“Now, when the professor asks who is going home this weekend, you have to raise your hand, OK?” instructs the girl next to me in a tone of grave importance. “If we’re lucky, he’ll postpone the test until next Friday.” I simply leer and turn away. Fat chance, lazy bitch, I already have an exam and an essay due that day. Looks like you’re on your own.

Too late. About 40 more hands go up into the air. Partially looking for sympathy and partially thinking out loud, I inquire of the people next to me whether it is possible for them to study on the bus or while at home.

The response: “Oh, I don’t even celebrate that bullshit holiday; I just need the extra study time …”

I must say that I am completely outraged. And not just because I need to memorize four chapters of my accounting textbook and three chapters of the linear algebra course packet by Thursday morning. Not at all. I love doing matrix multiplication on a Saturday night. What upsets me is how our fellow Binghamton University students will stop at nothing to get extensions on their essays and added time to study for their exams.

It’s sad, if you think about it. Most of those students have no idea what Rosh Hashana even is. For those who are interested, it’s the Jewish New Year. Not the kind of New Year one spends getting drunk off one’s ass, but a very important day on which people reflect on the past year’s mistakes and plan for a better future in the next year.

Speaking of the future, it is incredibly unattractive when an employee asks his or her boss for an extension on a deadline. It isn’t regularly done, save for severe medical problems and/or family emergencies. Asking for additional time of any sort will cause a boss’ face to distort, if only for a moment, and will earn the discourteous employee a week of malicious looks and caustic remarks, both well merited.

It is a good idea to start thinking of and preparing for the future today (especially since the New Year was just upon us). Of course, this means acting in a responsible manner and keeping up with the college workload. After all, when else in your life are you going to have this much free time on your hands? Oh, and when you’re working for a Wall Street firm, your work won’t recess at 1 p.m. before a holiday weekend (unless you work for NYSE, that is).

As you can see, I did my homework. Now it’s time that you do yours, BU. And by homework I mean blowing the dust off those rusty old books and getting to the nearest library or study lounge for some hardcore test preparation. It can only do you good.