Dear Professors, Cut Us Some Slack, Man

Dear Professors,

I just want to address one little issue here; our workload as students.

I know that when someone claims that they didn’t get their homework done because they had so many other things going on, you automatically assume that they were just lazy and procrastinating or wanted to go out and do something else.

While that may be the case occasionally, I can speak on the behalf of my peers and tell you that this is not always the case.

We take 5+ classes a semester. That comes with the responsibility of going to class, completing homework, setting aside time to study (which we hardly have time for), and tending to the other aspects of our lives.

I know it comes as a surprise, but some of us have to work as well. I read something on Facebook the other day that said the average rent in the US is $1,234 a month. While we may have roommates, we still have to come up with that $300-$500 a month just for rent, and then all of our other bills. We have to work 20-30 hours a week in order to support ourselves throughout college.

And then, some of us want to have time to actually have a life. We want to go out and have fun on occasion, or even just have a relaxing night at home where we don’t have so many stresses pinning us down.

I’m not going to lie, we procrastinate sometimes. We don’t even want to open our planners and begin the week ahead. We want a break, and that results in procrastination.

The only thing we ask is that you recognize how hard some of us work and don’t assume that we are all like the students who don’t want to take the time to do their work.

We work as hard as we can to get everything done in order to get an education, and balance all of our other responsibilities.

Reduce the workload a little bit. Cut us some slack. Change your exam dates so we don’t have 5 exams in one week. Cancel class for a day, I’m sure you need a mental health day once in a while too.

Our workload is outrageous, and believe it or not, we are trying our best to balance it and stay alive in a world that makes it so hard for college students to live.

Love,

Your Students