late it would not affect attending class that day. My reasoning behind the 5AM time was that the time you make assignments due can actually relate to your late policy.

By making assignments due at 5AM on Saturday I could be very strict about late assignments. My late policy was simple: it's late, it's a zero grade, no exceptions . I had a script that would grab all the assignments at 5:02AM (okay so they got a 2 minute window) and that was the only thing I would look at. If they submitted at 5:04AM it was never graded. If a student would come back and complain that they just missed the deadline my response was simple:

Look you had all night to work on the assignment and you obviously had to stay up extremely late which means you didn't budget your time well or you thought it would be so simple you could do it in a night. Both of those assumptions were wrong. I hope for the next assignment you do not make the same mistake.

Finally, I had a draconian late policy (which might be a bit off topic to the question but is relevant to my answer) for a very simple reason. As a TA who has had to grade countless number of homework assignments, you spend probably about 25% to 50% of your time dealing with the 5% of the assignments that were late, either because you have to schedule a demo on a different day than the rest, or you have to go back to problems to see how you previously took points of for a (semi-)wrong answer, etc. This is a huge unnecessary drain on human resources and can greatly affect research progress. Now this usually doesn't matter if the assignment is just 5 minutes late but by having a strict late policy I avoided all the: "it was only a day late can I get partial credit", arguments and those assignments do add an unnecessary burden on grader/TA.

And as for how this policy works in practice. Per semester, I usually have only one student submit one assignment that is just barely late, say submitted after 5AM and before 5:30AM. The rest get a very clear picture.

I should add that this policy did result in piazza , which we used for class communication, exploding the night the assignment was due but I made it very clear to the students that after 9PM I was not answering any piazza or email questions. If they wanted to use piazza to ask each other questions that was fine but I did not participate.

• 1 Yours seems like yet another good justification for moving the deadline into the middle of a night. The only slight disadvantage that I could see with having it on a Saturday night is that (probably (?)) you aren't going to grade the assignments on Sunday, anyway, and some students may specifically plan to use their weekend, including Sundays, for working on assignments. On the other hand, it might of course help them arrive at a work-on-Saturday-get-a-free-Sunday schedule to some extent. –  O. R. Mapper Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 18:51
• 5 @O.R.Mapper actually it was due on Saturday 5AM specifically so I could use the weekend to grade and have the grades given back by Monday, when the class would meet. This reaffirmed the "its done don't talk to be about an extension" mindset. You could push it back 24 hours so it was due on Sunday at 5AM, same idea basically. –  missimer Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 18:55
• Oh, and one remark on your text: I take it "piazza" is the name of your online submission system, but it suddenly appears somewhat out of nowhere in your last paragraph. –  O. R. Mapper Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 19:18
• 2 @ALANWARD actually the assignments were somewhat large, 3-4 weeks, but I did automate some of the grading as it was a programming class. I would argue that it would work if it took longer to grade as that was not a key thing in my experience just a nice bonus, but I can't say with any level of certainty. If the assignments took longer to grade, perhaps students would argue for the assignment to be extended to include the weekend. –  missimer Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 20:01
• 1 5am on Saturday morning seems an excellent time. Nobody can claim with a straight face that they intended to work until five minutes before the deadline and were a bit too late if the deadline is at 5am in the morning. –  gnasher729 Commented Aug 8, 2015 at 8:26

Without getting into considerations on whether students should plan better [...] would changing deadline times from midnight to, for example, 10 p.m. be a good move from the standpoint of their getting enough sleep.

Most likely, yes, students on average would get more sleep. I was TAing a class last term (a computer science class for 4th-year undergraduate students in college), the weekly assignment deadline was 10 AM on Sunday. Here is the typical submission time cumulative distribution we would get:

As we discussed with the professor when to set the deadline, we simply based our decision on when the assignments would be graded, and left students freedom to organize their schedule. While some need to sleep early, others prefer to work at night.

• 4 Please, is the graph cumulative? Does it show number of submissions submitted until time t or number of submissions submitted around time t ? –  yo' Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 7:56
• 1 @yo' cumulative –  Franck Dernoncourt Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 15:44

I suggest the opposite course of action by moving the deadline further into the night. Set it at a time where no-one voluntarily would want to hand in their work. In my opinion, that is the best incentive to have them reconsider their personal scheduling.

As for the online system, you write:

The impression that is perceived is that the online nature of the submission system makes students take slightly more liberties with deadlines than when assignments had to be handed in, in a face-to-face situation

I suspect this is coupled to how the online system is generally presented, as I have made the opposite experience. We generally communicate a very strict "hand in via the system, or do not hand in at all" policy. That is, e-mails will generally not be accepted as an alternative to submission via the system (as long as the system is not actually having internal technical issues). As opposed to e-mails, where there is always a certain leeway for asking for exceptional treatment along the lines of "the e-mail sent at 09:59 was routed in a way so it only arrived at 10:01", when the online system is announced to close down at 10, it will automatically close down at 10 (ideally, while displaying the server time in its web-based interface). This way, non-uniform acceptance of delayed submissions between different instructors for one class is avoided.

although it is clear that even then there will always be a certain percentage of people with difficulties respecting deadlines

Indeed, unfortunately, that is unavoidable - but as being able to stick to deadlines is one of the factors expected of a professional, these people simply will not get their degree in the end.

would changing deadline times from midnight to, for example, 10 p.m. be a good move from the standpoint of their getting enough sleep (moral considerations welcome) and actually attending class at the beginning of the next day?

I would somewhat doubt it. A pattern that I seem to perceive in people around me, both students and non-students, is that either they work until late at night and are very exhausted from that, or they work slightly shorter, are not totally exhausted ... and instead stay up doing whatever they like doing until they are equally exhausted. Maybe yours is not even the only deadline in the same evening, and changing your deadline only changes the order in which the tasks will be treated. I simply do not see a strong connection between your submission deadline and the time they actually go to bed.

EDIT: Reading Ángel's answer made me aware that it cannot be taken for granted in an online submission system that students can replace their submission once they have uploaded something. I consider such a feature essential. I am fully in favour of encouraging students to plan thoroughly and be on time, but if a satisfactory submission that solves the declared task has been made well within the deadline, I see no point in disallowing the respective student from replacing it with an updated version that is even a bit more tidy or well-explained.

• Interesting take on the problem. You make an assessment of the email system that corresponds very well to what we have observed here: it is just does not precise enough (as regards timing) to use it for submissions. However, as regards enforcing a very strict system, unfortunately some excuses will inevitably be receivable ("my father just died" has happened to me - and it was actually true :-( ). So, we are back to the dilemma of where do we draw the line between receivable and non-receivable reasons. Hmmm... some flexibility seems unavoidable. –  ALAN WARD Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 14:08
• @ALANWARD: Well, it may be a question of how obvious the path to stating the excuses are. E-mail is a means of communication, and accordingly, students may readily use it not only to submit their homework, but also to communicate why it is arriving late. A web-based submission form that does not allow for any "message", on the other hand, may not to the same extent signal readiness to accept any additional information, and it is primarily only students that actually have compelling reasons for excuses that will, in addition to the submission, send a message some other way. With that said, ... –  O. R. Mapper Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 14:11
• ... in cases like the one you alluded to we usually do not extend the submission deadline, but rather tell the respective people to wait until the end of the semester. Should they be missing points compared to the score required for "passing" the course, we can work something out then (e.g. a brief oral exam, or an extra task, ...). That minimizes the administrative hassle and does not imply any penalty for the student. (Of course, it works only if the overall course result is binary, or discrete enough for a missing submission not to have any effect.) –  O. R. Mapper Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 14:14
• @O.R.Mapper, passing is not sufficient for most students in the US. Grades are basically numerical scores in the end, so good students have the right to try to maximize them. I agree that we can accommodate true emergencies, but it often has to be in a way equivalent to them having handed in on time. –  Bill Barth Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 15:57
• @BillBarth: In such a case, a more immediate solution is probably adviseable indeed. In my place, the system mostly works by each course coming with assignments during the semester from which a score can be accumulated, and only if a minimum score is reached from those assignments (thus making this a binary choice), the student is allowed to take the exam on the course, which will then result in a grade (a numerical score) that will form a part of the final degree grade (also a numerical score). Hence, there are some places where binary decisions sometimes appear, as a preliminary step. –  O. R. Mapper Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 16:07

Remember: it's not your duty to clean your students noses and make sure they submit everything on time or weeks before the deadline. If you want to be merciful you can apply increasing penalties or you can set a hard cutoff if you're not feeling merciful. You'll probably get less pleading emails and headaches if you apply a sliding scale of penalties but it's up to you and you shouldn't feel you have to.

You have no duty to hand everyone a pass. Don't feel bad if some people screw themselves over by not submitting on time.

I encountered lots of variation as a student and have few strong feelings about it though I always somewhat preferred late-night deadlines because I worked better in the evening.

As long as the deadlines don't change: the only time a deadline ever pissed me off was when the professor kept changing it. 3 weeks, no 2 weeks, no 4 weeks, no 1 week etc.

• 2 You have no duty to hand everyone a pass. He is being paid to teach them. So you could say it is his duty to have as many pass as possible. Every failed student is a failed teacher, to some degree. –  Jonathon Commented Aug 10, 2015 at 17:37
• 3 @JonathonWisnoski no, if he was teaching 4 year olds that might be true but at collage the students are adults. He's being paid to provide an opportunity to learn and an opportunity for the person to prove they've learned. If people don't take one or the other opportunity when provided with a fair chance that is 100% on them. Universities also provide a third service to the rest of society: They certify that their graduates were competent enough to pass a university course. If they pass someone too inept to hand in assignments they've failed utterly in that last duty. –  Murphy Commented Aug 10, 2015 at 19:16

I have dealt with this issue in setting closing times for Webwork assignments, which is a kind of online Content Management System specific to mathematics.

