I wish I read this before I signed up for my OW class...(sigh)...
As a newbie, I identified so many shortcomings, like not asking about the instructor, not checking the pool etc, which became a big deal for me as it is currently winter here in Aus and the pool is actually outdoors with a roof (and not indoor like what was advertised)!
I did my e-learning, no probs with that. I went through my pool session last Saturday through the bitterly cold weather, and although I completed the tasks (some took a while for me to do) I felt that it was "rushed". There were several tasks that I would have loved to focus or practice more but didn't get the chance to as it was only a 1 day session, and the total time spent on the pool was probably about less than 5 hours. The rest of it were spent on classroom and the obligatory shop tour.
Things that I would have loved to know beforehand:
1) Maximum size of the class and size of the pool - this was not an issue when we were all kneeling but for some tasks the space constraints of the pool hindered my learning
2) Gearing up for the weather - i wish we were advised and given the option to wear a suitable gear, our instructor was wearing a semi-dry suit with 2 layers underneath, while the students were wearing ill-fitted rentals. Im not blaming the instructors here, but as newbies, we didn't know about these sharkskins or lavacores, which would have made the experience a lot more pleasant as opposed to what felt like a "hazing" session...(i hope people see the humour in this comment, not trying to pick a fight)
I am heading to Tulamben in couple of weeks time, where I will do my ocean dives and complete the course, and do more dives straight after so I can practice further