Some Pretty Good Tips

Top Ten Tips For Succeeding in Online College

1. The course syllabus is your bible. Print it out. Read it three times. Yeah, at least three times. The whole thing. Everything your instructor wants you to know is in the syllabus. If it's not in there -- your instructor is disorganized and sloppy. Warn others... It's your duty. -------> RateMyProfessors.com

2. Stay together and KEEP UP! Calendar... Schedule... Keep Up. Don't get behind... please, I beg of you, don't get behind... it's the equivalent of two teens splitting up to go different ways in a horror movie. We'll never see you again! Bad things will happen...

3. The corollary of KEEPING UP. Stay ahead. This is online college baby, you can work at your own pace. So put some effort into it, and stay one step ahead. You never know what lurks in your future that might slam your schedule.

4. This is so important I gotta say it again. Stay ahead. Wait. Did you hear the words that are coming out of my mouth? STAY AHEAD!

Beat Procrastination and Succeed

5. Before you enroll in classes, check your professor out at RateMyProfessors.com. Stay away from the frowns and stick with the smilies. This can save you headaches, grief, wear and tear, and it's so easy.

6. If you find yourself falling behind... yell for help. Don't just sit there like a scared ninny. If you send a nice email or call your professor and explain your situashe, they'll usually send an ambulance or at the very least cut you some slack.

7. Don't expect your professor to believe your bullcrap. If you've been goofing around, playing games, flirting online or whatever it is you do to waste time -- don't expect your professor to give you the greenlight. BAD lamb. Go sit in the corner. Do better next time.

8. Be a regular on the discussion board. Every course has a discussion board. It's like the law or something. Get in there, meet your online classmates and play nice. Make intelligent comments -- not "Ditto, Billy Bob, I so totally agree!" Be original, have your own thoughts. Contribute a new idea or information. And check your spelling for goodness sake. Your professor will notice. Trust me. She will notice. You might get some "I noticed you have original thoughts." points. Nice.

Beware - Blackboard Ate My Homework!

9. If you can't finish the work in time - ask for an incomplete and get busy. Most likely your prof will say "Sorry, no can do." But it never hurts to ask!

10. Don't give up. If you flop a course, so what? Keep going. Try harder. Get some help. You can do it!

Don't Give Up... Don't Give Up... Don't Give Up...