Posts Tagged ‘financial aid’

Online Degrees VS. Campus Degrees

Many students see the advantage of online education as the freedom of study at their own pace. In addition those who hate to go to school tend to love the ability of online education that enables them to study from home. But, you should not make your decision to study online just because of these advantages. There are other important factors that you should consider when choosing whether to get your degree online, college campus or a hybrid program.

There are many good reasons to get a degree work can become more rewarding financially.  A degree work well to open up new job opportunities that did not exist before.  Once you have made the decision to improve your educational status then what?

Obviously you need to research colleges to find out which program will be the best for you.  How should you make your decision whether to go for online education or to earn a traditional campus degree? Try to ask yourself some of the following questions and the answer them honestly, this should help point you in the right direction.

Do you prefer learning by reading instead of listening?
When I was in college in my 20’s I found that the lower level courses tended to be large lecture style courses assignments were given and we showed up and listened to very boring professor lectures.  So even though I was physically there I was not really listening.  There were upper division courses that had synergistic and collaborative elements to them.  But guess what?  When I was in school the first time web conferencing, webinars and other tools like that did not exist.  online college classes are and excellent solution for many working adults.  Hence if getting your degree online is your preference these things should not be an issue for you.

Will you be able to work on your own with someone motivating you?
Nobody will stand over you to ensure you to complete assignments on time and progress through the whole degree program in online education. You have to motivate yourself to complete the courses, projects and assignments in order earn your online degree.  If you need somebody to motivate or remind you to complete a given task, then traditional campus degree program might be a better option for you as there are teachers and tutors to make sure you progress through your study and earn a degree successfully.  In order to get the degree work is required to be completed during a reasonable time line.  Also are you interested in a degree which requires labs that simply can not be done online?  You may need to look at hybrid programs where you can proceed through your course take tests and quizzes online but show up on campus for labs.

Is the social element of college important to you?
When I was 19 the only reason I was in school was to avoid work and to enjoy all the social activities colleges can offer.  However I did not finish school and when I went back three years ago I was a man on a mission.  So if you need social interaction with classmates to get through school then you may want to choose a campus option. For some people that social interaction provides enough incentive to get to class and finish their degree.  For others like working professionals and parents flexibility with regards to the demands on their time is a key factor, obviously working from home would outweigh any social benefits.

Home work Assignment
•    Read my posts on financial aid and earning your degree work experience accredited
•    Research 3 schools using our degree finder tool to find out their program lengths, tuition costs and whether they will accept any of your previous training, military service towards the degree work included.