Mini-vations

The College Summer Session. But don't be fooled by its benign name, its college at mach 2. Students often pick a subject that they are not familiar with or one that they struggle with to take during this time. BIG MISTAKE! They are fooled into thinking that they won't have other subjects to take their attention and time. So let me ask you, when, if you are struggling with any task or understanding, does having less time to learn it and less time to practice it make for a formula for success? For a very, very few, being able to focus/concentrate on one or two extremely difficult subjects in a concentrated setting will work. But ask yourself, realistically:
This is the formula it takes to be successful in difficult classes in the summer session!

• Are you self-motivated every single day?
• Will you go to class every single time without excuses?
• Are you organized? Daily calendar and schedule?
  Are you pro-active! - doing your reading and assignments ahead of time?
• Are you really interested enough in this subject to want to learn it?
• Can you afford to work only a few part-time hours at your job during these 8 weeks in order to have adequate time for homework/practice and study?
• Do you have a great attitude toward going to classes during the summer?
• Are you willing to drop the class if it is not working out for you?

If, on the other hand, you can take classes that you feel you have historically done well in and that you are comfortable with - then I say "Go for it!" Keep in mind that this is still a condensed program and you cannot be nearly as laid back as you might have been during a full semester of 16 weeks.
This is the formula it takes to get an "A" in the less difficult classes during the summer!

• Do your homework - every day - this still counts for alot of points and will kill your grade if you sluff off
• Do your reading in advance - every day - this will serve as a review of this familiar topic and make you aware of the new material.
• Practice any technical skills you are learning every day - plan to learn the new 'best practices' way of doing everything.
• Review and study along the way - at least twice per week to solidify the new information in your mind.
• Don't assume that you 'know it all' - this has doomed many a student when faced with college level exams - so study and get prepared for each test. (There are sometimes fewer tests in the summer, so their impact on your grade is significantly higher.)
• Don't make excuses and don't miss a single class (that's like missing a whole week of instruction)!
• Drop it! If it is not working out for you.

I know you already know all this - but it doesn't hurt to hear it one more time - from someone who sees people drowning every summer - and not in a pool or lake.