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I was a flight instructor for many years and had quite a few students, some very successful and some not so much. The characteristics that were common to the successful students was keeping appointments; enthusiasm; taking advantage of "challenging weather opportunities" (meaning not canceling if you think the conditions are beyond you - believe me, your instructor will not take you up if it's too bad for flying, this is how you gain confidence in your abilities); doing your homework, meaning doing the readings and having a good comprehension of the lesson; be prepared for setbacks, meaning some things come easier than others. Some students have a little trouble with radio work, getting tongue tied, some have trouble with spatial orientation (awareness of where you are), some are a little slow with navigation, etc.
I remember students having trouble getting ready to solo in the pattern, maybe having a case of PIO (pilot induced oscillation) on short final. Then one day, bingo, they get it and shoot 3 great patterns and landings and me telling them to taxi to the ramp and getting out, leaving them solo.
The big thing to remember is you get out of this what you put in. Oh, and if you don't like your instructor, get another one. I used to enjoy the early dual cross-country flights, that is when the student really starts to put it all together.
We used to figure the cost for a private license was about equal to the cost of a semester in college, I don't know if that is still true. Obviously, how rapidly you get to the check ride has a bearing on cost. The guys that took the longest were usually the ones that had gaps in their training, so the lesson here is stick with on a regular schedule.
Good luck with your goal, it is a very worthy thing to do.
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