Nowadays you can do everything on the internet, even attend college!
But just how legitimate is it? Do you still get a quality education? Is it easier or harder? Who should do it? And why? What better way to get the answers to these questions than from someone who's already done it!
I personally am currently working on a Bachelor's degree in computer science through an online school and have been doing so for a little over two years now. First, let's start out with the basics.
So how do you attend a campus online? Each school does it differently, but they are all similar. You will have a website online to login to. This website will give you links to your different classes. Normally, you will have a class that is split up into weeks. Each week will contain some forum discussions with classmates, led by the instructor. You will have assignments to complete, which could consist of reading in a textbook, watching a video, taking a quiz or completing a written assignment.
Quizzes are normally taken on the website, and assignments are uploaded through the site to your professor. Discussions, as mentioned, take place on forums inside the site. This of course is all very general and vague, as every school has their own separate way of doing things. For example, some schools require you to buy your actual textbooks, whereas others supply e-books (books for your computer that you read through programs like Adobe Reader) for you to use.
Sounds easy, huh? A quick way to get your degree? Not so fast. Online schools are not meant as a quick way to get your degree without having to do any actual work. If nothing else, these classes make it harder, as you need to have good willpower and self-discipline to sit down each day and do your required work.
Each week, you will have assignments to turn it that require knowledge of the current content, as well as a quiz (some are timed, some are not) that will require the same. Some schools also require that you log on to the website or post to the discussions a certain amount of times per week, or on certain days. Others may have meetings, lectures or chats on certain days and times.
So as one could guess, these schools are just as demanding as a regular on-campus university, if not more-so at time, they simply allow you a little bit more flexibility.
Which brings us to another point. This flexibility that is allowed is what mainly determines the quality of your education. In any college, on- or off-line, you could cheat and guess your way through the assignments and tests, and maybe even pass, without learning a thing. What really matters is your determination. Online schools supply you with the same resources to really, truly learn - but you need the determination and willpower to follow through with it. So how can you tell if an online school is for you? That largely depends on personality.
Many stay-at-home mothers who still want an education, or people who travel a lot or have demanding careers turn to online colleges because they can do their work anytime that these responsibilities allow them to. If this sounds like you, then online school is probably a good idea. You can do your work in your pajamas in the morning, or at Starbucks in the afternoon between meetings, or even at 3am when you just can't sleep!
That wasn't my situation, however. I chose online college because I enjoy creating my own routine. Throughout high school I hated being tied down by their time schedule. I'm a very active person, and as such, need to have the ability to do things when I want to do them. This way, I can assure I'm really truly learning, because I study when I choose to, not when I'm told to. Speaking of high school, here's a little surprise for you: I'm only 20!
That's right, I started attending online when I was only 18 years old, fresh out into the new world. Believe it or not, online learning doesn't have to be just for mid-life adults juggling children, jobs and bills. If you feel you it's for you, regardless of age, go for it!
All in all, online college is just that - college. It's no easier or harder, it isn't an "easy way out", or just for certain ages or situations. It's learning, just adapted for a newer, digital world. You miss the social stimulation that you would find in a classroom, but instead you get to communicate and learn with people from all over the world!