After having tried out various times, I have converged on 7pm. Why?

Originally I had it due at 5pm. There is something about 5pm that is hard to complain about: in the US it is widely regarded as the end of the work day. It is the latest in the day you could set a meeting or an appointment without apologizing or confirming in advance that it is okay. There is a wide cultural feeling that people should be working until 5pm, at which point they want to go home.

Well, I said hard to complain about. The complaints I got were that people were submitting their solutions at 4:59:47 and not getting accepted by the system. Such complaints are very hard to verify (especially if you don't try) and pretty annoying. So what I said was, "You should think of the assignment as being due at 5pm and work accordingly. The extra two hours is a grace period that will nullify any technical difficulties."

Two other benefits of having roughly this due time:

1) If students want to ask questions before it's due (or rather, until 5pm), those questions will come during my normal work day. I might get a chance to answer them, and I certainly will not resent them. It can be annoying to get an email at 11:47pm for an assignment which is due at midnight with the implication that if you do not reply in time you are impeding their learning.

2) I post the solutions after a two hour delay. This time frame makes it more feasible to push back the due date a few hours before the deadline if that really seems like a good idea. If the due time were, say, 3 am, this would not be as convenient.

• 6 As a current student and full time worker I think 5 pm is way too early for a due date, this would force me to have to finish the assignment the night before because I work all day. I think midnight is much more flexible and fair to night owls like me –  reggaeguitar Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 15:41
• 7 @reggaeguitar: Yes, part of the point of this due time is to discourage students from waiting until the last day. There is no problem in finishing the assignment the night before. The number of late nights that you have to do the assignment is the same. –  Pete L. Clark Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 15:55
• 2 Also, I should clarify that this policy was for a course taught in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Georgia. Students who work all day could not attend such courses, since they are only scheduled during the 8am-5pm work day. –  Pete L. Clark Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 16:00
• 3 I've been a procrastinator my whole life and never run into problems because of it; I wait until the last day for literally all of my assignments. In my opinion the teacher's job is to teach, not to "discourage students from waiting until the last day". –  reggaeguitar Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 16:09
• 10 @reggaeguitar: Many instructors believe that encouraging students to spend more time rather than less engaging the material is one of the most important parts of the teaching process. If you stay in academia long enough, you will unavoidably receive assignments that it is literally impossible to complete in a single day, e.g. a PhD dissertation. Even as an undergraduate, if you never receive assignments that require more than one day of work, you are probably missing out on some important learning experiences. Consider whether you are taking courses that really challenge you. –  Pete L. Clark Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 16:17

The system is flexible precisely for allowing that. For those 65% students sending in-the-hour, you can't know if they did it at 23:00 or if they had the assignment ready in their hard disk for a week, but didn't hand in until then.

I agree they are probably doing the work at 23:00, but a big point to take into account shall be their other duties . If yours was their only commitment, the graphic would probably change, but other subjects will be placing their own tasks, they may be practising sports, etc.

The main reason for delaying a task was having many other assignments due earlier. I should also note that if you open a task before it has been fully explained, it will actually deter from trying to complete it early, since you transmit the idea that "it can't be done yet".

I would keep the late hour, or perhaps even move it later (the 5 AM proposal is a good idea).

(Hint: Never place a deadline at day X at 00:00 but to day X-1 at 23:59, there's a big UI factor there)

Another option I initally liked was to place it at 7:59 the next day (just before the begin of the next day), but it has the drawback that you may delay the "final submit" when you wake up, and fail for a "computer error". OTOH, you may allow that way that they can hand it in manually to you the next day (or if your class is at 11:00, the deadline could be at 10:59, thus you can start the class asking for phisical submission of anyone that otherwise failed).

Another point to ids that you should allow, if supported by your platform, multiple "draft" uploads. Make clear that you won't be viewing them (until the deadline passes). Thus, you can submit the almost-ready work, and if there's a catastrophic failure after it gets the final revision, the draft would be considered final (you may eg. miss some spell-checking fixes).

A problem I identified is that as you are only allowed to submit once, you delay for the final version, even if it's almost ready, and then problems kick-in like "it takes too long to upload", "you included too many graphics in png, and the generated file is now over the size limit" (and you end up rushing to change all of them to jpeg). Limits which are not always clearly stated (eg. an email filesize limit, the webmail taking forever for accepting an upload...).

I would also accept that they commit a hash of their work in case they have some upload problem (although your students need to be a bit computer-savvy for that). [They provide before the deadline a hash of the file they are going to turn in, so there's no way they can provide a different file later, even if the upload fails at that point in time]

If you want to encourage early submission, I would provide bonus points for submitting early. Sending an automatic reminder to people who hasn't submitted yet may also improve the submission times (the right timing is very important here, though. The due date shouldn't be far away, and the email should be received at an , you are unlikely to remember at home -or in the weekend!- the email reminder received on Monday morning).

PS: There are cases where the students program meeting during a break previous to the class for doing the task, so I don't think it is right to consider that they take "more liberties with [online] deadlines than when they are handed in in a face-to-face situation".

• I somewhat disagree with your examples for other duties. While it is true there are also other courses with assignments as a part of the studies, at least at my place, university rules generally make it very clear that studying a major is a full-time job that must be granted the first priority in the student's life. Part-time jobs, if any, and hobbies such as practising sports have to be scheduled in a way so as to not conflict with the university courses. At least in such a setting, only another university assignment can serve as a valid excuse. Good point about the option to submit ... –  O. R. Mapper Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 18:43
• ... several versions of an assignment, though. In my answer , I had taken that option for granted, but I will add a remark that such a feature is essential and should always be there. –  O. R. Mapper Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 18:44
• 2 @O.R.Mapper, I was not talking about additionally having a job, but different subjects, all of them setting tasks and fighting for the student time. At least in my experience, teachers tend to be completely unaware of each other assignments, and there's not even one with a whole view of the students duties (even for a "classic" students with the expected subjects). –  Ángel Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 19:28
• @O.R.Mapper And I mentioned sports as a reason for scheduling the assignments late at night. So, with the original midnight deadline, you could plan ahead and probably prefer to practise X at 7pm, after all university courses, and do the assignment later at night, instead of doing the assignment early and playing football at 1am ;) –  Ángel Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 19:32
• Interestingly enough, I can take your comments to heart since I have recently passed another Master's at an online university. This last semester I had four subjects. Most assignments were due on precisely the same day, and the others within a three-day window. So, I agree teachers do not (and perhaps cannot) reliably take into account other subjects' calendars. This is perhaps an area where online systems should allow us to better synchronize, but the underlying problem is complex when handling a large number of subjects and an even larger number of students. –  ALAN WARD Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 19:57

I think midnight is reasonable. I've been known to set certain cut off times with the same thing in mind. My students had to have their online workbooks done by 2:00 am when I started realizing some of them were working on them all night long the night before the test (traditionally due by the start of the test). Because our department policy was 50% late credit for those assignments, I would tell them to just stop at 2:00 and get sleep and take the test fully rested, and finish up their (now late) work the next day.

Back in the day, I'd tend to turn in papers at the last minute, but only because I wanted to have the maximum amount of "rest time" between writing it and doing a final check for those typos you can only find after removing yoursef a bit, so I'd caution against saying they're rushing the writing bit just because they turn it in at the last minute.

The only way you can address people trying to rush to finish an assignment is to have periodic due dates for particular elements of the paper. Not knowing your subject, you could do something like this (not necessarily in sequential days, of course):

• Day 1: general topic defined
• Day 2: preliminary bibliography
• Day 3: 25% ish written
• Day 4: 75% ish written
• Day 5: Completed copy

The first four days could just be checks (rather than graded) so as to not add to your workload.

• OK, basically you are giving the student a bit of extra guidance as to how to manage their time doing the final assignment. This is certainly actually quite helpful and necessary for some students, but perhaps a tad complicated since you now need to think about late submissions for each element of the paper. What happens if the general topic is still in a state of limbo on the day the bibliography is due? Can the students submit the two together? Must they? Decisions, decisions... ;-) –  ALAN WARD Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 19:46
• 2 Do not do this except for very long assignments, and do not do this unless you plan on giving the students feedback on each submission they can use to improve the next (and final) product. Don't assume you can manage your student's time better than they can themselves. They have a lot more information about how they work and their schedule than you ever can. I worked full time to pay the mortgage and feed the kids when I was in school. Any attempts at help like this generally resulted in more late (or sleepless) nights as it forced me to work on the instructor's schedule rather than my own. –  Mr.Mindor Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 22:36
• @Mr.Mindor if a student has a personal situation and communicates it with me in advance, I'm generally willing make reasonable exceptions to policy for them. But when I've tested distributed due dates versus the single one, student evals (and, honestly, quality of work) pushed me towards preferring distributed dates for work. If due dates posted well in advance, a working student can get things done likewise well in advance or make any other adjustments they need. –  user0721090601 Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 23:09

I don't think you should be choosing between 10pm and midnight at all; deadlines should not be in the middle of the night, or the small hours of the morning, or at the weekends or... any time outside a standard working day.

