Hello everyone:

Watching school buses pick up their children this morning, I began wondering what my students in college are planning for their first day of fall semester tomorrow.

Have they visited our class webpage and read my first announcements, including the one that tells them to bring a copy of the syllabus to class with them, or do they figure that I printed it out and will hand it to them when they show up?

Do they have the book for the class, or will they make a quick scramble to the bookstore tomorrow, along with half of the student population (only to discover that the book is sold out and they can’t get it for the first three weeks of class)?

Will they have paper and pen, ready to take notes, or will they think that nothing important will be done tomorrow and blow off the idea of even showing up?

Will they prepare their backpack today, making sure that they have all the supplies they need for their classes, or will they run around first thing in the morning, trying to pull everything together at the last minute?

Will they lay out their outfit tonight, making sure that it is in good repair, or will they show up in their pajamas?

Will they make sure that their car is gassed up, their laptop is charged up, and their eyes are opened up, or will they run out of gas halfway there, string the cord for their charger across the room (which becomes a tripping hazard for everyone in the room), and sit in their chairs, barely awake because they stayed awake playing computer games half the night?

Well, I guess you can tell which route a successful student will take. The second choices, all the way through, are for students whose success is doubtful. See you tomorrow!

Best,

Dr. Sheri