If someone were to ask this question 10
years ago I’d probably tell them that going to a live school
would be better. Because of advancements in technology I
think online schools are catching up with the live schools
and in some cases surpassing them in terms of ease of
courses, affordability and more important how advanced an
online degree can be taken over the net.
First I’d like to clear some things up
about online schools. Online schools are not a joke, they do
not have a lesser grade or accreditation than your typical
brink and mortar school. In fact the same accrediting bodies
that approve your major state schools can approve your
online school. Most major schools you see these days now
have an online component or even an online branch because of
the popularity explosion.
So the question can be answered by
looking at several factors. The first is what you are
looking for in a school. If you work 40 hours per week and
don’t have time to attend classes throughout the day then I
would say an online school is better for you. If you define
better as quality then this is where I think the score is
50/50. I personally have taken online courses and loved
them. The interaction between the professor and students
were outstanding. When I had a question I chatted online,
sent an e-mail or called during scheduled office hours. For
me this was better than attending a live school where I sat
in stadium seating of 400 people and really never had a
chance to answer any questions.
Where do I feel live schools are better
you may ask. For me entering into college after I graduated
high school was the path I took. I was 18 years old and for
me I wanted the social interaction with a live school. I
attend a state ran school and enjoyed every minute of it.
Now 20 years later I went back and graduated with several
online degrees as my life has changed and so has my career.
When I was considering going back to school I never once
thought I would attend a live school as I could just as
easily get my online degree from an accredited school (and
for about half the cost).
So when asking yourself what is better
you need to ask yourself first what you would like. If your
concern is that an online school doesn’t have the
credentials or that the teachers won’t teach as well as a
live school then I can personally tell you that is a myth
and I gained more with my online courses than I ever did
attending 4 years at a live school. It also depends on the
degree that you are after. If you want to become a doctor
then online might not be the way to go. However I would
recommend that you take most of your general elective
courses from an online school first to see how you like the
school. If after a year you enjoy it then you can start
taking courses in your major.