Students are not just at university to get grades; they are also preparing for the rest of their lives in employment and society at large. Also, on the whole, university is not a hobby, it is a full-time job. The messages I'm hearing from your question (and some of the answers) is that it is reasonable to expect to not complete your work until the middle of the night, that it is reasonable to expect others to continue working long after they should have gone home, and that expectations should be adjusted to fit your personal preferences. The last of these will not be true when they start being paid. The other two I personally think are negatively affecting our society. I've become aware of a battle quietly raging over whether it is acceptable to not work overnight, at the weekend and while on holiday.

• Indeed, some active professionals seem be "on duty" 24h/24 and not to have much time for rest and private life at all. I agree this is somewhat not fair. However, I would also like to point out that a student's timetable will typically show some 20+ hours of class, which is not a full work day. If students choose to program their personal study and homework within the 9-to-5 span, fair play to them - they are showing self-discipline which will probably end up in good results. But if they prefer working at night ... I guess I agree with many that is not my business. –  ALAN WARD Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 7:26
• Sorry, no, this is not how it works at many places. University is worse than the true company quite often in that they put really varying workload on the students. Sometimes you get loads of free time, and sometimes you work hard and you can't get around it. Ignoring this as a teacher is plain wrong. Many people simply do work late nights and for students, this is more than usual. It is also given by the fact that at their age, they easily get used to such lifestyle etc. -- this is also not true in industry. –  yo' Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 7:54
• None of that has anything to do with setting a deadline at a sensible time of day rather than in the night time. You can do your work in the night if you want, but you have to do it the night BEFORE the deadline. arguing that the workload varies for students is not relevant to moving a deadline by a few hours, if they're getting at least a week to do the work. –  Jessica B Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 18:38
• And the reason many academics work all night and weekend is it's the only time they can get on with their jobs without students pestering them about the assignments. –  Jessica B Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 18:39
• 2 Young people are typically on a later schedule than older adults, which is one reason they shouldn't be coerced into a 9-5 schedule. –  user18072 Commented Aug 9, 2015 at 22:28

Personally, from my experience as a student, I think midnight is a good deadline. Many students have jobs and other obligations and a midnight deadline gives them time to come home from work, have dinner and unwind and then spend a few hours double checking the assignment before they hand it in.

Moving the deadline to 10pm may not give enough time to students who work.

• 2 well, they have got enough time ... the day before ... and the day before that ... and ... –  yo' Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 7:54
• Almost all comments here from students state that they like to proofread or double check before handing in. I was not referring to actually doing the assignment but just a double check. –  confused Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 17:02

I recommend that you set the deadline to the time that makes the most sense for you. Arbitrarily setting it earlier or later has no effect on student's time management skills.

As an example, I used to set online homework deadlines to be one hour before the class in which we would go over them started. That way, students wouldn't be trying to work on them until the last minute and would be able to get to class on time. That wasn't out of concern for the students - it was for me. I didn't want to deal with "I was doing the homework" as an excuse, or even a temptation, for being late.

Likewise, setting the deadline earlier would have no benefit to me, and would be arbitrary. I don't know what is going on in my students lives, and giving them the maximum possible time to finish the assignment gives them the freedom to manage their time as they see fit.

The only time I deviated from these rules are when I wanted to make sure that multiple classes had the same amount of time to finish an assignment. In that case, it was still for my convenience, since I wanted to use the homework as an evaluation tool and keeping the length of time to work on it consistent helped with that.

If you think about it, the "real world" works this way too - deadlines are not typically set for the convenience or out of concern for the person doing the work. They are there because someone else (the person determining the deadline) needs the work done by a certain time, or something bad will happen.

That said, it is hard to imagine a situation where "at midnight" is a deadline that makes sense for either you or the students.

• This. If you plan to start grading them at 4pm on tuesday, then that is the deadline. –  RemcoGerlich Commented Aug 10, 2015 at 9:48

Having implemented a 10 pm deadline, I think it works fine. I have two comments to make:

• There is no "neutral" answer here. By selecting an hour you are necessarily nudging students in one direction. We cannot get away with this . I suggest you nudge them towards more sleep, also because of point 2.
• I would be very annoyed if another professor puts a deadline that nudges students to have a short night before my class. Students might skip my lecture or be tired at it for working close to the deadline. As such, I think it is a good practice, for solidarity with other courses, to set an earlier rather than later deadline.

Got interested at the point "Moodle-type" (system); If possible, I would recommend keeping midnight and removing the "hard" deadline, i.e. people can still submit after the deadline, but will be highlighted (at least that's how it works in Moodle) and disable the assignment some time later (e.g. the next day), but state that submissions after the deadline will not be accepted. Why?

• 5min off doesn't matter: you can overlook anyone who has a slow connection / forgot to check the clock on their "final sprint" / or whatever
• If someone submits way too late, you can either outright ignore the submission or reduce their points by some value / percentage (e.g. 10% per day)
• Midnight is feasible for some nights-but-not-overnights-action, so people "learn" there is a deadline, but still can act a litlle short-term-ish

There will be people deliberately abusing this, but in the end, they (could) end up with 0 points.

Seen & used this approach in a few courses (both as student and teacher) and had little to no problems with it.

Clarification Note: I also rarely started grading 1 or 2 days after the deadline, if you cannot afford such a time-frame, such a "tolerant" approach might not be suitable.

Submission time may or may not have anything to do with when a student STARTS the assignment, so even the students turning it in at the last minute may not be under pressure.

As long as you give reasonable deadlines and clearly post them to avoid "gotcha" situations, any deadline you give is certainly fair.

Personally, I usually base deadlines on my needs, but make every effort to give the students the most time I can without creating a burdensome situation for myself or my TAs. For example, if I'd like the TAs to be grading over the weekend, I'll usually make the due date late Friday PM. This way, the TAs have time to assemble their weekend work, and if there are students (actually, teams in my case) that need to be tracked down because there was a problem with the submission, there's still time to do it without impacting the work flow.

• 2 A different issue is whether it is reasonable to expect TAs to grade over the weekend. –  J W Commented Aug 7, 2015 at 17:16

You could also consider setting two deadlines: one deadline for an initial submission, and a second deadline for the final submission. More students might submit the final version shortly after the second deadline, since they would have received a reward: I already completed that much of it .

• 3 You then need to clearly define what counts as an initial submission. Is a header file enough for a programming exercise? What if it doesn't compile? And if you do so, then you essentially turned the assignment into two assignments with separate deadlines. –  liori Commented Aug 6, 2015 at 23:20

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Incoming First-Year students: the deadline to apply for housing accommodations for Fall 2024 is May 15, 2024

Deadline & Attendance Adjustment (DAA)

The Deadline & Attendance Adjustment accommodation is intended for students who experience infrequent disability-related health events that temporarily limit or alter their academic engagement during the semester. It encourages additional flexibility with attendance and/or deadlines when possible without fundamentally altering course objectives. Faculty should apply their general absence policy in cases where a student has a temporary illness or injury, or if they miss class for non-health related reasons. 

On This Page:

Communication and Implementation

General Guidelines

Deadline adjustment, attendance adjustment, communication & implementation.

• Students should schedule a meeting with you to discuss this accommodation’s implementation. They may request that their DAO advisor be present.
• Course staff should document the plan in writing and email it to the student. We encourage you to create your own plan that can be universally applied to all students with this accommodation using the guidance below. Alternatively, you can use the DAO template .  

This accommodation only takes effect once a documented agreement is complete and is not retroactive. 

• This accommodation is intended to be used infrequently and only when there is a disability-related health event that prevents the student from attending class or completing work. 
• Students should not be required to provide a doctor’s letter to faculty since the chronic condition is on record with DAO. 
• The DAA is not designed to support a substantial number of missed classes (sporadic or consecutive) or lengthy assignment extensions. In these cases, reasonable adjustments may not be possible and the student’s final grade may be impacted if they remain in the course. 
• This accommodation is not intended to be used to access classes remotely. If a student requests remote attendance to your class, please direct them to DAO. 
• If a student requests more than 3 absences or extensions of work, please contact DAO to discuss. 
• Remote attendance, asynchronous learning, individualized instruction, course recordings and course notes are not a necessary or required component of any missed classes associated with this accommodation. 
• Grading, attendance, and extension policies are subject to the academic judgment of the faculty. In some situations, you may not believe that additional absences or extensions are appropriate due to the essential requirements of the course. In these cases, please contact DAO to discuss. 
• DAA does not apply to thesis deadlines. Students who experience a disability-related health event should contact DAO and their thesis advisor.  
• DAA does not apply to exams. Students who are unwell on the day of their exam should follow the process outlined in the  Student Handbook (p. 40). 

Deadline adjustments are reasonable extensions on assignments, papers, and projects in the event of an unpredictable disability-related health event that coincides with a communicated deadline.  If a student requests more than 3 extensions of work, please contact DAO to discuss. 

When determining essential requirements of the course related to attendance, please consider the following: 

• What are the classroom practices and policies regarding assignment deadlines and/or late assignments? Have exceptions been made to the policy for non-disabled students or for reasons unrelated to disabilities (e.g. athletic competitions, close relative funerals, or religious holidays)? 
• Is there classroom interaction among students regarding the assignment (i.e. peer review)? Are students required to actively participate in class discussions/activities based off of the assignment? 
• Are students required to work together on the assignment? 
• Are the assignments frequent in nature (for example, weekly), and/or do they build on each other (for example, smaller assignments leading up to a final paper or a series of assignments that build upon one another)? 
• How much time do students have to complete an assignment? Is the assignment information published in the syllabus or given to students during the semester?  
• Are the answers to problem sets or other types of assignments published immediately after the deadline, or is there a delay?  

