Online education?

My brother recently got his Associates from an college. One thing I will say (I'm not in an online college, but I am finishing my last class remotely): it takes incredible discipline and its nothing like the classroom setting.

I'm a good old-fashioned student and its harder for me to learn outside the classroom then it is sitting through a [boring] lecture.

Take a good look at your local schools... many do have programs for working students.

Online study depends on how disciplined you are. As Jenney said, it takes a lot of mental discipline to sit down and work on it at home... think of it as all homework.

Something else to look at. If you think you really want an online school, make sure they have a 'brick & mortar' campus of some kind. There are many 'schools' that are online only and they may not be properly accredited schools. And if they aren't accredited, your degree will be essentially worthless.

Look at local programs first. Go in, ask questions, dig through their websites, and then compare to the schools online.

Amanda

thanks so much guys, that helps!!

Greetings. I've taken online courses, as well as having picked up some traditional courses, all through a local community college. As the others here have said, discipline is the key to doing it all online. And it was also good advice to seek an online offering that is backed by a "regular" college. All courses I take / took online are listed as being thru my community college, which helps add "credibility" to them. For me, the only real differences between the two types are - the online courses tend to be just as expensive, if not more so, than the "traditional" courses, and require more discipline to finish...but are worth it for the "comfort & convenience factor". I also liked that I could work faster online than I can "in class".

Shemarie

I'm doing completely online this semester. It's easier for some classes, harder for others. I like it, because I'm lazy & anti-social....so I don't have to deal with stupid people!

If you are going to be getting student loans then make sure that the courses you take are considered at least half time (normally 6 credit hours). You have to be at least half time to have the loans deferred until you are out of school. If you have any questions about student loans, PM me. I work for a student loan company..

There was a past thread on this very topic! Good luck and be cautious. Know there are many accredited universities today that offer online options and classes that are a good fit for working schedules.