Surviving and Thriving in Session A/B
It’s a Sunday night, and you’re getting ready to rest up for Monday. But as soon as you close your eyes, you remember! Your Session A course has approximately one million things due by midnight, and you haven’t even started the reading.
If you’ve found yourself with a severe case of these Sunday scaries, you may have been enrolled in an accelerated course, in which the regular amount of work for a 15-week course is condensed into seven. For people who aren’t used to such a fast pace, these classes can be more than a little intimidating. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t succeed with some hard work and a planner. Here are some tips to help see you through.
- Get a planner.
We weren’t kidding. You need a planner or calendar to organize your assignments, and so that you can better visualize the work you’ll need to do per week. Some classes schedule assignments so that they are due on a specific day each week; others give you things to complete by the end of the week. Either way, it’s important to write down what’s going on rather than trust your imperfect memory to know every due date. Not to mention, nothing is more satisfying than crossing things off the to-do list!
- Schedule your time.
Many Session A/B courses are asynchronous, meaning that you learn the material at your own pace while accounting for deadlines. This may mean you have three things to read by a certain date, and a discussion board post due that night. Because the coursework can’t be crammed like you might have found yourself doing for a Session C class, it’s essential that you make time to do your work. Take a look inside that planner of yours and find a slot where you’re free to focus on classwork. Don’t try to schedule it during your Netflix binge, either—one of the keys to success in an accelerated course is paying close attention to what you’re learning. After all, you don’t have a professor looking over your shoulder to make sure you get things done: you’re accountable for how much you choose to gain from class.
- Create good study habits.
Most people are not fans of studying. However, it’s a necessary evil if you’re going to flourish at a fast pace. Therefore, start by taking good notes. If you listen to lectures, make sure to write down important points, questions that may come up, and timestamps you need to revisit. Cornell notes might have been your nemesis in high school, but they’ll be your best friend when you’re reading something complicated or difficult to remember. By recording significant quotes and writing down some of your thinking, you’re ensuring that you’re engaging with the material and retaining information. It also saves you a ton of time when you get to those pesky discussion posts and essays that require citations. The work is already half done since you can use your prior thinking to analyze the content and answer the prompt!
The key thing about Session A/B classes is to never underestimate them. They are not easier because they are shorter (in fact, it’s the same amount of work within a more intensive period), and they are not the perfect solution if you’re looking to graduate sooner. Instead, they should be taken as what they are: vigorous courses that take a lot of self-control and effort to succeed in. But despite the difficulty they bring to the table, they are worth the work if they fit your schedule better than a Session C or you want to devote more time to subjects that serve you better. If you follow these tips and set yourself up for success, you’ll make it out alive and kicking!
