Subject: Urgent Leave Application - [Your Name] - [Department] Hey professor, Okay, so here's the deal. I'm a junior here in Electrical Engineering, and honestly, I've been drowning in project work lately. My supervisor and I are currently stuck on a paper that needs to be published by Friday, but I just can't get my hands off the code. The server is crashing every time I try to compile it, and the library is basically a war zone right now. I feel like I'm burning out, and honestly, my mental state is tanking. I've been thinking about it a lot. If I don't apply for leave, I'm not sure I'll survive the deadline. It's not like I'm asking for half a day off, you know? I want to show up, but I can't focus. The stress is getting to a point where I'm just shaking my head. I've tried to schedule some snacks with my roommate, but it's a total nightmare. We can't even organize the food without arguments because I'm too tired to plan. I've been thinking about my future. I'm worried that if I don't get some real time off, I'm going to lose that passion for the field. I'm not going to quit, but I am scared of missing out on the moment where I can actually master something. I've been reading some stuff on hiatus and it's been a great relief. I'm not saying I'll never come back to the lab, just that I need this break now. I know this goes against official policy, but feelings always win in my head. It's just... too much pressure. I've been trying to keep up with everyone else, but I feel like I'm falling behind just by trying to catch up. The workload is just crushing me. If I don't take it, I'm going to be in a really bad situation. Here's the situation. The paper is due tomorrow morning. I've already spent probably six hours just trying to run the final simulation. The code is broken in a way that I can't fix it for the next hour. I've tried asking the professor, but he keeps saying "it's not your job to debug this" and "let's just focus on the theory." It's just not working. I'm feeling really alone with this. I've tried calling my family earlier today, but they are too busy with work too. I feel isolated and overwhelmed. I'm not asking for a full week, but if I can get three days, I think I can get the project done. I've made a little bit of progress on the thesis outline, so I'm not completely delirious. I just need the battery to charge up for a bit. If I can't do this, I really regret it. I don't want to be the student who shows up late and grimaces at everyone else. I just want to be productive for once. Anyway, I'm reaching out here. I know this is taking a while, but I just feel like I have no other choice. My heart is racing just thinking about the deadline. I've been checking the time and checking the email constantly, but nothing is moving. I'm ready to go, but I need to be there without burning out completely. I appreciate your help with this. Let me know what you think. I'm ready to talk more about it. I just need you to see that I'm not in the best place. I'm just human and I need a little help right now. Thanks for listening.