yeah, definitely finals season

[bedlamsbard]

Uh, I need an opinion. Would it be...bad...if I e-mailed my prof two days before a rough draft deadline and said that I need to change my paper topic and I won't have a rough draft because I have no fucking idea how to write the topic I said I was doing? Because there is literally not enough textual evidence for me to put this argument together, and that's even if I had an argument, which I don't. And I shouldn't have tried to do something which I don't like (new historicism) for a major paper, because I don't know how to construct it and it's hurting me badly and also have I mentioned how I don't have an argument? Or evidence? At all? And I thought I would have it up until I actually started writing the paper and I really, really don't.

(I do have an alternate topic, which I'm pretty sure I can make a fifteen-page paper out of, but I can't have a fifteen page paper by Tuesday.)

Comments

[metonomia]

I think that's a really good idea. If you're two days before it's due, that's a good time, because you're not springing it on them last minute, but it's close enough to the deadline that you can be sure you need more time. I'd suggest offering to turn in what partial rough draft you can maybe get on the new subject by the deadline; that in my experience makes profs even more okay with granting an extension. Particularly since it's a draft, I think it's better to ask for an extension than to fumble through an argument you don't have.

[bedlamsbard]

Thank you. :)

I am trying to remind myself that it's better to say, "Uh, I screwed up, can I talk to you about it?" instead of turning in a bad paper. (Or no paper at all. Since this is actually a class I need to graduate. Wow, that would suck.)

[sara]

Well, that is the sort of email that makes professors facepalm, but yeah, the sooner you open the "it ain't working" conversation, the better.

Alternately, your prof might have some thoughts about an approach that would make it work.

[bedlamsbard]

I suspect I would be hesitating less if I hadn't done the exact same thing several months ago about my honors thesis. (Yes. Same prof. *headdesk* I mean, on the bright side, every other paper I've ever turned into him has been on time.)

[sara]

Hey, at least you will spellcheck whatever you send. I have a friend who got a 40-page unspellchecked honors thesis yesterday. ;> Her weekend went bye-bye.

[bedlamsbard]

Erk. (To be fair, I never spellcheck because I'm usually writing about things that spellcheck freaks out about, but still: erk.)

[lady_songsmith]

my spellchecker learned LOTS of interesting words when I was in college. Lots and lots of them.

[alexseanchai]

Bad plan, yes, but it's the best plan on offer.