Taking an Incomplete

You’re been supporting your student through thick and thin of the semester, then something happens. This something could be an injury,perhaps a crisis in the family, or some other event that takes your student completely away from college. Or, it doesn’t take them away physically, but it severely distracts them from their coursework. This is the time when they might want to ask a professor for an incomplete.

The incomplete is recognition on the part of the student and the faculty member that the student cannot finish the course successfully before the end of the academic term, but could do so by a certain part of the following term. How long a student has to finish an incomplete varies from college to college. Here are a few things to think about before asking for an incomplete.

Incompletes won’t be given for students who don’t show up

Students are known to ask for incompletes because they’ve missed a great deal of class material, yet they’ve never told the professor that they couldn’t attend class for a legitimate reason, such a illness. Student who don’t attend class regularly and offer no excuse for that will rarely be offered an incomplete.

Working with the professor is key

Students who are working with their professors and keeping them informed throughout the term are much more likely to be given incompletes for their courses. Typically, the student approaches a faculty member with their concern about finishing the course on time. That’s when they tell the professor things such as about their recent illness or concussion—essentially, why they need the incomplete. The professor and student then discuss the student’s options, and how an incomplete would work if granted.

Never wait until the last minute. This is a no-brainer, but students sometimes have to be reminded that finishing an incomplete as soon as possible is the best option. After all, the incomplete has to be finished by a fixed point during the next term, and the last thing a student wants is to be in the middle of five regular courses and still have a term paper or other obligation hanging over their heads from the previous term. Attacking it early is the way to go.

Avoid asking the same professor for a second incomplete.

Sure, there may be legitimate reasons to ask the same professor for an incomplete in a subsequent term, but it just looks bad for the student and gives the faculty member the idea that the student just isn’t “taking care of business” the way he or she should.

Incompletes are a legitimate way for students to complete a course successfully by receiving more time. Professors and their colleges know that “stuff happens” in students’ lives and offer the incomplete as an alternative to withdrawing from a course or failing it. The wise student knows just when and how to use this academic tool.

Pass it on.