They can be VERY intimidating and frustrating (especially if
they're for an upper-year-level course)
They can take FOREVER to write (especially when you suffer from
writer's block and you're limited to a public computer due to your
laptop's power cord not working properly)
THEY INVOLVE NO MATH WHATSOEVER (you may find yourself relieved
when you need to take a break to do a math assignment)
They often involve the need for filler to fit the given page limit
(mathNEWS editors can certainly agree with me on this one)
Even if you finish one, there always seem to be more that
you need to complete