If the answers to a problem set are published immediately after the deadline, it may be appropriate to consider redistributing the points among remaining work instead of approving an extension. 

If deadline extensions can be accommodated in your classroom, you should document what was communicated to the student either using the DAO template or creating your own plan making sure it specifies the following: 

• Number and length of extensions permitted for all students in the class (as documented in the course syllabus) 
• Number and length of additional extensions permitted if the student experiences a significant flare-up 
• If extensions are possible for some types of work/assignments but not others, please be sure to document this
• What are the communication expectations for requesting an extension (i.e. student must be in touch 24 hours in advance of the deadline)? 

If you believe that deadline extensions beyond those already allowed for in the course syllabus may fundamentally alter the essential requirements of the course, please contact DAO to discuss. 

Attendance adjustments are excused absences in addition to what all students are permitted to miss as outlined in the course syllabus. If a student requests more than 3 absences, please contact DAO to discuss. 

• What is the nature of classroom interactions between the instructor and the students and/or among the students?  
• Do student contributions in class constitute a significant component of the learning process? 
• Does the fundamental nature of the course rely on student participation as an essential method of learning? 
• To what degree does a student’s absence in class constitute a significant loss to the educational experience of the other students in the course? 
• Is there a lab component to the class, or another activity, that is critical to the student’s learning and cannot be recreated at another time?  
• If your course is made up of different types of learning environments (large lecture, small interactive sections, wet lab, etc.), is it possible for a student to be absent from one component of the class but not others?  

If additional absences can be accommodated in your classroom, you should document what was agreed either using the DAO template or by creating your own plan. The following should be specified:  

• Number of absences all students are permitted in the class (as documented in the course syllabus)  
• Number of additional absences a student is permitted if they experience a disability-related absence 
• What the student should do if they need to miss class. What are the communication expectations? We recommend you be as specific, e.g. student must be in touch within 24 hours of the absence 
• Will alternate, equitable activities be assigned to compensate for the loss of class time? If so, how long will the student have to complete them? How should alternate assignments be submitted? 

If you believe that additional absences beyond the stated course policy would fundamentally alter the essential requirements of the course, please contact DAO to discuss. 

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How does the Lightning Lane at Disney World work? What to know before Genie+ changes

It's a busy week for Walt Disney World, between new rides making their debut and changes to their fast pass system.

The theme park's announcement of their  Genie+ system  being replaced by two new systems starting next month certainly grabbed many parkgoers' attentions.

Implemented  back in 2021 , the Genie system served as an in-park planning tool and attraction reservation system. With the addition of Genie+, guests could reserve times to experience attractions for an additional cost, replacing the free Disney FastPass system.

Here's what these upcoming changes are and how they can impact your upcoming Disney vacation.

What is Disney's Lightning Lane? How does it work?

Disney's Lightning Lane entry lets parkgoers bypass the standby queue and join a separate queue for select attraction and entertainment experiences. There will be two new systems starting on July 24 — the Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass.

The Lightning Lane Multi Pass will include the same  rides currently covered by Genie+ . A la carte Lightning Lane Single Passes will be available for the most popular attractions at each park, like  Individual Lightning Lanes .

How does Lightning Lane Multi-Pass and Single Day differ from Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes? 

Starting July 24, guests staying at Disney World’s resort hotels can make selections up to seven days in advance, all at once, for up to 14 days of their stay. Other guests can make selections up to three days in advance. So, say goodbye to waking up at 7 a.m. to book the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or Star Wars Star Cruiser!

Parkgoers will also be able to see prices and select attraction times before purchasing passes “​​so you know what you’re getting.” Currently, guests have to purchase Genie+ before they can see availability. Disney World’s app and website will be updated for easier planning and purchasing.

How many pre-arrival selections can be made with Lightning Lane Multi-Pass or Lightning Lane Single Pass? 

Guests can make up to three advance  Lightning Lane Multi Pass selections  for each day of their trip. Once they arrive at the park and complete their first experience, they can book additional experiences pending availability.

Lightning Lane Single Passes remain limited to two per day, like Individual Lightning Lanes are currently.

Can I book the same rides multiple times in a day? Is the '120' rule still a thing at Disney?

Disney Tourist Blog shares that, just as with Genie+, you won’t be able to book the same Lightning Lane more than once per day.

Frequent parkgoers and Genie+ might recall the infamous "120 rule" which is where you can only make a new selection every 120 minutes or after you have redeemed the previous Genie+ selection, whichever comes first. With the changes to Lighting Lane, the rule is now gone.

Can I make ride selections for multiple Disney parks?

Disney's website shares that once you redeem a selection on the day of your park visit, you can use the My Disney Experience app to choose another multi pass experience in any Walt Disney World theme park, as long as you have a valid ticket with the Park Hopper option or an Annual Pass.

The ability to visit another park is subject to the park’s capacity limitations.

How much is the Lightning Lane at Disney World?

Disney Lightning Lane pricing varies by date and park. There will be no price increase related to these changes.

According to Walt Disney World officials , guests can expect similar pricing to Genie+ when Lightning Lane Multi-Pass launches.

How do I purchase the Lightning Lane Single and Multi-Pass?

Before you purchase a Lightning Lane pass , Disney World officials say you’ll need to do 3 things:

• First, download the latest version of the  My Disney Experience app .
• Connect everyone in your travel group on your Family & Friends list in the My Disney Experience app—so you’ll be able to purchase Lightning Lane passes and make plans for everyone that is eligible.
• Gather your group’s wish list for attractions and experiences. You can save your group’s top picks in the My Disney Experience app using the “My Day” feature.

When you’re ready to purchase Lightning Lane passes, here’s what to do:

• Open the  My Disney Experience app , then tap the Lightning Lane Passes section on the home screen.
• Select a date and theme park.
• If you select a Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you can choose up to 3 Lightning Lane Multi Pass experiences and arrival windows in advance.
• If you select a Lightning Lane Single Pass, you can choose an arrival window in advance.
• Follow all prompts to complete your purchase — and receive a confirmation.
• From the confirmation screen, you can tap “Plan Another Day” to purchase another pass—or tap “View My Day” for details about your Lightning Lane selections.

Can I modify my Lighting Lane Single and Multi-Pass plans?

Yes. Officials advise those to tap the Lightning Lane Passes section on the My Disney Experience home screen to find your plans. Then, you can:

• Change your selected park and/or date in advance (subject to availability)—up until the moment you redeem your first Lightning Lane selection of the day.
• Change each selected experience and/or arrival window in advance (subject to availability)—up until the start of the arrival window

Can Lightning Lane Single and Multi-Pass both be purchased together?

Yes. You can purchase all Lightning Lane passes for your travel party for the same day in a single transaction.

However, the FAQ section of the site notes that Lightning Lane Multi Pass holders can only choose from a variety of eligible multi pass attractions and experiences. For single pass attractions, Lightning Lane entry is  only  available with the purchase of a Lightning Lane Single Pass.

Will Disney Genie still be available?

The free Disney Genie planning tool will still be available for all guests to help plan their trips. The paid Genie+ service is the one changing.

Contributing reporting: Eve Chen, USA TODAY

LOCAL UPDATE: DC Water ends boil water advisory for the District and Arlington County after water meets EPA quality standards

WEATHER ALERT: Prepare for a hot and humid day with possible storms as parts of DC region face poor air quality

What makes these the 100 deadliest days on the road — and what you can do about it

John Domen | [email protected]

July 3, 2024, 5:28 PM

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We are now in the middle of what some road safety advocates refer to as the 100 deadliest days — the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day when millions of Americans hit the road. Whether by car, by bike or on foot, there’s more people traveling, more traffic and more crashes.

Just since Memorial Day, the numbers show people getting hurt in crashes has ticked up slightly. Before Memorial Day, D.C. averaged nine major injuries every 10 days and one fatality every 10 days on its roads, according to city data. Since Memorial Day, there have been 11 major injuries and two fatalities every 10 days.

Approaching the holiday weekend, many Americans will spend the next four days with barbecue and beverages. But a trip to see the fireworks or to the next barbecue is a bad decision if you’ve been imbibing.

“We continue to see about a third of our crashes are tied to impairment,” said Rick Birt, director of the D.C. Office of Highway Safety. “Alcohol, drugs, medication, a lot of things that people don’t think impair them behind the wheel.”

He’s pushing anyone out celebrating the Fourth of July with alcohol or drugs to use the free Sober Ride offer through Lyft from the Washington Regional Alcohol Program , which kicks off at 3 p.m. Thursday.

Even those who are sober when they get behind the wheel, but drive in an aggressive or unsafe manner, will be highly sought after by police.

“We continue to see that speed is a leading cause of fatalities, injuries and crashes,” said Birt. “About one-third of the crashes that happened last summer were tied to speed. So my big message is slow down. It’s not worth it. Speeding does catch up with you.”

He noted D.C. police have been conducting weekly traffic safety checkpoints, and beyond that, the department will be cracking down on speeding the rest of the summer.

“We obviously have a historic investment in our automated traffic enforcement,” Birt said. But D.C. officers are “looking for those dangerous motorists, so slow down to get where you’re going safely. It’s not worth it.”

Birt also pointed out that with more distractions in the car — about a third of drivers admit to using their cellphones while driving — it’s also important for anyone on the road but not in a car to pay attention to what’s going on around them.

