How would you best complete this sentence: Despite his reputation of ______ and carelessness in his academic requirements, Alex has always been ______ when working on his personal projects.

The most fitting completion of the sentence is that Alex has a reputation for haste and carelessness in his academic requirements, yet he has always been meticulous when working on his personal projects. The contrast between "haste" and "meticulous" effectively highlights how Alex's approach varies between his academic life and his personal endeavors. Haste implies a lack of carefulness or attention to detail, which aligns with his reputation, while meticulous explicitly describes a careful, detailed, and thorough approach, indicating that he takes his personal projects seriously and dedicates significant effort to them.

This juxtaposition emphasizes the complexity of Alex's character, illustrating how different environments can lead to distinctly varied behaviors and standards in performance. The other options do not maintain this level of contrast or relevance to the context provided, making them unsuitable completions for the sentence.