That is a pretty good plan, take any free classes you can. If it makes you feel any better, full coverage fenders on a bike with horizontal dropouts can be a pain anyways. Whenever you have to change a flat you have to take the fender loose enough that the wheel can clear it as you try to pull it back out of the frame. You can certainly rig something for the fork to make fenders work and just do a fender for the rear that is more of a mudflap to still keep you from soaking your pants riding through slush.