More than 2,100 teenagers are killed in car crashes every year, and AAA said 31% of those crashes happen during the summer months, which is why this time of year is referred to as the 100 Deadliest Days. Six of every 10 total crashes involving teens were caused at least in part by distracted driving, the organization said.

D.C. tracks road fatalities on its Vision Zero dashboard .

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© 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

John started working at WTOP in 2016 after having grown up in Maryland listening to the station as a child. While he got his on-air start at small stations in Pennsylvania and Delaware, he's spent most of his career in the D.C. area, having been heard on several local stations before coming to WTOP.

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11 Step Guide on How to do an Assignment in One Day!

If you’ve landed on this article, you probably don’t have much time. So, let’s jump right in with a step-by-step guide on how to quickly finish an assignment in just a single day.

Disclaimer: These tips are meant to help you complete the paper on time with passable quality . It’s going to be very difficult for most people to write an excellent assignment within just a single day. The word count also plays a big part on whether you can successfully do this in time.

If you have multiple assignments that are pending, be sure to also check our broader guide on how to catch up on school work fast .

Table of Contents

Make a rough outline and structure for your paper

You’re going to have to resist the urge to dive write into the writing part and take a few minutes to make a draft outline first. This is the most crucial step for getting to passable quality within a day . This is because you need to make sure that you know what the exact assignment requirements are. You can then write the paper with a focus on covering these points that are going to be essential to the grading.

Find the assignment requirements

This is usually given in a separate file but if you can’t find it, try to look for it in the grading criteria or rubric file, course outline, lecture notes or your teacher may have made notes on Canvas, Google Classroom, LMS etc.

Scan the assignment requirements to quickly find out what your teacher wants

We do have a dedicated guide on how to hack an assignment requirements file to make a quick outline for your paper. We highly recommend you check it out if you have time.

Divide these points into main headings and subheadings

Make a mental note on what should go in each of these sections, check the word count requirement.

Most assignments also have an allowance range of the word count, which is typically 10%. So, if you’ve got a 3,000-word assignment with a 10% tolerance range, then you only need to aim to write 2,700 words. Setting aside 200 words for the introduction and 200 words for the conclusion, you’re only going to need to about 2,300 words of fresh content.

Review the deadline (even if you have done it before)

After doing the previous steps, you should have a rough idea of what needs to go in your paper, which sections you need to focus on, and how long it could take. It is important that you review your deadline again to get some perspective on how much faster than usual you need to be working to complete the paper on time.

Use this as fuel to fight procrastination and resist the urge to take frequent breaks in between!

Set an alarm or reminder for the deadline

You can’t afford the luxury of chasing perfection in your assignment. Regardless of whether you are done with your assignment or not, you need to submit something by the deadline . This is assuming you don’t have a good excuse up your sleeve for not submitting on time, like having an approved deadline extension.

So, to make sure you don’t miss the deadline, make sure to set a reminder at least an hour before the actual deadlin e. You will need some buffer time to clean up any messy parts in your assignment and check for any obvious mistakes.

There is also the possibility that many of your fellow students are also working until the last minute on the same assignment. This means that the submission link could get hit with a lot of traffic and become inaccessible the closer you get to the deadline.

While such technical errors are often grounds for appealing for an extension, you’re going to be out of luck if you don’t have anything to prove that this happened. It may also be the case that you are the only one this seems to have happened to.

To be on the safe side, do not wait until the literal last minute . Try to upload your paper at least 20 minutes before the actual deadline.

Eliminate any and all distractions

If you haven’t got much time to go until the deadline, do not allow yourself to get distracted by anything!

• Stay away from social media, even if it’s just ‘to take a break’
• Don’t put on music or have a movie or show running in the background
• Put your phone on silent or switch it off if you have to!

If you absolutely need a break, just take a short walk or lie on the bed to get some rest. However, don’t forget to set an alarm if you are feeling drowsy.

Skim lecture notes to get some relevant points quickly

Once you have an outline of the headings and subheadings, you should quickly skim your lecture notes files. Most professors usually upload the lectures as presentations or PDF on your learning management system like Canvas.

Taking key points from the lectures and matching them to the subheadings of your assignment will help you stay rooted in what has been covered by your professors.

Use Wikipedia as a starting point

We have a detailed guide covering the use of Wikipedia for writing assignments without getting your teachers to roll their eyes. As you don’t have time now to read the whole thing, we can summarize it in the following points.

Search for the main topic of your assignment

Scan the wikipedia article for most relevant sentences, click on the links to the sources that have been cited for these sentences, assess the credibility of the site which the links take you to, if the site passes the check, paraphrase the relevant parts and add to your paper, make sure that you are directly referencing the original source and not wikipedia, search for information relevant to your key points.

Using the key points that you’ve discovered so far in steps #1, 5 and 6, start doing more detailed research on these specific points. Apart from the points that you’re specifically researching, you’re often going to come across other relevant points.

Having done the outline at the very beginning, you should have a better feel for which subheadings these other relevant points could relate to. With that understanding, keep asking yourself if all the other random information that you would be coming across are relevant for any of the identified sections of your paper.

Pad with quality content (paraphrasing, comments & examples)

We have a guide on how to boost the word count of your assignments without compromising the quality, but here’s the short version.

For nearly every paraphrased (and referenced) sentence that you add to your paper using the first tip, make sure that you are adding your own inference or comment right after it. If it seems appropriate and you can think of or find an example quickly, you could add that too. You can also try to include some counterarguments as well, if relevant. You can also do a quick search on Google for some statistics, facts or figures wherever appropriate.

Generate table of contents using heading styles

In case you didn’t know, there’s a handy feature within MS Word that allows you to automatically generate a table of contents section using just the headings and subheading of your assignment. Use it – this will save you precious time.

Review you work

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Solving Procrastination

Student Syndrome: Why People Delay Until Right Before Deadlines

The student syndrome is a phenomenon where people delay doing things until right before the deadline. For example, a student who postpones working on an assignment until the night before it’s due is displaying the student syndrome.

This behavior is called the “student syndrome” because of how common it is among  students . However, people other than students often also display it, for example when it comes to workplace projects .

Because the student syndrome is common, and because it can lead to various issues, such as worse performance and increased stress, it’s important to understand it. As such, in the following article you will learn more about this phenomenon and its causes, and see what you can do to deal with it in practice.

Procrastination and the student syndrome

The student syndrome is a form of procrastination , because it involves unnecessary delay, which is often unintentional, and which can be expected to cause negative outcomes for those who display it.

Accordingly, and because this behavior is highly characteristic of procrastinators, questionnaires that are used to diagnose procrastination often contain statements that reflect the student syndrome. This includes, for example, “When I have a deadline, I wait till the last minute ” and “I do not do assignments until just before they are to be handed in ”.

Examples of the student syndrome

A classic example of the student syndrome is a student who has a week to do a homework assignment, but delays getting started until hours before they have to hand it in.

Similarly, another example of the student syndrome is a student who postpones getting started on an important class project for an entire semester, and then rushes to complete it all the day before it’s due.

In addition, people other than students can also display the student syndrome. For example, a college professor might postpone grading papers until a few hours before the grades are due. Similarly, a manager who has to write an important workplace report might postpone working on it until right before the deadline for completing it.

Note : The student syndrome is often discussed in the context of project management, and the name for this phenomenon was coined in a 1997 book on the topic (“Critical Chain”, by Eliyahu Goldratt).

Dangers of the student syndrome

The student syndrome can lead to various issues, such as:

• Missed deadlines and opportunities. Waiting until right before the deadline to get started can cause people to miss the deadline, especially if the work takes longer to complete than they expected. This is because people who display the student syndrome often wait until they have the minimum amount of time left to complete tasks, which means that they have no safety margin if they misjudge how long it will take to complete the task, or if they experience any unexpected delays occur.
• Worse performance. Even in cases when people manage to complete their work on time despite the student syndrome, they often produce lower-quality work than they would otherwise, due to their rush to get things done under time pressure, or due to issues such as not having enough time to ask clarifying questions.
• Increased emotional, mental, and physical issues. For example, delaying until right before the deadline despite intending to get started earlier can cause people to feel frustrated and stressed. Similarly, staying up late in order to finish tasks the night before they’re due can lead to issues such as lack of sleep and exhaustion.
• Increased interpersonal issues. For example, if someone waits until right before the deadline to complete their part of a group project, their team members might get angry at them. Similarly, if someone always delays until the last possible moment before taking care of household chores, their partner might be frustrated with them.

In addition, note that procrastination is, in general, associated with various related issues , such as worse academic outcomes , worse employment and financial status , worse emotional wellbeing, worse mental and physical health, and a delay in getting treatment for one’s problems.

Prevalence of the student syndrome

There are no statistics regarding the prevalence of the student syndrome in particular. However, given that the student syndrome represents a common form of procrastination (involving an unnecessary delay in getting started on tasks), its prevalence can be estimated based on that of procrastination.

Studies show that procrastination is a very common phenomenon among students, as approximately 80%–95% of college students engage in procrastination to some degree, approximately 75% consider themselves to be procrastinators, and approximately 50% say that they procrastinate in a consistent and problematic manner. Furthermore, additional studies have found procrastination in various other student populations , including those in  elementary school ,  middle school , and  graduate school .

In addition, procrastination is also common in other populations, and it  chronically affects around 20% of adults.

