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Student’s Request for Help on Assignments from Professionals

Author Travis Hill @ RightThought.net on September 2nd, 2009

This post is specifically geared towards those students who ask professionals for help or information for their paper/assignment for school.

I often get requests from students who are asking for information to be included in an assignment for school. My expectations are simple: send a copy of the intent of the paper, the questions, the deadline, and the professor’s contact information to my mailing address. Unfortunately, I have only ever had one person follow through with this (and kudos to her, she will do well in this profession). I don’t know why for certain, but I have several theories and a response to it that I think is necessary for the maturing process.

1) I am probably not the only professional getting this email, so the student is sending out bulk email in hopes of getting anyone to answer his/her questions. This means they are not interested in what I have to say, they are simply wanting anyone.

2) The email is usually sent a day or two before the assignment is due, showing that the student is waiting until the last minute.

To those students, here is the reality: This is unprofessional. You are requesting information that took someone years to obtain through hard work and experience. A professional who has limited and valuable time. A professional who works with difficult issues on a daily basis. Not to mention that we have our own friends, family, hobbies, etc. that deserve our attention. And you expect them to drop all of this because you waited until the last minute and now need information urgently. A psychology/counseling professional sees time as a huge (and sometimes their only) asset and has learned to either manage it effectively, or they don’t last very long in this type of work. Please learn this lesson now why you are still a student.

But here’s another lesson: respect for others. It is disrespectful to expect a professional to give up their resources for you, when you want it, on your terms. This is unacceptable and you will likely receive a negative response (in my case, your email will simply be deleted). It also shows disrespect for yourself, because you are looking for a quick/easy way to get what you want. I’m sorry, but there are no shortcuts. Our profession demands high-quality people in it, and this is one of those qualities.

If you have read this far, then good for you, it means you are absorbing a difficult lesson that will serve you well in the future. Hopefully, it will teach you to value and manage your time better, respect boundaries, and most of all, respect yourself.

I present this as a harsh reality because I believe that it is necessary to ensure quality students for our profession, and by extension, future quality professionals.