The Pros and Cons of an Online College Degree
By Tim Arnold
Getting a college degree online seemingly
appears to be a very convenient way to gain
further education without having to inconvenience
your home life. An easier way to obtain an
edge in the working world is by getting that
online college degree that you’ve always wanted,
without having to leave the comfort of your
own home. All of this may very well be true,
but there are a few things that a person should
consider before becoming financially tethered
to an online college or university.
Can you make the time?
Take a moment and evaluate how much free
time you really have in your personal
life. After tending to your work, house
chores, possibly children, and making
time just to relax, how much time do you
have left to study and work on assignments?
This involves hours reading which can
be very time consuming.
How comfortable is "the comfort of your
own home?"
Do you have the peace and quiet necessary
to read and study? Are the people in your
house (spouse, children, friends, etc.)
willing to give you the time and space
you need? More times than none, this is
the biggest problem. Everyone around you
might not be willing to put there life
on hold for your betterment. This is a
hard reality, but when you are at home,
people will be tempted to confront you
with home issues that will interfere with
your studies. If you were in a classroom
setting, this would not be a problem.
Unless you are one of those individuals
you can’t turn their cell phone off.
How credible is the online college degree
you are pursuing?
There are now several online colleges
to choose from, but how credible are they
once earned? Will the college degree earned
online hold any weight in the working
world, or did I just put all this time
and effort into a worthless piece of paper?
You may want to research via online bulletin
boards or websites. Even word of mouth
to some extent. It’s not my place to tell
you which online college is worthy, but
rather to advise you to take the time
to see if the college you select will
get you the job that you want.
Can I afford the loan to get my education?
Certain online universities have government
loan programs set up where you don’t have
to pay back your loan if you complete
your schooling. These sound great in theory,
but what if you don’t complete your schooling
and have to pay it back? They are usually
very expensive and here’s the catch: Once
you get the loan, the school gets paid
in full. So they get their money no matter
what, and you get stuck paying the government
back the remainder of your loan for nothing
in return. The online colleges are making
a fortune off students under these circumstances.
From information I gathered off of different
online studies, the freshman dropout rate
is over 25% higher for online students.
The overall dropout rate is nearly equal
that number.
What are the "pros" to online college
degree courses?
Under most circumstances, people who say
they don’t have the time to attend traditional
college classes do so mainly because of
family issues. Children involved and no
sitter available. Unfortunately like I
said earlier, the children can make it
difficult to concentrate at home. I am
not trying to discourage any parent in
getting further education, but trying
to prevent them in finding themselves
in a hard financial situation because
they couldn’t make it work for them. More
than half the time, if you don’t have
time to go to classes, you probably won’t
have time to do them at home either. There
have been many parents as well as other
individuals who have made this work successfully
though. These are just things to consider.
A big convenience for most to online class
is not having to partake in the social
aspect of college. If you are an aging
adult, sitting in class with pimple faced
kids can be annoying. It can also be distracting
hearing about all the parties and other
gatherings that take place at school.
If you have any health issues that make
it difficult to leave the house, online
college is a fantastic option.
I hope this knowledge has helped some
of you in your decision making process.
I have been fortunate enough to have an
insider’s look at online colleges classes
and ultimately I believe any education
is good education. Your knowledge is the
one thing nobody can take from you, I
just want you to be sure that your newly
acquired knowledge can be put to good
use and benefit you and your future.
Timothy D. Arnold recruits students via
his online college portal http://www.choosing-a-college.com
You can view more his articles at http://www.articlelocator.us/
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