Psychology and causes of the student syndrome

The student syndrome has many potential causes, which have to do with why people procrastinate in general. Most of these involve the following:

• Motivational problems. These can include issues such as abstract goals, discounting of future outcomes , difficulty in associating tasks with outcomes, and prioritization of enjoyable activities.
• Psychological obstacles. These can include issues such as anxiety , fear of failure , fear of negative feedback, uncertainty, and task aversion, as well as associated issues such as self-handicapping and resentment.

These issues can lead people to delay unnecessarily, even in cases where they intend and want to get started on their work. However, in the case of the student syndrome, as the deadline for a task approaches, people’s mental state changes in a way that prompts them to finally get to work.

For example, as the deadline for a school project approaches, the value of the future outcomes that are associated with it becomes clearer, whether it’s the reward of getting a good grade or the punishment of getting a bad one, which can push students to get started. Similarly, while a person’s aversiveness toward a task may cause them to procrastinate on it initially, the increased time pressure that they experience as the deadline approaches (e.g., due to the increased valuation of the associated outcomes) can become substantial enough that it pushes them to start working on the task, even if their aversion to it hasn’t changed.

Note that a person can display the student syndrome due to a combination of these causes. For example, this can happen if someone suffers both from task aversion and abstract goals.

Furthermore, some of these issues may be caused or exacerbated by other underlying issues. For example, a person’s anxiety may be exacerbated by sleep deprivation. Similarly, a person’s depression may lead them to discount future outcomes and consequently to feel entirely unmotivated.

Finally, some people display the student syndrome, at least in part, due to a preference for working under pressure. For example, this can involve someone deliberately putting off a task until right before the deadline because they feel that they concentrate better when they work under intense time pressure. This type of behavior has been conceptualized in various ways , some of which are controversial, including sensation seeking , arousal procrastination , arousal delay , and active procrastination .

Related concepts

A key phenomenon that underlies the student syndrome is temporal discounting , whereby people tend to discount outcomes that involve a delay. For example, people generally care less about rewards they’ll get in a week, than about rewards they’ll get in a day.

Since, as the deadline for a task approaches, generally so do outcomes that are associated with it (i.e., related rewards and punishments), people generally value task outcomes more strongly closer to the deadline, and consequently become more motivated. This can lead , at least partially, to preference reversal , and consequently to transition from procrastination to action.

Furthermore, people generally display hyperbolic discounting  in particular , which means that the further into the future an outcome is, the less the additional increase in time matters (e.g., the difference between an immediate outcome and one with a day’s delay is greater than between an outcome with a year’s delay and an outcome with a delay of a year and a day). Accordingly, the effects of discounting are more pronounced the shorter the remaining delay is, and this is most important when an outcome is expected to be achieved close to the deadline.

In addition, another related concept is purposeful delay , which in this context involves deliberately delaying until a deadline because doing so is expected to be more beneficial than not. This can happen, for example, when someone knows that a task might be canceled, so they believe it’s more efficient to wait until the deadline before committing resources to it. However, this type of behavior is not generally considered to be a form of procrastination, and would generally also not be considered a cause of the student syndrome.

Finally, the student syndrome and procrastination are also strongly related to the concept of a deadline action pacing style. This style involves completing most or all of the work in a short period of time just before deadlines, as opposed, for example, to completing them early or in a steady manner.

How to avoid the student syndrome

To avoid the student syndrome (i.e., to stop postponing things until right before the deadline), you should figure out what’s causing you  to delay in the first place, and then use relevant anti-procrastination techniques , which will help you address the issue and take action in a timely manner.

The following are some of the anti-procrastination techniques that you can use.

Improve your planning:

• Set concrete goals for yourself. For example, instead of a vague goal, such as “study for my upcoming exam”, set a concrete goal, such as “on the week of my upcoming exam, go to the library every day after I finish my last class for the day, and spend at least 2 hours studying”.
• Break your tasks into small and manageable steps. For example, if you need to write an essay, you can start with steps such as figuring out the title, creating a rough outline, and finding five appropriate academic sources. Note that if the project in question is large, then you generally shouldn’t worry about figuring out all the steps to it from the start. Instead, start by identifying only the first few steps that you need to take, and then identify new steps as you make progress, to avoid feeling overwhelmed and getting stuck.
• Set intermediate milestones and deadlines for yourself. For example, if you have a single deadline for completing a large research paper, assign yourself additional deadlines along the way for completing specific parts of it.
• Identify your productivity cycles. People’s ability to handle certain tasks varies based on factors such as the time of day. For example, it may be the case that you’re best able to concentrate on difficult tasks early in the morning, before you’ve started dealing with emails or minor administrative aspects of your job. You should take this into account as much as possible when planning and scheduling your work.

Improve your environment:

• Change your environment to make it harder for yourself to procrastinate. For example, if you tend to procrastinate on writing essays because you keep browsing social media , turn off the internet connection on your computer before you get to work.
• Change your environment to make it easier for yourself to get started. For example, if you know that you’ll need to study for an exam tomorrow morning, organize all the relevant study material on your desk or in your bag before you go to bed.
• Change your environment to make it easier for you to keep going. For example, if you know that you’re likely to lose concentration if you get distracted while studying, go study in a quiet room and leave your phone outside.

Change your approach:

• Start with a tiny step. For example, if you need to write a paper, help yourself get started by committing to only write a single sentence at first. This can help you push yourself to get started on tasks, and often, once you do so, you’ll find it easy to keep going.
• Start with the best or worst part first. Some people find that starting with the most enjoyable or easiest task of the day helps them get going, while others find that getting the worst task out of the way first helps them avoid procrastinating over time. You can use either approach if you find that it works for you.
• Add a time delay before you procrastinate. If you can’t avoid procrastinating entirely, try committing to having a time delay before you indulge your impulse to do so. For example, this can involve counting to 10 before you’re allowed to open a new tab on the social media website that you usually use to procrastinate.
• Use the Pomodoro technique. This involves alternating between scheduled periods of study and rest. For example, you can study for 25-minute long stretches, with 5-minute breaks in between, and a longer 30-minute break after every 4 study sets that you complete.

Increase your motivation:

• Make your progress feel more rewarding. For example, you can gamify your work and try to achieve a streak of days on which you successfully manage to clear your to-do list, and potentially also give yourself some reward once you reach a sufficiently long streak.
• Make your work feel more enjoyable. For example, you can listen to music that you like while you work.
• Visualize your future self. For example, imagine yourself being rewarded with a good grade on a project that you completed on time, or conversely, imagine yourself having to handle the issues associated with missing the project’s deadline.
• Focus on your goals instead of on your tasks. For example, if you need to work on a task that you find boring, then instead of focusing on the task, try thinking about your goals for completing it, such as that you want to get a good grade.

Change your mindset:

• Give yourself permission to make mistakes. For example, if you’re working on an essay, accept the fact that your work likely won’t be perfect , especially at first. Furthermore, you can start by just writing a rough initial draft, and then go over it later to make improvements.
• Address your fears. If you’re procrastinating because you’re afraid of something, try to identify your fears and resolve them. For example, if you’re afraid that your writing won’t be good enough, you can say to yourself that your goal is to just start by getting something written down, and that you can always improve it later.
• Develop self-compassion.   Self-compassion can help reduce your procrastination, as well as various issues that are associated with it, such as stress. It consists of three components that you should promote: self-kindness , which involves being nice to yourself, common humanity , which involves recognizing that everyone experiences challenges, and mindfulness , which involves accepting your emotions in a non-judgmental manner.
• Develop self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is the belief in your ability to perform the actions needed to achieve your goals. It can help you reduce your procrastination, as well as associated issues, such as anxiety. To develop self-efficacy, try to identify the various strategies that you can use to successfully complete your tasks on time, and think about your ability to execute those strategies successfully.

In addition, keep the following in mind:

• If you experience the student syndrome due to underlying issues such as ADHD , depression , or lack of sleep , you will likely need to resolve these issues first, using professional help if necessary, in order to avoid the student syndrome.
• You will likely need to use more than one anti-procrastination technique to completely avoid the student syndrome, but even just a few of them could make a huge difference when it comes to your ability to get things done on time.
• Different techniques work better for different people in different circumstances, so just because a certain technique works well for others, that doesn’t also mean that it will work well for you (and vice versa).

Overall, to avoid the student syndrome, you should figure out what’s causing you to delay in the first place, and then use relevant anti-procrastination techniques to address these causes. Such techniques include, for example, breaking large tasks into manageable steps, setting intermediate deadlines for yourself, visualizing your future self, and addressing your fears.

How to reduce the student syndrome in others

When it comes to helping other people avoid the student syndrome, for example if you’re a project manager, a teacher, or a parent, there are three main approaches you can use:

• An externally guided approach. This involves implementing relevant anti-procrastination techniques to reduce people’s student syndrome, without actively involving them in the process. For example, this can involve setting a series of intermediate project deadlines for all students in a course.
• An internally guided approach. This involves helping people avoid the student syndrome by themselves, with little to no external guidance. External guidance in this case might include something as minimal as mentioning the problem of student syndrome and telling people about a relevant resource such as this article.
• A joint approach. This involves giving people external guidance while also encouraging them to play an active role in reducing their student syndrome. For example, this can involve going over relevant anti-procrastination techniques with people, and helping them choose and implement their preferred ones.

None of these approaches is inherently superior to the others. Accordingly, you should decide which one to use based on factors such as the number of people that you’re trying to help and the type of relationship that you have with them. For example, if you’re a teacher trying to help 200 students in a college course, then you will likely need to use a different approach than if you’re a parent trying to help just your kid.

