20 Tips for Returning to College, Part 4

A Five-part Series by Carol J. Amato

13. Accept the fact that college is not like high school. Whether you attend a traditional college/university or an accelerated program onground or online, you'll be expected to turn in your homework by the dates assigned.

Do you feel free to ignore deadlines at work? No. Would you expect your boss to accept a project that was completed past its due date or let you do another one instead? Of course not. College is no different from the workplace. There may be no "extra credit" to make up for assignments you missed.

Unless you have a real crisis (such as a death in your immediate family, you've been diagnosed with a serious disease, or you're being deployed in the military), don't expect any sympathy from your instructor/professor if you can't meet the class requirements. Even then, your instructor/professor may not show you any sympathy.

If such a crisis does occur, notify your instructor/professor immediately so you at least have a fighting chance of getting an extension on your deadlines. Notifying him/her after the assignment is due is guaranteeing doom. Nothing can be done at that point.

14. Back up all your homework. Don't let the copy/file you turn in be the only one in existence. Keep a backup on disk and a hard copy, too. You never know when you'll have to rely on them.

15. Save copies of all syllabi from your classes. If you ever decide to change schools, you may need to show the new school what was taught in each class before they will accept your units. The syllabi may be your only evidence.

16. Research all your professors ahead of time. If you get to choose your professors, check them out ahead of time on http://www.rateyourprofessor.com/. Look at the totality of the comments. One bad review may merely indicate a student who is disgruntled over a legitimately earned bad grade. If most of the comments are good, you have a winner.

Stay tuned for Part 5....