4 Developing a Back-up Plan
Learning Outcomes
- Identify factors that could interfere with attendance and assignment completion.
- Develop a back-up plan to address those factors.
Unexpected Situations and Events
- If you car will not start the morning of class, what will you do?
- If your six-year-old has a day off from school but you have to be in class, how will you ensure you make it to class?
- If you are suddenly feeling anxious and overwhelmed by your workload and other commitments, how can you stay on track?
Too often, students panic and give up when faced with an unexpected life situation, but there are ways to cope and prepare. It always helps to have a contingency — a back-up plan for when situations do not go as expected. This is beneficial not only in college but in your career and personal life.
Developing a Back-up Plan
Developing a contingency requires assessing your situation to determine the factors that could interfere with your ability to attend your classes or to complete your assignments on time. Every student has different factors that could interfere at some point, and that will always be the case in college and in life. You can’t erase those factors, and you cannot generally anticipate major crises; but you can have some basic plans in place in order to minimize disruptions to attendance and academic work.
Complete the exercise below to help you identify areas where you may need back-up plans to help you prepare for the unexpected.
Activity: Develop a Back-up Plan
How likely is it that each of the following could lead to prompts with completing work on time or attending class meetings this semester?
| Financial challenges | Unlikely | Somewhat likely | Very likely |
| Job responsibilities and commitments | Unlikely | Somewhat likely | Very likely |
| Family responsibilities and commitments | Unlikely | Somewhat likely | Very likely |
| Difficulty managing my time | Unlikely | Somewhat likely | Very likely |
| Difficulty with organization | Unlikely | Somewhat likely | Very likely |
| Unreliable internet access | Unlikely | Somewhat likely | Very likely |
| Minimal experience with the technology used in this course | Unlikely | Somewhat likely | Very likely |
| Low motivation | Unlikely | Somewhat likely | Very likely |
| Anxiety about reading, writing, learning, or school | Unlikely | Somewhat likely | Very likely |
| Other factors? | Unlikely | Somewhat likely | Very likely |
Now, review your responses.
For items that you marked “Very likely,” brainstorm ideas for how you will prevent or handle those “Very likely” situations. Be specific. If you did not make any with “Very likely,” do the same for the “Somewhat likely” items.
If you are struggling to come up with ideas, talk with your peers, your professor, or someone else whom you think could provide advice.