In this regard, an important factor to keep in mind is how independent the people in question are. In general, the more independent they are, the more involved they should be in the process of avoiding the student syndrome, since this can increase their motivation and make the process more effective, while potentially also leading to more self-development and growth over time. Furthermore, giving people a sense of control can also help reduce other issues that may lead to the student syndrome, such as resentment and rebellion.

Note that almost any type of relationship can be beneficial when it comes to helping people avoid the student syndrome. For example, a teacher will likely be in a good situation to influence a student’s academic situation, while a parent will likely be in a good situation to influence the student’s home life.

Furthermore, it can sometimes be beneficial to reach out to other stakeholders who can help. For example, if you’re a teacher, and you think that a student’s parents might be able to help them stop procrastinating, you might be able to reach out to them and explain the situation.

Finally, the following is a list of specific things that you can do to help people avoid the student syndrome:

• Explain what the student syndrome is.
• Help them understand that they display the student syndrome, for example by asking them guiding questions about their past behavior.
• Show them that this pattern of behavior can cause issues for them, for example when it comes to their academic performance, their career prospects, and their mental health.
• Explain what causes the student syndrome, and help them identify the specific causes of this behavior in their case.
• Point them in the direction of resources that can help them deal with the student syndrome, such as this article, or the guide to avoiding procrastination .
• Implement anti-procrastination techniques on their behalf, for example by breaking apart large tasks into manageable steps and setting intermediate deadlines.
• When setting general deadlines for people, understand that giving people more time to complete a task will not necessarily make it more likely that they will complete it in a timely manner, and it may even be counterproductive in some cases. This is associated with the concept of Parkinson’s law , which is the adage that “work expands so as to fill the time which is available for its completion”, and which signifies that the more time people dedicate in advance to a certain task, the longer it will take to complete it, even if it could have been completed in less time.

Overall, you can reduce people’s student syndrome in various ways, such as by helping them understand the causes of their behavior and helping them implement relevant anti-procrastination techniques. The specific approach that you should use depends on factors such as how autonomous the people in question are, how many people you’re trying to help, and what kind of relationship you have with them.

Summary and conclusions

• The student syndrome is a phenomenon where people delay doing things until right before the deadline.
• The student syndrome can lead to various issues, such as missed deadlines, low-quality work, interpersonal conflicts, and worse emotional wellbeing.
• People can display this type of behavior due to various causes, including a preference for working under pressure, motivational problems (e.g., discounting future outcomes), and psychological obstacles (e.g., anxiety), and some of these, in turn, may be caused or exacerbated by underlying issues, such as depression and lack of sleep.
• To avoid the student syndrome, you should figure out what’s causing you to delay in the first place, and then use relevant anti-procrastination techniques to address these causes, for example by breaking large tasks into manageable steps, setting intermediate deadlines for yourself, visualizing your future self, and addressing your fears.
• You can use a similar approach to reduce other people’s student syndrome, for example by helping them understand the causes of their behavior and helping them implement relevant anti-procrastination techniques.

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Medical terms in lay language.

Please use these descriptions in place of medical jargon in consent documents, recruitment materials and other study documents. Note: These terms are not the only acceptable plain language alternatives for these vocabulary words.

This glossary of terms is derived from a list copyrighted by the University of Kentucky, Office of Research Integrity (1990).

For clinical research-specific definitions, see also the Clinical Research Glossary developed by the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials (MRCT) Center of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard  and the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC) .

Alternative Lay Language for Medical Terms for use in Informed Consent Documents

A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I  J  K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   U   V   W  X  Y  Z

ABDOMEN/ABDOMINAL body cavity below diaphragm that contains stomach, intestines, liver and other organs ABSORB take up fluids, take in ACIDOSIS condition when blood contains more acid than normal ACUITY clearness, keenness, esp. of vision and airways ACUTE new, recent, sudden, urgent ADENOPATHY swollen lymph nodes (glands) ADJUVANT helpful, assisting, aiding, supportive ADJUVANT TREATMENT added treatment (usually to a standard treatment) ANTIBIOTIC drug that kills bacteria and other germs ANTIMICROBIAL drug that kills bacteria and other germs ANTIRETROVIRAL drug that works against the growth of certain viruses ADVERSE EFFECT side effect, bad reaction, unwanted response ALLERGIC REACTION rash, hives, swelling, trouble breathing AMBULATE/AMBULATION/AMBULATORY walk, able to walk ANAPHYLAXIS serious, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction ANEMIA decreased red blood cells; low red cell blood count ANESTHETIC a drug or agent used to decrease the feeling of pain, or eliminate the feeling of pain by putting you to sleep ANGINA pain resulting from not enough blood flowing to the heart ANGINA PECTORIS pain resulting from not enough blood flowing to the heart ANOREXIA disorder in which person will not eat; lack of appetite ANTECUBITAL related to the inner side of the forearm ANTIBODY protein made in the body in response to foreign substance ANTICONVULSANT drug used to prevent seizures ANTILIPEMIC a drug that lowers fat levels in the blood ANTITUSSIVE a drug used to relieve coughing ARRHYTHMIA abnormal heartbeat; any change from the normal heartbeat ASPIRATION fluid entering the lungs, such as after vomiting ASSAY lab test ASSESS to learn about, measure, evaluate, look at ASTHMA lung disease associated with tightening of air passages, making breathing difficult ASYMPTOMATIC without symptoms AXILLA armpit

BENIGN not malignant, without serious consequences BID twice a day BINDING/BOUND carried by, to make stick together, transported BIOAVAILABILITY the extent to which a drug or other substance becomes available to the body BLOOD PROFILE series of blood tests BOLUS a large amount given all at once BONE MASS the amount of calcium and other minerals in a given amount of bone BRADYARRHYTHMIAS slow, irregular heartbeats BRADYCARDIA slow heartbeat BRONCHOSPASM breathing distress caused by narrowing of the airways

CARCINOGENIC cancer-causing CARCINOMA type of cancer CARDIAC related to the heart CARDIOVERSION return to normal heartbeat by electric shock CATHETER a tube for withdrawing or giving fluids CATHETER a tube placed near the spinal cord and used for anesthesia (indwelling epidural) during surgery CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS) brain and spinal cord CEREBRAL TRAUMA damage to the brain CESSATION stopping CHD coronary heart disease CHEMOTHERAPY treatment of disease, usually cancer, by chemical agents CHRONIC continuing for a long time, ongoing CLINICAL pertaining to medical care CLINICAL TRIAL an experiment involving human subjects COMA unconscious state COMPLETE RESPONSE total disappearance of disease CONGENITAL present before birth CONJUNCTIVITIS redness and irritation of the thin membrane that covers the eye CONSOLIDATION PHASE treatment phase intended to make a remission permanent (follows induction phase) CONTROLLED TRIAL research study in which the experimental treatment or procedure is compared to a standard (control) treatment or procedure COOPERATIVE GROUP association of multiple institutions to perform clinical trials CORONARY related to the blood vessels that supply the heart, or to the heart itself CT SCAN (CAT) computerized series of x-rays (computerized tomography) CULTURE test for infection, or for organisms that could cause infection CUMULATIVE added together from the beginning CUTANEOUS relating to the skin CVA stroke (cerebrovascular accident)

DERMATOLOGIC pertaining to the skin DIASTOLIC lower number in a blood pressure reading DISTAL toward the end, away from the center of the body DIURETIC "water pill" or drug that causes increase in urination DOPPLER device using sound waves to diagnose or test DOUBLE BLIND study in which neither investigators nor subjects know what drug or treatment the subject is receiving DYSFUNCTION state of improper function DYSPLASIA abnormal cells

ECHOCARDIOGRAM sound wave test of the heart EDEMA excess fluid collecting in tissue EEG electric brain wave tracing (electroencephalogram) EFFICACY effectiveness ELECTROCARDIOGRAM electrical tracing of the heartbeat (ECG or EKG) ELECTROLYTE IMBALANCE an imbalance of minerals in the blood EMESIS vomiting EMPIRIC based on experience ENDOSCOPIC EXAMINATION viewing an  internal part of the body with a lighted tube  ENTERAL by way of the intestines EPIDURAL outside the spinal cord ERADICATE get rid of (such as disease) Page 2 of 7 EVALUATED, ASSESSED examined for a medical condition EXPEDITED REVIEW rapid review of a protocol by the IRB Chair without full committee approval, permitted with certain low-risk research studies EXTERNAL outside the body EXTRAVASATE to leak outside of a planned area, such as out of a blood vessel

FDA U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the branch of federal government that approves new drugs FIBROUS having many fibers, such as scar tissue FIBRILLATION irregular beat of the heart or other muscle

GENERAL ANESTHESIA pain prevention by giving drugs to cause loss of consciousness, as during surgery GESTATIONAL pertaining to pregnancy

HEMATOCRIT amount of red blood cells in the blood HEMATOMA a bruise, a black and blue mark HEMODYNAMIC MEASURING blood flow HEMOLYSIS breakdown in red blood cells HEPARIN LOCK needle placed in the arm with blood thinner to keep the blood from clotting HEPATOMA cancer or tumor of the liver HERITABLE DISEASE can be transmitted to one’s offspring, resulting in damage to future children HISTOPATHOLOGIC pertaining to the disease status of body tissues or cells HOLTER MONITOR a portable machine for recording heart beats HYPERCALCEMIA high blood calcium level HYPERKALEMIA high blood potassium level HYPERNATREMIA high blood sodium level HYPERTENSION high blood pressure HYPOCALCEMIA low blood calcium level HYPOKALEMIA low blood potassium level HYPONATREMIA low blood sodium level HYPOTENSION low blood pressure HYPOXEMIA a decrease of oxygen in the blood HYPOXIA a decrease of oxygen reaching body tissues HYSTERECTOMY surgical removal of the uterus, ovaries (female sex glands), or both uterus and ovaries

