So far, we’ve looked at both the bad timing and excuses and why they would very likely cost you an extension. But what if you managed to get an extension? What do you do then? 

Here are three things you should not do when you’re given an extension.

Put off the work

I had a student ask me for an extension for an assignment. It had an original due date of Sunday, but they were having issues and I extended it until Friday at 11:59PM. I notified them of the extension, and they thanked me and said they would get right on it. I try to keep up with the gradebook, so I kept checking to see when they would complete it. Monday comes and goes, with nothing submitted. The same thing happened on Tuesday. And, as you probably guessed, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday passed, with no assignment turned in. This leads to the next point:

Miss Your Extension

If you didn’t do your assignment the first time, received an extension, and then did not do the assignment during the extension window, you have dramatically decreased the chances of you receiving another extension in the future. By not completing the assignment during your extension period, you are essentially telling your professor that you don’t really care about your grade or your success in the course. And by showing them this, if you ask for another in the future, your professor very likely won’t give you one. You’ve already shown your work ethic, and your professors look at the history of your work ethic in the class. And by not doing the assignment during the extension period, you’ve just shown that you don’t have a good work ethic. 

Ask for Another Extension – On the Initial Assignment!

I know, I was also shocked when I read the email. The same student who got the extension and did not do it in the five extra days I’d given her, emailed me that Sunday saying she couldn’t access that assignment and was wondering if I could open it for her again since she didn’t have time to get to it earlier. The answer, obviously, was no. 

She’s the only student I’ve had who has missed the extension deadline, but she is the only one who then asked for another extension on the exact same assignment. 

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When you’re given an extension, and you don’t do it during that window, or (worse) you ask for an additional extension on that assignment after not completing it, you are building a history for yourself in a class that you don’t want. As I’ve mentioned previously, professors will look at the history that you’ve demonstrated in their course. Have you always done your work on time, and for some reason just missed one assignment? Or do you have a 50/50 reputation of whether you’ll do an assignment? Did you utilize your extension period well, or did you fail to use that and miss the assignment (again)? 

You don’t want to burn any bridges, so to speak, when asking your instructor for assistance. If you don’t use the extensions given, or assume your professor won’t care that you’re asking for an extension days after it was due, then you would be setting yourself up for failure. Build a good track record for yourself in the class, and your professors will be very willing to help you out. 

Next week, we’ll conclude this mini series and discuss how to best ask for an extension. 

Let me know if you have any comments/questions below or you can contact me here! I love hearing from you!

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