Are you still trying to decide between taking online classes and classes at a traditional campus?
Online schooling has some major advantages, but have you considered the disadvantages? It’s important to take those into account too, before making a final decision regarding your education. Here are some of the main disadvantages of online education.
1. A Risk of Isolation from Your Classmates
Physical campuses are very social places. They’re filled with students from all over the country and beyond, all learning together in the same place. Students of online courses, on the other hand, don’t need to be located even remotely close to each other, nor do they need to work on their schooling at the same time. The result: it can be very tricky to connect socially with your peers.
2. You’re Responsible for Managing Your Own Schedule
For many students, a flexible schedule is an absolute blessing. It may be the only way higher education is possible for them. Other students, however, need clearly set expectations, deadlines, and schedules. Managing their own schedule may become overwhelming or stressful, especially if they weren’t particularly disciplined at the beginning of the semester.
3. Your Home May Not Be the Ideal Learning Environment
When students at traditional campuses need some quiet time to study and focus, they can walk to the campus library or student center. Online students don’t always have this option. Many online learners struggle with distractions at home, such as children, pets, neighbors, phone calls, and so on.
4. You May Feel Disconnected from Your Instructor
Online students can connect with their instructor in a number of ways: email, discussion boards, phone calls, video chat, and more. And yet, despite all this, many students feel disconnected from their teacher. Nothing can really replace that old-fashioned, one-on-one, personal interaction.
5. Students of Online Courses Need to Be Tech-Savvy
The environment of online schooling is entirely virtual. As such, students need to be able to use the technologies and tools required to navigate that virtual environment, such as video conferencing, file format conversions, chat rooms, and more. If you find technology totally baffling and want no part of it, you may want to consider a physical campus instead.
6. You Won’t Get the Full “College Experience”
If you dream of raucous house parties, dorm life, football games, and fraternities, you’ll probably want to find your way to a traditional physical campus. Online courses can provide great education, but they simply can’t replicate the experience of actually living on a college campus with other college students.
7. You May Not Have a Traditional Graduation Ceremony
Finally getting to wear your cap and gown can be a magical experience, but it’s typically only an option at physical campuses. Some online colleges hold graduation ceremonies, but many don’t.
8. Online Schools Can’t Provide the Same Degree of Hands-On Learning
This is a bigger problem for some subjects than for others. At traditional colleges and universities, science classes involve a good deal of time spent in laboratories, working hands-on with materials under the guidance of a trained instructor. Many subjects which require extensive labs simply cannot be taught online. Other subjects require online learners to do lab work by themselves. The lack of supervision and guidance for this type of work can be quite frustrating.
9. There Are No Work-Study Programs Available
Work-study programs are a crucial financial resource for many college students. In fact, a large number of students at traditional colleges and universities are only able to pay their tuition due to the money they receive from their on-campus job. These job opportunities typically don’t exist through online colleges.
10. Traditional Colleges Offer Many More Extracurricular Activities
Students studying at physical campuses can choose to play intramural sports, audition for a play, join a club, sing in an a cappella group–the list goes on. Students studying online, however, have a much more limited list of activities available, if any.
Remember, this list is not meant to dissuade you from pursuing an online education. Rather, it is intended to help you make the most informed choice possible, so you can pursue the educational path which best fits your needs, your personality, and your lifestyle.