{"id":"col-extension-email","audience":"college","category":"writing-emails","technique":"tone","title":"Ask your professor for an extension the right way","free":true,"task":"You need more time on your Biology 210 lab report and want to email Professor Alvarez. The email should start with a subject line, stay under 110 words, sound polite and direct rather than groveling (at most one apology), mention the extension policy from the syllabus, and ask for the exact new deadline that policy allows. Use only the facts in your notes, and keep it to this one request.","materialLabel":"Your notes and the syllabus policy (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"BIO 210 - lab report situation\n\n- Lab Report 4 (enzyme kinetics) is due Friday, Nov 13 at 11:59pm on Canvas.\n- Today is Wednesday, Nov 11.\n- I had the flu Monday and Tuesday, went to the campus health center Monday (I have the visit note if she wants it).\n- Data analysis is done. Still need the discussion section and the graphs.\n\nFrom the syllabus:\n\"Each student may request one 48-hour extension per semester on a lab report. Requests must be emailed to me at least 24 hours before the deadline. Extensions beyond 48 hours require a note from the Dean of Students.\"\n\n- I haven't used my extension yet this semester.\n- Professor: Dr. Elena Alvarez. I always call her Professor Alvarez.\n\nOther thoughts:\n- My friend Kayla says just ask for a whole week, \"she's chill.\"\n- I also want to ask if Lab 5 is cancelled for Thanksgiving week... actually I'll ask that in class.\n- I feel really bad about this, I've never asked for an extension in any class before. Should I explain everything about being sick?","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":110},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Not asking for a specific date","why":"The AI asks for \"a little more time\" or copies your friend's week, which the syllabus doesn't allow.","fix":"Say the exact ask: \"Request the 48-hour extension, to Sunday Nov 15 at 11:59pm.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Leaving out the policy","why":"The AI doesn't know your syllabus has a rule for this, and citing it makes yes the easy answer.","fix":"Add: \"Mention the syllabus's one 48-hour extension policy.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Groveling","why":"AI emails to professors pile on apologies and long explanations, which reads as anxious.","fix":"Set the tone: \"Polite and direct, at most one apology.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands 10-20% over.","fix":"Cap each part instead: \"each line under 15 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Formatting an email like a doc","why":"AI sometimes bolds the subject line or labels, which looks odd in an email.","fix":"Ask for \"plain text, ready to paste.\"","checks":["plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Asks for a specific date","patterns":["sunday","nov(ember)?\\.? 15","48.?hour"]},{"label":"Mentions the policy","patterns":["syllabus","policy"]},{"label":"Sets the tone","patterns":["polite","direct","apolog","grovel","tone"]},{"label":"Sets a word limit","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","word (limit|count)","short"]},{"label":"Keeps it to one request","patterns":["only.{0,25}(notes|request|extension)","lab 5","one (request|thing)"]}],"hint":"A good ask is specific and matches the reader's rules. Tell the AI the exact deadline you want, the policy behind it, and how you want to sound.","rubricLabels":["Asks for the 48-hour extension to Sunday, November 15 at 11:59pm (not a week, and not an open-ended 'more time')","Mentions the syllabus extension policy (one 48-hour extension per semester) and gives the flu as a brief reason without extra medical detail","Is polite and direct with at most one apology, starts with a subject line, uses no placeholders like [Your Name], and does not bring up Lab 5 or Thanksgiving"]}