The table gives approximate dates for a reasonable schedule.

milestone	fall semester	spring semester	summer semester
test 1	5 Oct	15 Feb	5 Jun
test 2	10 Nov	5 Apr	10 Jul
final exam	10 Dec	25 Apr	15 Aug

The suggested dates are taken from the on-campus schedule and are not fixed or rigid, but are indicative of when major events should be roughly scheduled. These will provide you with the maximum time within the semester exactly the same as on-campus students.

Also keep in mind that the exact deadline dates for the actual semester you are register may differ somewhat. If the ADP office has informed you that the deadline is, say 20 Apr rather than the 25 Apr given in the table, it is the deadline given to you by the ADP office that you must meet. This might change the dates above somewhat. (See important dates.)

If you fall behind the early dates given above by a few days or a week, it is not a major problem. If you fall behind a month or more, then it indicates that it will take considerable time and concentration to the subject to complete the course requirements by the end of the semester. I have had more than one student under the old scheme who "put off" starting a course and then attempted to finish the entire course in a month or less because of some deadline—it was not pretty nor successful.

It is strongly suggested that you work on the first chapter as soon as you can—even before the official start of the semester. Have your homework ready to send or send it in the days before the start so you will be ready to sit the first test within a week of the official start date. Any homework that you submit "early" will be graded and returned to you immediately after the start of the semester. In this way, you can gain at least three or four weeks to give yourself extra time in case of an urgent demand on your time or the need for additional time to master the material. This also provides for any lost time due to the transit time of the mail.