I just wrote an essay in three hours!

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I have never felt so irresponsible and at the same time accomplished, haha. I had no idea I had an essay due today until I woke up this morning and, on a whim, checked my syllabus. Essay due TODAY, and I had not even looked at the question. What an idiot...But I made it to the library (probably looking like a mess, haha) and wrote that thing in three hours and handed it in 10 minutes before the deadline. I know it wasn't as well-researched as it could have been, but actually I think I did pretty well. Plus it's not graded, it's just a practice essay. But still, I've learned my lesson: be organized!

Being an undergrad is great isn't it? The funny thing is that there are big procrastinators even at Masters and PhD levels. The difference is that they tend to start on an 80 page research paper a week before its due instead of a month before.

Haha! Nice work!

At the end of the last semester, I actually messed up the due date of my final paper in my college English class, and it was due one week earlier than I thought it was. I literally wrote an eight-page paper in one day (though I had another day, which I used for editing)! I don't know what I got on that specific paper, but I received an A in the course. All is well that ends well, I guess...

We just need to learn from our mistakes.

Haha, congratulations to you too! Yeah, I've definitely learned my lesson...

This reminds me of the time I procrastinated in high school and ended up writing a two-and-a-half-page paper in the 15 minutes we were given in class to finish up before it was due. Luckily it was a character analysis and didn't require any sources outside of the novel (Fallen Angels). Also, I was writing it on the professor's favorite character - I assume since he talked about him all the time - and just made sure to agree with everything he said. I got an A- because it was technically supposed to be three pages.

Congratulations. You shouldn't feel irresponsible. You're more responsible than your peers because they wasted more time than they needed to working on the essay when they could have been doing more productive things like reading a book or something or posting online..

I'm a Masters student and I procrastinate a lot. I write at a speed of at least 5 pages per hour. This past semester, I wrote a 30 page paper in 5 hours.

I don't feel guilty about it because I work best under pressure. If I take several days to write a paper, I'll second-guess everything, scrutinize the details, and get overwhelmed with anxiety. Then the paper doesn't sound as coherent. If I write it all in one sitting, it flows better.

I get A's on all these last-minute papers. But in a sense, it's they're not truly last-minute; I spend a week or more thinking about what I'm going to write.

I agree with Alex - I wouldn't have put much effort into it either, considering it wasn't being graded.

I'll confess I'm a major procrastinator myself. I think many of us are whether we want to admit it or not. As long as a job gets done well and is completed on time, that's what really matters. For me, it's not that I'm unaware an assignment is due until the last minute, it's that I know it won't require much effort on my part.

I wouldn't go as far as to say it's the best habit though. If you think about it - many who start assignments early may put in about the same amount of time on work as procrastinators. The only difference is that an early bird would have it done right away, and enjoy their free time afterwards. The procrastinator would enjoy their free time early, and have it done later.

So the working styles may not be so different in those regards. However, if a procrastinator is not achieving their highest potential on their assignments, then there could be a problem. A student who can judge their abilities well and plan accordingly (whether early bird or procrastinator) is sufficiently disciplined in my opinion.

Are there less procrastinators in grad school? Probably. Some assignments are equivalent to writing books at that point (depending on area of study) and it's better to complete the work with plenty of time to spare than risk being rushed and losing points on quality. It takes time to learn, but being a quick starter makes more sense in circumstances where a high level of quality is important. It's something I'm working on myself.

I do see what you're saying though, Kim. If that's what works for you, no problem. I'm the same way, I tend to spend a lot of time thinking and little time actually writing. Still, you have to admit - it depends on what you're writing. If you're quoting heavily and have a huge bibliography, there's usually a bit of reading and planning ahead of time to be sure that the references are appropriate. Spontaneity in the writing of the paper itself is fine, though. If you're trying to publish a novel - it usually makes sense to get feedback and then go back and edit some of the original material. If you're trying to convince me that all writing should be done instantaneously, I'm going to have to disagree. There's a huge difference between doing what's required to achieve good grades and competing amongst others in your field with quality in mind.

Heh, luckily it was my strongest subject. Had it been economics or French, I would have been up s**t's creek.

I missed the part about it not being graded. I wouldn't have done it if it were an ungraded assignment.

I can feel for you... I'm the same and did pretty good this last semester during finals week with the increased pressure of a deadline on a research paper actually made me finish it and getting a pretty good grade. I've always procrastinated but I think I've learned my lesson this last semester with 2 all-nighter's and I think I will set an internal deadline before it's due so I will actually finish it ahead of time instead of the last minute.

Ungraded, but if you don't turn it in, you don't get to take the exam at the end of the year that determines your grade.

Well good for you!

It usually takes me forever to write. It's not that I procrastinate, but usually I have to start on an essay at least a week before it's due, and think a lot. I actually think quite slowly, which is a surprise to people that know me.

I did every essay like that! Well, id usually start the night before but id have to go in to uni. computer room to type it up in the last 2hrs - a tense race against the clock.

If you dont take life too seriously, being late can be a great source of excitement & fun!

I would write exactly 42 words and turn it in.