# My school is f\*\*\*ing retarded **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 3, 2003, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-school-is-f-ing-retarded/152446 "2003-02-03T05:57:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CRorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CRorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CRorex)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-school-is-f-ing-retarded/152446/21 "2003-02-03T20:10:29Z")
I know quite a lot of morons, I even work with a number and I would be HIGHLY offended in you using the term moronic. All of my morons have feelings, hopes, dreams and desires. None of them deserve to be looked down on because of their natural shortcomings. Even if they do deserve to be shoved in the autoclave and cooked at 121C at 60psi for 2 hrs–hopefully before they can reproduce. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-school-is-f-ing-retarded/152446/22 "2003-02-03T20:31:47Z")
[sub]Re: CRorex----Smartass. :)[/sub] And thanks **bouv** , I’m glad you took my comment in the spirit it was intended. I hope you can talk to your prof about at least getting partial credit. If it isn’t specifically in the syllabus you’ve got a pretty good case for a one-time slack-cutting, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-school-is-f-ing-retarded/152446/23 "2003-02-03T21:28:17Z")
Having had to deal with several of these types of programs, might I suggest that your professor doesn’t know what he’s doing? I can easily see the program defaulting to midnight if only a day is given and not a time as well. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-school-is-f-ing-retarded/152446/24 "2003-02-03T22:00:30Z")
That would’ve pissed me off. I always did homework in the morning during college. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-school-is-f-ing-retarded/152446/25 "2003-02-03T22:11:14Z")
Well, they may not know what they are doing, but now I do have confirmation that they intended the midnight dealine. Today in class they apoligized, because apparantly it was originally set to stop being “live” at Sunday at midnight, as in, a day earlier than what they wanted. So while they apparantly don’t know how to use the system, they do want that deadline. I’m still angry, though. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-school-is-f-ing-retarded/152446/26 "2003-02-03T22:36:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Well, first off, it is actually not mentioned in the syllabus that assignments are due at midnight the night before class, it merely says that assignments are “live” for a certain amount of time. I also don’t remember the prof saying that in class. He might have, since I always wind up being forced to sit in the back and can’t hear him. But the only reason I remember that it was due at midnight is I remembered seeing it on the previous assignment, as a side not when I loaded it up. Consider this a lesson for the future, then. Don’t rely on what is or isn’t printed on the syllabus. If something isn’t completely clear, ask. That something is not on the syllabus is a poor, and in my classes, an unacceptable reason for not turning in homework. Your teacher has probably encouraged you to ask questions. It’s up to you understand your classes’ rules, and to ask questions if something isn’t clear. If being unable to hear the professor is a problem, get a better seat. Get to class early if you have to. If a tight class schedule is keeping you from doing so, stay after class. If you can’t do that either, contact the prof during his office hours. Very few professors are inaccessible outside of classtime, so there should be little problem in getting hold of them. But even if there is, for gosh sakes, try. If it makes you a few minutes late for your next class one day, isn’t it worth it, if only to avoid these kinds of problems? Make note of things like the assignment due dates/times. The profs I had were consistent in their assignment-due rules-- every Tuesday, five minutes into class, by e-mail and timestamped before midnight, and so forth. Write the date/time down in your notes. If you think it’ll help, use an assignment book, and make sure every time that you know your work’s due date/time. All of these things are your responsibility as a student. It’s not your professors’ jobs to make sure you know how to do the work and when it’s due. It’s yours. It won’t be their grades or test scores or transcripts, but yours. Therefore, it’s up to you to make sure everything’s clear. It’s also up to you to cope with changes like these and to learn from your mistakes. > [@](#): > > Add to the fact that I have had to do online homework at RPI before, for both of my physics class. Both of those times, a differrent system was used (yet another strike against the school, no standardization) and it was always due an hour before class. So I was used to having something similar to that. It’s a different class now, isn’t it? Then the rules are subject to change. It doesn’t matter that the systems used are different. It’s just something _you_ have to adjust to. Likewise, it doesn’t matter what your former classes’ rules were. You’re not in those classes anymore, and whatever you’re used to is no longer relevant. > [@](#): > > It just irks me that for every semester this class has been offered, homework was pen and paper, due at the start of class. Now, suddenly, it’s online, and due twelve hours before class. If before they had implemented this system, homework was due the day before, then I wouldn’t have as big a problem with it, but it’s like a double standard. > “Oh, well, if they write it themselves it’s like 90% of their homeowrk here, they can hand it in at class. But if they do it online? Well, in that case make it due at midnight.” This is not a double standard, it’s a change of rules. And if it’s being upheld consistently, then I don’t see what the problem is. Nowhere is it written that all homework assignments have to be in the same format and due according to the rules for the entire semester. Like I said, learn from this. In the future, make sure you’re totally clear on when your work is due. And for heaven’s sake, if doing your homework late (after midnight) has such potential to screw you up, start doing it sooner. I got the impression from your OP that you had lots of time to finish your work (enough time to submit revisions, anyway), so IMO finishing it well before it’s due is a good habit for you to get into. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-school-is-f-ing-retarded/152446/27 "2003-02-03T23:29:15Z")
Given the title of the class, they should set the deadline arbitrarily each week, then you have to decide on the best time to submit it. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-school-is-f-ing-retarded/152446/28 "2003-02-04T01:08:25Z")
Heh heh. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-school-is-f-ing-retarded/152446/29 "2003-02-05T02:59:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SmackFu \* > \*\*Given the title of the class, they should set the deadline arbitrarily each week, then you have to decide on the best time to submit it. \*\* That’s actually the best idea I’ve heard yet. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-school-is-f-ing-retarded/152446/30 "2003-02-05T04:03:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AudreyK \* > \*\*All of these things are your responsibility as a student. It’s not your professors’ jobs to make sure you know how to do the work and when it’s due. It’s yours. It won’t be their grades or test scores or transcripts, but yours. Therefore, it’s up to you to make sure everything’s clear. It’s also up to you to cope with changes like these and to learn from your mistakes. > \*\* Now there is great customer service for ya. It isn’t like the Prof is doing you a favour (although many think they are) and sharing his boundless wisdom for free after all. It is the OP’s money that is paying him, so to expect a little effort on the teacher’s part to make things clear to his client shouldn’t be too much to expect and ask for. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-school-is-f-ing-retarded/152446.md?page=1)