Be realistic about your goals!

Keep your shots between 5 to 10 seconds. The longer they are, the more time consuming it will be to polish them. It's better to have a multitude of kick ass shots, then one long one.

I feel like the wrong person to tell you this, mostly because I'm guilty of this myself.

But I still recommend to keep your shots within 5 to 10 seconds. You probably have other classes and other homework, a boyfriend or a girlfriend, husband or wife or kids. Something that will require your attention. You can't just animate for 15 weeks. So plan ahead. Don't try to create the next epic. Your shots don't have to be super long. Set your goals, be ambitious, but konw your limits. It's better to have a short clip with nice polish than a long clip that's kinda done.