{ 13 comments… read them below }

  1. Anonymous*

    For real? I'm so curious as to how supposed individuals thought you were going to help them. I can't even imagine…

  3. Sheila*

    Well, Harvard, doesn't that mean you have to drop everything to do what he wants? ;)

    I used to work as a reference librarian at a university. Every semester there would be students in a panic because they had something due and items would be checked out or otherwise unavailable, etc, etc…

    Then they'd be mad at me because it was obviously my fault I wouldn't help them.

    One of my coworkers had a sign in her office (not visible from the reference desk because that might have upset some people): lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.

  4. Shoshie*

    Ugh, I'm a TA at a big university and I get stuff like this ALL THE TIME.

    "OMG, my lab report is due tomorrow at 8:30 am, can you explain this fundamental concept to me?" Time stamped at 10:30 or later.

    No. No, I can't. Well, I can, but not before your report is due.

    I tell all my students that they can expect a response within 24 hours during the week, possibly longer on weekends. If you need a response NOW, well, you'll probably have to figure it out on your own. Some people find this incredibly unreasonable.

  5. Anonymous*

    Hoo boy- does this person want to be known as someone who expects other people to do their work for them at the last minute?

    And before they even join the work force?

    Not a great first impression.

    Lois Gory

  6. Anonymous*

    So, no help on my presentation that's due in an hour then?

    But I went to The University of Texas at Austin – very prestigious!

  8. Charles*

    Harvard, really? I see a future for this individual in government or a too-big-to-fail company where the rest of us are expected to pick up/clean up the mess when he screws up.

  9. Anonymous*

    Lois, this person is in grad school, which means they could possibly have already been in the working world for a while. Which makes the whole idea even scarier.

  10. Anonymous*

    I got an email from a M.Ed. student that wanted me to read a 14-page academic case study and then answer a bunch of questions. The email begged for help as "I haven't gotten responses." I politely wrote back that he probably wasn't getting an answer because he was asking busy professionals to take two hours out of their day . . . I didn't get a response.

  11. Anonymous*

    Sounds like this person is just getting used to the practice of name-dropping their alma matter whenever they want something.

  12. Karl L Hughes*

    One of the worst things that my university does is let students send a mass email to everyone in the class via a simple link on each course's website.

    About twice a week I get an email from another student that says something like: "I know you guys hate these emails, but can someone please send me the homework that was assigned this week?"

    I understand the occasional need to skip class, but you should probably at least address a plea for help to someone you know personally, and not abuse the automatic email system.

  13. Anonymous*

    HAHA! This made me laugh out loud. First because it is so true-at this point you're screwed. Secondly, I can't imagine still being *writing* your Master's Thesis 5 hours before it's due. I worked for months with my advisor and it was in completion status when I defended it (though of course I did re-write some sections). But the OP is WRITING it 5 hours before it's due? Wow. I guess I'm grateful I didn't go to Harvard if I'd have had classmates like this. This person sounds like they are used to using connections to help them get out of jams, sorry-life isn't always like that!

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