What is the Best Way to Request a Paper Extension?
How to Request a Time Extension for a Paper? Review the syllabus or assignment to ensure you understand the professor’s extension policy. If your extension request is denied, determine how you can still turn in your best work. Most of the time, students ask for more than a three-hour extension. Some professors refuse to offer extensions for any reason, so be prepared to take the hit to your grade. It’s generally best to make the request over email, so you have a paper trail of your request and your professor’s response.
- Examine the syllabus or task to make sure you’re aware of the professor’s position on extensions.
- Explain the case plainly, whether you’re dealing with a scheduling problem or an accident.
- If your appeal for an extension is rejected, think of how you can even submit your best work.
A couple of years ago, a student in my senior seminar class lifted his hand and inquired about the deadline for sending final papers. “Now, is the paper due at midnight on the East Coast or at midnight on the West Coast?” he inquired earnestly.
I replied that if he could supply evidence that he was on the West Coast, I’d gladly accept papers before midnight Pacific time — I wasn’t planning on staying up late, either way, to see the essays come in. Students spent the next week photoshopping their faces into photographs of California beaches and Disneyland. Finally, each student turned in their paper on time. Students also request more than a three-hour extension. And, for the most part, professors are happy to extend deadlines on reports. But how can you approach your professor for a paper extension?
How to Request a Time Extension for Your Paper
- Step 1: Accept the fact that it will not be completed on time.
- Step 2: Put it on paper.
- Step 3: Offer an explanation, but don’t make too many excuses.
- Set (or renegotiate) a new deadline.
Asking for an Extension: The Basics
Read the syllabus or study the assignment before meeting the professor. Most professors specify their extension policies in the paper guidelines or the course syllabus, which serves as a contract between the teacher and the student.
Extending policies vary greatly. For some cause, certain professors decline to grant extensions. If that’s the case, aim to stop missing the deadline or look at the late penalty to see if you’re able to take a grade hit. Extending policies vary greatly. For some cause, certain professors decline to grant extensions. Few professors grant extensions on an individual basis, whilst others will include a doctor’s note or other evidence that you are unable to reach the initial deadline.
Other professors set deadlines for papers but do not impose fines for late submissions. Yet, don’t let that fool you into missing the deadline. Except in these situations, students should notify their teachers if they need a deadline extension. When it comes to requesting an extension, it’s usually safest to do so by email. You’ll have a paper trail of your inquiry and the professor’s reaction this way.
How to Improve The Chances of Getting a Contract Extension
Professors are more likely to extend an extension if you contact them early in the semester, which necessitates advance preparation. Try contacting the professor to request an extension even though the paper isn’t due for several weeks if you notice at the start of the term that you have three papers due on the same day.
In the event that an emergency arises, that necessitates an extension, contact your teacher as soon as possible. Describe the situation and be clear about what you want. If you want to ask for a one-day extension? Is it really a week? Or do you want an indefinite extension Understand that if you apply for a shorter extension, professors are more likely to approve your proposal?
Requesting an Extension: Few Pointers
- Read the syllabus or the task carefully.
- As soon as possible, inquire about your mentor.
- Send an email to [email protected] with a particular message.
- If necessary, request a shorter extension.
- Demonstrate your dedication to the course.
Be sure your professor understands that you aren’t requesting an extension just because you run out of time — even though that is partially accurate. Include a rough copy of your paper or a synopsis of your subject with your submission for an extension to show your contribution to the class. You may even agree to drop in after working hours to talk about the extension. Make an effort to be involved with the curriculum in other aspects, such as engaging in debates and adhering to all deadlines
Email Examples Requesting an Extension
It can be difficult to email a professor, so having a guide can help the process go more smoothly. Often include your name, class or section number, and a specific question or concern in every email to a teacher. You should still write respectfully and address your email to your professor at the outset. Students also request extensions due to overlapping deadlines in other courses, tests, internship or job advancement activities, and last-minute emergencies. Whatever the cause, you don’t need to go into detail about your situation; simply note the conflict and ask for an extension. The sample emails below should help you understand how to request a paper extension.
Always turn in your best work possible and avoid the temptation to plagiarize. Research the late penalty and decide whether it’s better to turn in a paper late or rush to meet the deadline. If you’ve planned ahead, you have several options. You can rearrange your schedule to make time to write the paper, ask the professor for the paper topics in advance.
Many colleges have policies that penalize students for submitting assignments after the deadline has passed. This is especially true at universities where students are graded on a scale of one to one hundred.
Extensions Email Sample
Dr. Mike,
Lee Brown here, and I’m in your US politics class at 12 a.m. The second paper is due on March 7, according to the syllabus. I have two other papers due for other courses on the same day.
Is it possible to ask for a one-week deadline extension and send the paper on March 20 instead? May I get the paper topics ahead of time if you don’t grant extensions?
Thank you for your consideration.
Paper Work Extensions Sample Email
Greetings, Professor John.
My name is Guy Elberg, and I’m enrolled in your 19th-century US literature seminar at 12:00 p.m. Our first paper is due the same week as a big presentation at my place of employment. Do you sell paper extensions? Late papers result in a grade loss, which I’d like to stop. If you have extensions, I may send the paper on Tuesday, May 5, rather than Friday, May 19.
Thank you so much,
Guy Elberg
How to Request a Time Extension for a Paper – Template