Should I study Online or attend a ground campus in my neighborhood?
What are the pros and cons of a campus education versus an online degree program? Those boons and burdens seem pretty obvious, but let us state the obvious in the following article. To many people, approaching the college endeavor is a new experience that can be both daunting and confusing. Rest assured, there are a plethora of resources out there to assist the prospective, current, and post graduate student with any questions or concerns that could be had.
If you are the type of person that does better in an in person, face to face, regularly scheduled class setting, then perhaps you should enroll in an on-campus degree program. If you are the type of person that has trouble focusing with other distractions (i.e. disruptive classmates), online courses may be beneficial. Another consideration is the variables of home life, family, and work schedule. All of these factors can and should be thought about when making your decision to go to school. Studying at home is not always “at your leisure.” If you are a parent, and you have wild and disruptive young children, it may be a wise choice to find a good babysitter, whether you want to study at home or on a campus. One of other many things to consider is if you own a computer and how comfortable you are using one. If you are not a “computer person” and you do well listening and taking notes in person, then a campus education is definitely the way to go.
If you are the type of person that likes being able to study from the comfort of your own home, or are comfortable using computers and interactive media as a learning tool, then you may want to consider enrolling in an online degree program. If your schedule is full of work and family, this also might be a better option in terms of time management and flexibility. An online program does require a lot of the student in terms of reading and writing comprehension skills, so if this is not a strong suit for you as an individual, online courses could be challenging. Emails, discussion board posts, and chats may be misunderstood because there are no visual cues to your/the sender’s intentions. It can also be more difficult to form a real connection with your peers when taking an online course.
It all really depends on what you are comfortable with as an individual and what your personal learning style is. You may want to try a combination of online and on campus classes and see which fit your preference. It may also depend on what type of course you are taking. For example, you may want the physical interaction of conversation practice in a classroom setting for a language course. If you are taking an Information Technology course, it may just be easier to already be sitting at a computer to do your studies. Use common sense and see what works for you. Good luck on your educational endeavors!