California Ranks #3 for Homework Excuses

The dog ate my homework? That’s so old school.

American students have undoubtedly become more creative when it comes to excuses for either turning in assignments late — or not submitting them at all. But one fact remains — they still need help getting homework done.

Nearly 80% of students say it would be easier for them to complete their homework on time if they could find assistance online. That’s where Brainly [www.brainly.com], the world’s largest peer-to-peer learning community, can help. Their popular knowledge-sharing network strives to eliminate the need for excuses altogether by making academic experts readily available and accessible.

So, now that the family golden retriever has plummeted in the rankings, who (or what) is getting the blame for missed homework in 2019? Here’s what Brainly’s “Homework Excuses” survey of 1,000 students uncovered:

• Undisclosed family emergency – 28%
• WiFi/tech issues – 22%
• Sick child/spouse/relative – 18%
• Lost my assignment – 15%
• Personal injury or illness – 9%
• Dog ate my homework – 5%
• Injured child/spouse/relative – 3%

Here are a few more interesting findings from that survey:

>> STUDENTS HAVE “ALTERNATIVE” EXCUSES AS WELL
Nearly 4 in 10 claim they simply “forgot about” their assignment as an excuse, while another third of students say their “laptop crashed.” Other excuses? “I turned it into the wrong class” and “A child ate it.” Really… a child ate it?

>> EXCUSES DON’T ALWAYS WORK
Half the students admit their excuses don’t work very often. 30% say they work almost every time, and another 20% say their excuses are successful about half the time.

>> STUDENTS LIKE TO MIX UP THEIR EXCUSES
Some students have built up quite a repertoire — to the point where they have an “excuse strategy.” Nearly 60% claim they change their excuses all the time, about a third vary excuses occasionally, and the rest always pick the same “go-to” excuses.

>> STUDENTS TEND TO TURN THEIR WORK IN ON TIME
As for timeliness, 65% of students generally make their deadline. Nearly 25% turn in assignments late when they have a legitimate excuse, while 6.5% finish them late (or incomplete) several times a year — and occasionally tell homework-related lies. Oh, and nearly 3% profess to using them so often that “excuse” should be their middle name!

Finally, here are the top seven states where students use homework excuses most often:

• New Jersey
• Colorado
• California
• Florida
• West Virginia
• Texas
• North Dakota

For more info, visit www.brainly.com.