Estimation of difficulty level

I think it's hard to tell how difficult a course will be until you've finished off about 3 weeks worth of classes.  Usually by then the more inquisitive teachers will have had one quiz at least, and lectures will generate a certain amount of notes from which you can guess how much studying is going to be required.  You'll finally have a good idea of the time committment involved for each class in order to "make the grade" and have a good measure of success.

Right now I'm only afraid of my Geography course.  Not because I can't do whatever is thrown at me, but because we've missed two classes due to weather out of a possible three.  Since the class only meets once a week, and in the evening, it will be time intensive anyway.  The class meets from 6:30pm to 9:15pm  The instructor warned us on the only class we have had so far about how his class is not easy, how he expects us to spend three hours studying for each hour we spend in class, and how we will be covering the material he has planned despite how many weeks of class may be missed.  That adds up to 6.5 hours of study, and about 6 hours spent on map creation every week (although my first two maps have been an esitmated 11 hours of work).  About a 12 - 13 hour committment each week for one of 5 classes is a tall order in addition to the accelerated pace.  I WILL do it, but this is just one of those unexpected little things that crop up when headed back to school.

I like how my Education teacher is very realistic about the teaching world.  Anyone who is not determined to be a teacher will likely drop that course.  Thank goodness my goal is middle-of-the-road as far as competition is concerned after graduation.  Not that it matters.  I'll be the very best, so people will just have to step aside for my awesomeness.  If I don't have confidence, then I should never have started this.  I'm going to forge ahead despite any difficulties.  I will always let people here who read know about all the wrinkles, who knows who it may help in the long run.