Whether you’re thinking of going back to school or preparing to matriculate for the very first time, you have a choice to make – you need to decide whether you want to go to school in person, or online, or perhaps a hybrid of the two.
More and more students are seeing the advantages of distance education. In 2021, 28 percent of undergraduate students at public institutions and 21 percent of undergraduate students at private nonprofit institutions studied online exclusively, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). However, online learning isn’t for everyone. It might be good for you if you’re a disciplined individual who’s good with technology and willing to make more effort to engage with your classmates and professors. But if you’re someone who needs the structure of learning in a traditional brick-and-mortar format, you might not thrive in an online degree.
Go to School Online If You’re a Self-Starter
If there’s one thing you definitely need to succeed in an online degree program, it’s self-discipline. There will be no face-to-face contact with the professor and no scheduled class times to attend. You will have to make the time on your own to watch your lectures, do your reading, review your course materials, and complete your assignments. Of course, there will still be due dates and deadlines you’ll have to meet, but it’ll be up to you to make time for the work to get done. If you’re not self-disciplined enough to make yourself do the work without anyone externally telling you to, then an online degree like the bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Arizona might not be for you.
Choose a Brick-and-Mortar Program If You Want the Traditional College Experience
The best online degree program can’t give you the traditional college experience. If you want to live in the dorms, rush a sorority or a frat, eat in the campus dining hall, study in the library, attend on-campus parties, and all that, you’ll have to go to a traditional brick-and-mortar program.
But you can still take some classes online, to get experience working with technology and collaborating across distances. Once you’re in the workforce, you may very well have to work with colleagues in offices in other parts of the country or world. Taking a few online classes can help you learn to engage fully in those collaborations.
Online Classes Are the Way to Go If You Need Flexibility
Not everyone wants the traditional college experience, and not everyone has time for it. Going to school the traditional way takes two years for an associate’s and four years for a bachelor’s, plus a few more if you want to go to graduate school or get a professional degree. If you can’t afford to put your life on hold for years in order to go back to school in person, online learning could be the best path for you.
Online degree programs are designed to meet the needs of working adults who have lots of other things going on in their lives. If you’re already working and have a family and bills to pay, you can take online classes at the times most convenient for you. If you need to wake up super early in the morning before the kids need to get ready for school, or stay up late at night to get some time to study, you can do that with an online degree.
Attend School in Person If You Need Face-to-Face Interaction
It can be hard to connect with classmates and professors in an online program. You don’t see them face-to-face, and you may not be meeting up with them in-person at all (although, if your university is local, you may be able to meet up with classmates sometimes or at least attend your professors’ office hours).
If you need face-to-face interaction to feel like you’re building connections and collaboration well, you may want to consider a traditional brick-and-mortar program. In-person learning offers more chances to interact with classmates and professors, even outside of the classroom. Connections come more naturally, whereas you will have to purposely seek them out in an online program.
It’s not always easy to choose between going back to school online or going in person. Each has its drawbacks and advantages. Make sure you’re making the right choice for you and your career, so you can get what you need out of your college education, and look back on these years with fondness.