IATROGENIC caused by a physician or by treatment IDE investigational device exemption, the license to test an unapproved new medical device IDIOPATHIC of unknown cause IMMUNITY defense against, protection from IMMUNOGLOBIN a protein that makes antibodies IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE drug which works against the body's immune (protective) response, often used in transplantation and diseases caused by immune system malfunction IMMUNOTHERAPY giving of drugs to help the body's immune (protective) system; usually used to destroy cancer cells IMPAIRED FUNCTION abnormal function IMPLANTED placed in the body IND investigational new drug, the license to test an unapproved new drug INDUCTION PHASE beginning phase or stage of a treatment INDURATION hardening INDWELLING remaining in a given location, such as a catheter INFARCT death of tissue due to lack of blood supply INFECTIOUS DISEASE transmitted from one person to the next INFLAMMATION swelling that is generally painful, red, and warm INFUSION slow injection of a substance into the body, usually into the blood by means of a catheter INGESTION eating; taking by mouth INTERFERON drug which acts against viruses; antiviral agent INTERMITTENT occurring (regularly or irregularly) between two time points; repeatedly stopping, then starting again INTERNAL within the body INTERIOR inside of the body INTRAMUSCULAR into the muscle; within the muscle INTRAPERITONEAL into the abdominal cavity INTRATHECAL into the spinal fluid INTRAVENOUS (IV) through the vein INTRAVESICAL in the bladder INTUBATE the placement of a tube into the airway INVASIVE PROCEDURE puncturing, opening, or cutting the skin INVESTIGATIONAL NEW DRUG (IND) a new drug that has not been approved by the FDA INVESTIGATIONAL METHOD a treatment method which has not been proven to be beneficial or has not been accepted as standard care ISCHEMIA decreased oxygen in a tissue (usually because of decreased blood flow)

LAPAROTOMY surgical procedure in which an incision is made in the abdominal wall to enable a doctor to look at the organs inside LESION wound or injury; a diseased patch of skin LETHARGY sleepiness, tiredness LEUKOPENIA low white blood cell count LIPID fat LIPID CONTENT fat content in the blood LIPID PROFILE (PANEL) fat and cholesterol levels in the blood LOCAL ANESTHESIA creation of insensitivity to pain in a small, local area of the body, usually by injection of numbing drugs LOCALIZED restricted to one area, limited to one area LUMEN the cavity of an organ or tube (e.g., blood vessel) LYMPHANGIOGRAPHY an x-ray of the lymph nodes or tissues after injecting dye into lymph vessels (e.g., in feet) LYMPHOCYTE a type of white blood cell important in immunity (protection) against infection LYMPHOMA a cancer of the lymph nodes (or tissues)

MALAISE a vague feeling of bodily discomfort, feeling badly MALFUNCTION condition in which something is not functioning properly MALIGNANCY cancer or other progressively enlarging and spreading tumor, usually fatal if not successfully treated MEDULLABLASTOMA a type of brain tumor MEGALOBLASTOSIS change in red blood cells METABOLIZE process of breaking down substances in the cells to obtain energy METASTASIS spread of cancer cells from one part of the body to another METRONIDAZOLE drug used to treat infections caused by parasites (invading organisms that take up living in the body) or other causes of anaerobic infection (not requiring oxygen to survive) MI myocardial infarction, heart attack MINIMAL slight MINIMIZE reduce as much as possible Page 4 of 7 MONITOR check on; keep track of; watch carefully MOBILITY ease of movement MORBIDITY undesired result or complication MORTALITY death MOTILITY the ability to move MRI magnetic resonance imaging, diagnostic pictures of the inside of the body, created using magnetic rather than x-ray energy MUCOSA, MUCOUS MEMBRANE moist lining of digestive, respiratory, reproductive, and urinary tracts MYALGIA muscle aches MYOCARDIAL pertaining to the heart muscle MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION heart attack

NASOGASTRIC TUBE placed in the nose, reaching to the stomach NCI the National Cancer Institute NECROSIS death of tissue NEOPLASIA/NEOPLASM tumor, may be benign or malignant NEUROBLASTOMA a cancer of nerve tissue NEUROLOGICAL pertaining to the nervous system NEUTROPENIA decrease in the main part of the white blood cells NIH the National Institutes of Health NONINVASIVE not breaking, cutting, or entering the skin NOSOCOMIAL acquired in the hospital

OCCLUSION closing; blockage; obstruction ONCOLOGY the study of tumors or cancer OPHTHALMIC pertaining to the eye OPTIMAL best, most favorable or desirable ORAL ADMINISTRATION by mouth ORTHOPEDIC pertaining to the bones OSTEOPETROSIS rare bone disorder characterized by dense bone OSTEOPOROSIS softening of the bones OVARIES female sex glands

PARENTERAL given by injection PATENCY condition of being open PATHOGENESIS development of a disease or unhealthy condition PERCUTANEOUS through the skin PERIPHERAL not central PER OS (PO) by mouth PHARMACOKINETICS the study of the way the body absorbs, distributes, and gets rid of a drug PHASE I first phase of study of a new drug in humans to determine action, safety, and proper dosing PHASE II second phase of study of a new drug in humans, intended to gather information about safety and effectiveness of the drug for certain uses PHASE III large-scale studies to confirm and expand information on safety and effectiveness of new drug for certain uses, and to study common side effects PHASE IV studies done after the drug is approved by the FDA, especially to compare it to standard care or to try it for new uses PHLEBITIS irritation or inflammation of the vein PLACEBO an inactive substance; a pill/liquid that contains no medicine PLACEBO EFFECT improvement seen with giving subjects a placebo, though it contains no active drug/treatment PLATELETS small particles in the blood that help with clotting POTENTIAL possible POTENTIATE increase or multiply the effect of a drug or toxin (poison) by giving another drug or toxin at the same time (sometimes an unintentional result) POTENTIATOR an agent that helps another agent work better PRENATAL before birth PROPHYLAXIS a drug given to prevent disease or infection PER OS (PO) by mouth PRN as needed PROGNOSIS outlook, probable outcomes PRONE lying on the stomach PROSPECTIVE STUDY following patients forward in time PROSTHESIS artificial part, most often limbs, such as arms or legs PROTOCOL plan of study PROXIMAL closer to the center of the body, away from the end PULMONARY pertaining to the lungs

QD every day; daily QID four times a day

RADIATION THERAPY x-ray or cobalt treatment RANDOM by chance (like the flip of a coin) RANDOMIZATION chance selection RBC red blood cell RECOMBINANT formation of new combinations of genes RECONSTITUTION putting back together the original parts or elements RECUR happen again REFRACTORY not responding to treatment REGENERATION re-growth of a structure or of lost tissue REGIMEN pattern of giving treatment RELAPSE the return of a disease REMISSION disappearance of evidence of cancer or other disease RENAL pertaining to the kidneys REPLICABLE possible to duplicate RESECT remove or cut out surgically RETROSPECTIVE STUDY looking back over past experience

SARCOMA a type of cancer SEDATIVE a drug to calm or make less anxious SEMINOMA a type of testicular cancer (found in the male sex glands) SEQUENTIALLY in a row, in order SOMNOLENCE sleepiness SPIROMETER an instrument to measure the amount of air taken into and exhaled from the lungs STAGING an evaluation of the extent of the disease STANDARD OF CARE a treatment plan that the majority of the medical community would accept as appropriate STENOSIS narrowing of a duct, tube, or one of the blood vessels in the heart STOMATITIS mouth sores, inflammation of the mouth STRATIFY arrange in groups for analysis of results (e.g., stratify by age, sex, etc.) STUPOR stunned state in which it is difficult to get a response or the attention of the subject SUBCLAVIAN under the collarbone SUBCUTANEOUS under the skin SUPINE lying on the back SUPPORTIVE CARE general medical care aimed at symptoms, not intended to improve or cure underlying disease SYMPTOMATIC having symptoms SYNDROME a condition characterized by a set of symptoms SYSTOLIC top number in blood pressure; pressure during active contraction of the heart

TERATOGENIC capable of causing malformations in a fetus (developing baby still inside the mother’s body) TESTES/TESTICLES male sex glands THROMBOSIS clotting THROMBUS blood clot TID three times a day TITRATION a method for deciding on the strength of a drug or solution; gradually increasing the dose T-LYMPHOCYTES type of white blood cells TOPICAL on the surface TOPICAL ANESTHETIC applied to a certain area of the skin and reducing pain only in the area to which applied TOXICITY side effects or undesirable effects of a drug or treatment TRANSDERMAL through the skin TRANSIENTLY temporarily TRAUMA injury; wound TREADMILL walking machine used to test heart function

UPTAKE absorbing and taking in of a substance by living tissue

VALVULOPLASTY plastic repair of a valve, especially a heart valve VARICES enlarged veins VASOSPASM narrowing of the blood vessels VECTOR a carrier that can transmit disease-causing microorganisms (germs and viruses) VENIPUNCTURE needle stick, blood draw, entering the skin with a needle VERTICAL TRANSMISSION spread of disease

WBC white blood cell