When A Dream Becomes A Nightmare.

Planet College presents the opportunity to turn your dream of a career in to a reality. Most students start off their college careers with very high hopes of a degree which will permanently enhance their earning power. Along the way often life stuff comes up. Relationships end. Money problems arise. Class requirements  accumulate to the point of being overwhelming. All this will be reflected in your grades and can adversely affect your progress toward your dream. Sometimes despite a students best efforts stuff happens; Incompletes, Ds, Fs, financial aid probation, grade probation and even disqualification. Gradually, with out any loud warning, a dream turns into a nightmare.

At some schools the semester is winding down. At others the second quarter has just begun. This is a good time to assess. Is your dream becoming a nightmare? Are you loosing ground in your quest for a degree?

If some of the above seems too familiar it could be time for a candid assessment of your progress. This will include exploring the basic realities of obtaining your degree in a timely fashion.

Finding someone to discuss this with is important. It should be someone with a perspective, a little distance from you and your current situation. Planet College offers a number of resources. Program advisers, academic advisers, former professors, even roommates. Just one person, doesn't have to be associated with your school. Someone you can talk it out with.

Talk over the possibilities. Cutting your load next semester? Withdrawing completely? Are there alternatives and if so what are they? Only you can decide, but you need an outside view to make sure you are not loosing track of some useful options.

If you are, in fact, loosing ground and in danger of your dream becoming a very expensive nightmare find someone qualified who can talk it over with you.

Your future is worth this much consideration.

Get a new picture.

During their time on Planet College and even before that most students have accumulated a number of picture ids. Driver's license, work ID, ASU ID. They are pretty similar; picture, name and what ever else is required usually an ID number often a birthday. A few students may still have some ID's going back to high school. Some still may have those magic little cards which featured a not quite accurate birth date, the better to facilitate social interaction of a certain kind. If you're a regular on Planet College you are probably past that. Still it could be worthwhile to take a look at the ID's you may have accumulated. Look at the picture. Have you changed much since it was taken? Probably a lot. This is the purpose of this post. Do you still need those old ID's? Well driver's license, sure. ASB card, definitely. Bankcard with the picture, of course. But. Overall are you still that person? Probably not. If you are still acting like the person in that picture, ask yourself," Is it time for a change?" Is it time for a new picture? Not just on the IDs but of who you are in life. Right now. On Planet College Growth happens, often for the better, certainly for the different.

Why not get a new picture?

Turkey trap, repost.

This is a re-post from a couple of years ago. It is still true and it will always be true.
The Turkey Trap.
The work load for most students on Planet College accumulates during the course of the term. Papers, projects, portfolios all pile up with due dates, at least at the time of the assignment, seemingly distant. Many students defer working on one or more of these with an optimistic, "I'll do it over break." Break comes, usually Thanksgiving or Spring, a good time is had by all. On the returning journey back to campus many students awaken from a pleasant mid-flight snooze with the sudden awareness,"Oh. My. God. I've got a paper due for my ten o'clock class and I haven't even started it." Sound familiar? Probably. I call this The Turkey Trap. Don't fall for it. If you're an average student, next time you hear your self say, "Oh, I'll do it over break." Get real. You will not. That is what break is for. A time out. Kick back. Party. School? Fugggaadddaboutit. Take a break.

And about the paper. Do what so many busy students will do: Ask for an extension.