Most students who are taking five or more classes have the amount of work of a full-time job. With one credit being equal to 3 hours of work, students who are taking 12 or more credits are looking at 36+ hours of work. But we aren’t being paid for this. It isn’t lost on me that we are paying for an education, and we get paid in having a degree. My plea is to the professors who make strict, unrealistic deadlines and give us the “in the real world” lecture when we ask for extensions. 

I’m tired.

I love my professors. Truly, I wouldn’t be where I am without them. But that doesn’t change the fact that for many of them, it’s been a very long time since they were a student, and times have changed. 

For example, the cost of living has significantly gone up. I have had conversations with my dad, who has said, “I wouldn’t want to be a student in this day and age.” 

These days, most of my money goes towards bills. My car payment is well over $500. I also have to pay $650 in rent every month, hundreds of dollars in utilities, all while working a full-time job an hour away. I’m paying all of this from the  $800-$900 I make in my bi-weekly paychecks. Oh, and I do need to eat, too. I’m also tired, and coffee is wildly expensive. It’s sickening. 

This, as one can imagine, makes my schedule hectic. I’m lucky in that my dad is funding my education. Many aren’t that lucky and also — on top of the payments I mentioned above — have to pay for books and tuition. And, for students who live on campus, their rent is double what I pay for off-campus housing. 

Being a journalism student doesn’t require the strenuous testing that a medical student may have, nor does it require rigorous hours practicing lines and rehearsing like theatre, music, and dance students. What we do have to do, however, is the task of holding interviews with professors, coordinators, and government officials who have an equally busy schedule. These people don’t always get back to us, but that doesn’t matter. We have to reach out, over and over, and over again. Then, we have to find some time when both our schedules align to get a meeting. 

I can’t just call out of work; it doesn’t work that way. So what do you do when all of your classes have article assignments with three required interviews each due at the same time? That’s fifteen interviews in 1-2 weeks. 

That’s impossible. 

Then, when we ask for extensions, we get the talk. Our professors tell us, in professional newsrooms, you’ll need to meet deadlines. We are in the business of deadlines. To which I say: when journalism is my full-time, paid job, and my only responsibilities are the articles for that job, deadlines will be a breeze. And for the ones that aren’t, in professional newsrooms, deadlines are still negotiable. But, for the most part, if that’s my only responsibility, and I’m being paid to do it, those deadlines will be met with no questions asked. 

But you can be sure, as long as I am working three full-time jobs, with only one having hourly pay, the other being a delayed stipend, and the other unpaid, I will continue to negotiate deadlines with my professors. This is not my full-time job.

I’ll be clear, I am not blind to the fact that there are students who truly are avoiding work and are generally bad with deadlines, but not all students are created equal. Every student has their own lives, with complexities and nuances, and if those students are using communication skills and advocating for themselves, this should not be diminished. They should not be clumped in with every other student, nor should students’ efforts be generalized. Students are trying their best to navigate adulthood while balancing jobs and schoolwork. If they are coming to you, as a professor, explaining their situation and asking for support, grace should be given.

Even those students are likely still doing their best. We are simply trying to survive. My generation is in a mental health crisis. According to research noted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, “Near­ly two-thirds (65%) of Gen Zers report­ed expe­ri­enc­ing at least one men­tal health prob­lem in the past two years, accord­ing to a mul­ti-year study released in 2023. This sta­tis­tic was low­er for all old­er gen­er­a­tions, includ­ing mil­len­ni­als (51%), Gen Xers (29%), and Boomers (14%).”

Taking into account the current political climate, the state of the world, and the unknown future of AI, it is threatening our jobs. 

The jump from 29% of Gen X to 65% of Gen Z is a huge leap. I think it is safe to say that Gen X does not understand what it is like to be a Gen Z student in 2025. Please, give us some grace.

I know this may ruffle some feathers, but the goal is not to point my finger at professors. I’ll reiterate that I have the utmost respect for each of my professors. We are truly blessed in the journalism department. I am, however, attempting to help them understand that it is a different world, and a much more difficult world than the one they were in when they were students. I want them to understand that us asking for extensions is not laziness. We are exhausted. We, especially seniors, know how important deadlines are. 

I can assure you, our professors have given us every tool we could need in our toolbox. We are more than prepared, thanks to their guidance. 

Sincerely, a burnt-out senior who is trying her best. 

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