The rules apply to everyone, including you

Almost every semester, a student ignores the rules.

For example, they fail to finish benchmark problems on time, and then complain if points are taken off.

You need to understand that all the rules will be strictly enforced, unless there is a documented reason not to enforce them (e.g., a note from a doctor stating that you were sick on a particular day).

What is the reason to be so strict?

The reason is to be fair to all the students in the class.

We will illustrate that with a specific example:

Some years ago, a student handed in a term paper three days late.

On each day, he was sent an email letting him know that his paper was worth less because of lateness.

When he finally handed it in, he insisted that he should not be penalized, because his senior thesis was also due, and he had to finish that first.

However, several other students in the same class had already told the instructors that they were working on their senior theses, and nevertheless, they handed their term papers in by the deadline.

How would these students feel if they found out that they had worked incredibly hard to meet all of their deadlines, sacrificing sleep and juggling different responsibilities to finish in time, and a student who had ignored the deadlines suffered no penalty?

Would you feel that was fair if you had handed the paper in on time?

Summary:

The rules apply to you, and will be strictly enforced.