Papers are due at 11:59:00. Papers submitted at 11:59:01 or later are late.

As stated on the syllabus, homework and write-ups are accepted late. “Late” means past the due date and time. Submitting late means that, despite multiple in-class reminders, multi-week submission windows, and due dates articulated on the syllabus that was distributed on the first day of class, you didn’t get an assignment in on time. That’s ok – life happens – which is why I have a policy that allows partial credit and even reduced deductions if assignments are submitted very close to the deadline. The existence of that generous policy, however, should not contribute to the mentalities in red below:

My paper was only a minute late. Am I really going to get a late deduction?

Yes! The due date doesn’t move to accommodate your technical difficulties or poor time management. Graders may “take it easy” on you if you submit within a few seconds or minutes of the deadline. They are not required to do so and that decision is purely up to them. If you are counting on those potentially-deducted late points, you should submit with plenty of time before the deadline. Why rely on chance when you can guarantee a higher score for yourself by planning a few more minutes in advance?

That seems unfair. You shouldn’t penalize me for my internet not working/my computer dying/whatever caused my assignment to be late.

I’m not. As stated many, many times in class – you should not be waiting until 30 seconds before the due date to submit. Submit several days before. Or at least several hours before. If you wait until the deadline is seconds away, you are penalizing yourself for any unforeseen delays in submission. This idea goes for this assignment, this class, this department, this university, and pretty much your entire life. Give. Yourself. Time. Don’t blame others when you don’t.

Do not approach the professor with the questions or complaints above. Instead, try to frame your question as:

What can I do to make sure I’m not in this position again in the future?

Given the due date, which times during the week should I dedicate to this assignment?

Knowing my schedule, my habits, my confidence and speed of writing, my past experiences, the dependability of my devices, and other variables in my life, when should I start this assignment?