Inter Session Winter Session or what ever it is called.

The usual holiday rush is almost upon Planet College. Almost, but not quite. Right now could be a good time to consider, if you haven't already, a Winter Session course.

The guidelines are simple.

Is there an available course which will help me graduate?

Will I be on or near campus, close enough to attend regularly?

How much will it cost and how can I pay for it?

When is the deadline for application?

Review these few simple considerations, basically your regular term considerations only concentrated, could lead to another step, however small, to graduation. And graduation is why you are on Planet College.

Check out the Inter Session, Winter Session or what ever it is called Schedule now.

Stuff Comes Up.

Kayleigh was working hard to complete her first college writing course. Recently she had an important paper due. Kayleigh is still at home and attempting to complete her first semester, freshman year. The week the paper was due her boyfriend dumped her. Plop. Just like that. Then her mother told Kayleigh her dad was moving out and they were getting a divorce. Bam! No warning. With this stuff now active Kayla attempted her paper. It didn't go well and her grade was barely acceptable.

Kayla found a friend, an instructor she knew, to talk about the paper i.e. what could she have done to improve it. While talking she revealed the current details of her personal life. The instructor listened, evaluated the paper and told Kayleigh he understood her dilemma. He told her to get some help, maybe talking to friends. And he also told her that on Planet College, just like back on Planet Earth, Stuff Comes Up. Some times all at once and sometimes it all just sucks. Depending on what her priorities were, if they included passing the class and eventually graduating, she at some point was simply going to have to move forward with her own life.

This is very important. In your progress toward graduation you will see that - like for Kayleigh-
stuff comes up. Not always sucky but sometimes majorly sucky. Still. If you want to graduate, get a degree and return to Planet Earth, you and only you need to continue to march. Get what help you can, hug your dog, feed your fish, microwave six helpings of Top Ramen and eat them all or whatever, but- move forward for yourself.

Some Assembly Required

Ever buy one of those kits which has a label on the outside "Some assembly required"? Usually that means you have bought a box full of parts which you are then supposed to assemble into the picture on the box. Whatever the product is. Hopefully there are directions included. Hopefully you read and follow these directions in order to achieve your goal, the finished product.

Now. You are a college student. You arrived on campus as essentially a bundle of parts. You have been looking forward to and working on assembling these parts into a finished product. That product is a college graduate, you. Unfortunately, there have been no directions included to show you how to assemble yourself into graduate. This lack of direction can be discouraging. Sometimes this discouragement can take the form of assessing your self as Not Good Enough. Not up to it. Not at the right school, or whatever form you usual self-criticism takes. This can be difficult to withstand because no one is harder on you than you.

When these suspicions arise it is time to relax and take stock of yourself. You are enough. You are essentially a worthwhile collection of parts. What may have been lacking for you is clear directions. Unlike the product which includes printed directions you do not have such directions for your goal, a degree.

Recognizing this and realizing you have come a long way just to get to where you are can be encouraging. So. Realize you are good enough to finish. There is help available. Passing the classes that you have passed means you can do it. You have enough tools in your kit to assemble yourself as a graduate. You do. You really do.

Major Decisions

If you find yourself in such a dilemma regarding choosing a major this is what you need to do. It is assumed that on your campus there is an office that processes students’ records who have applied to graduate. Locate the office on your campus that does so. (If you are on a satellite campus or other such facility the office you need may not be immediately accessible.) Somewhere there is an office with workers who process graduation. These workers are often referred to as evaluators. Find this office. Make an appointment to discuss your current status at the school which you are attending. When you make this appointment tell the worker you will need at least an hour with the evaluator. Bring paper to take notes and at least a general notion of the classes you have taken so far. If this is not your first college you may want to bring copies of any transcripts you may have. Once you meet the evaluator tell him you want a realistic assessment of how close you are to graduation. The evaluator will probably tell you that with out a major it will be difficult to assess your graduation possibilities realistically. At this point explain to the evaluator that you will be using this information to choose a major. While they probably won’t make any recommendations they may have a suggestion or two as to your best options.

Graduation Rates

Technically a graduation rate is the number of students who complete their education within a defined time period after first attempting college. Often these statistics are broken down into gender and ethnicity. Your schools graduation rate is available from the registrar’s office. It may also be available here, nces.ed.gov/ipeds/. Exploring this may be enlightening for you concerning your progress through school. But, be aware. The only graduation that really counts is yours. No matter what your gender, ethnicity, age or physical condition you can complete your education. Six years, seven years, eight years it. It takes what it takes. Just graduate, baby.