DUELING COLUMNS Late night submissions are simply better Assignments should be due at class time

With all the courses we take and the many professors we encounter, assignment due dates are always changing. Some submissions are due right before class, some by the end of class and some by random times like 5 p.m. Out of all these, 11:59 p.m. submission times are by far the best.

Maybe it’s because I am a night owl, or because I am a deadline pusher, but I would much rather submit an assignment as late as I can.

I think there are many factors playing into this preference, though. For example, I try to squeeze all my classes into a couple days out of the week to be able to work as much as possible. On the days I have my classes, I need the rest of the day to complete my assignments and get other studies done.

My job involves me working early mornings, or afternoons to late evenings. Having this late submission deadline adheres to my schedule perfectly, especially since I tend to be more productive and creative later in the day. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but for some it is favorable.

While early birds love to wake up and submit their assignments before class, daytime deadlines could mean absolute hell to people who thrive during the night and warmly hug those end-of-the-day deadlines. For a lot of college students, fluctuating and crowded schedules tend to be the norm. One course with assignments due at the start of class, the next by 5 p.m. and the next by 11:59 p.m. only complicates our studious lives.

It bewilders me to know there are others who prefer the earlier submission times. Having to submit an assignment earlier in the day adds to the pressure of everything else. I feel the late deadline allows for more time, lessens the pressure, gives students more flexibility and honestly gives more time to look over the assignment and plan it out.

When the majority of my classes have this late-night deadline, I feel as though I have the most control over my schedule.

I have noticed — and this is not in every case — that if students submit the assignment later than the 11:59 p.m. mark, they are less likely to have their grade impacted. I guess this goes along the lines of better late than never, but if your assignment is late before the start of class, you are most likely going to see some deduction to the grade.

It comes across as pointless and ridiculous to have varying deadlines. Professors know their class is not the only one we are taking, as well as students today juggle more responsibilities than ever before. Having the same submission time across the board, especially at 11:59 p.m., makes it easier to plan for all classes and other responsibilities in advance.

Assignment submission times are vastly varied between professors. For physical submissions, work is handed in at the beginning or end of class and I believe digital assignments deserve the same treatment for students’ mental and physical health.

Professors are allowed to determine the deadlines for all assignments, meaning some choose any hour of the day. Many professors choose an 11:59 p.m. deadline a day before class, and while some students prefer this, I don’t think it is the best solution.

It’s because I’m a procrastinator myself that I find the midnight deadline unreasonable. I work long hours during the week, and I would prefer to have till class time to finish an assignment than having to submit it at 11:59 p.m. the previous night to have the maximum time possible to finish my work.

The solution seems simple to me: course assignments should be due when classes are in session. If paper assignments were still standard practice, there would be no option for digital submission chaos. Whether students worked the night before or morning of, daytime deadlines give them more freedom to manage their own time.

Staying up late disrupts most people’s circadian rhythm, making them less productive than at other times of day. Night owls can still stay up late the night before if they prefer, and don’t have to worry about asking for an extension if they need a few extra minutes to finish their work past midnight.

A further complication of midnight submissions is that to have energy to complete late-night assignments, students need to find food. Unfortunately, very few dining options are available after 10 p.m. citywide, with even less of these offering healthy choices. As the British Food Journal reports, frequent consumption of junk food contributes to feelings of burnout, so students’ meal options do not support 11:59 p.m. submission times.

For some, it may be nice to go ahead and get things out of the way early, but it is oddly satisfying to hit submit after a long day and then get to sleep in. So, to those who wake up with the sun and get right to work — congratulations, you scare me.

College students are known to put off assignments until the last minute, with 75% considering themselves procrastinators, according to Solving Procrastination. Procrastination is not a habit to be encouraged as Journal of College Student Development reports there are many drawbacks of putting off work until the last minute.

However, knowing most students will be up late completing 11:59 p.m. assignments, we need to face the reality that this schedule isn’t better than daytime submissions.

I will die by

One downside to daytime submissions is that some students have other commitments during the day and might not be able to manage assignments around their schedules. Some course sites don’t send assignment reminders until the day of, potentially causing students to forget to do an assignment. If day submissions became the new standard, there would be no stress about remembering which assignments are due when — just have any work done by the time of that class.

Time management is an important skill to develop, and a flurry of assorted submission times is not how one learns to do so. Maybe professors aren’t aware of the hectic schedules and other assignment standards students have to deal with. Setting due dates alongside pretechnological standards at class times would be beneficial for all students and seems to be the best option.

Let’s be honest, none of us are waking up to finish our assignments before class anyways.

- Amelia Russell,