Facing Last-Minute Mistakes in Your Thesis Submission: Can They Affect Your Graduation?
Completing and submitting a master’s thesis is a monumental milestone, filled with long hours of dedication and meticulous effort. However, it’s not uncommon to encounter last-minute hiccups—especially when deadlines loom close. Recently, I submitted my thesis and, upon reflection, noticed a few errors that could potentially jeopardize my graduation.
The most noticeable issues are related to formatting. For instance, my table of contents shows a numbering inconsistency: it jumps from 1.3 directly to 1.3.2 instead of 1.3.1. Interestingly, the actual sections are correctly numbered within the document; it seems the Table of Contents did not update properly before submission. Additionally, in the reference section, I forgot to italicize the titles of sources and made a minor typo on another. These are superficial errors—yet, I worry they might have bigger consequences.
Given the proximity to the deadline, I didn’t have time to make these corrections. I worked intensively on the core content, which I believe is of high quality, but the formatting mistakes were rushed in the final hours. Now, I’m overwhelmed with anxiety and uncertainty—particularly because I can’t make further edits at this stage.
As someone with ADHD, maintaining focus during such stressful moments is especially challenging. I’ve poured so much into this thesis, and the thought of not graduating next week is devastating. At 25, I’m eager to move forward with my life, and failing to do so would be a huge setback.
My question to the community: How much do small formatting errors like these typically impact academic evaluations? Is there any recourse or possibility of rectifying these issues after submission? Any advice or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated.