{"id":2805,"date":"2017-07-10T17:03:04","date_gmt":"2017-07-10T17:03:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.petersons.com\/blog\/?p=947"},"modified":"2019-04-26T15:09:17","modified_gmt":"2019-04-26T21:09:17","slug":"college-on-the-web-comparing-the-pros-and-cons-of-online-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.petersons.com\/blog\/college-on-the-web-comparing-the-pros-and-cons-of-online-school\/","title":{"rendered":"College on the Web: Comparing the Pros and Cons of Online School"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Internet technologies have changed education. Via online classrooms, students can study anywhere, anytime. However, online classes and degrees also have drawbacks. If you\u2019re thinking about taking an online degree<\/a>, it\u2019s best to look at the pros and cons before you do.<\/p>\n

Pro: It\u2019s Convenient<\/h3>\n

One of the big pluses of online education is convenience. You don\u2019t have to commute further than your home office to \u201cattend\u201d class. You log onto class when it\u2019s convenient for you, even if it\u2019s the middle of the night. Many online classes are asynchronous so you don\u2019t have to study at a specific time. For those classes that aren\u2019t, you can use free technologies like Skype and Google Hangouts to meet up with professors and peers.<\/p>\n

Pro: Access Majors That Your Home University Doesn\u2019t Offer<\/h3>\n

It used to be that you had to move out of your house, and sometimes out of your hometown, to study certain majors. While it\u2019s an exciting prospect to study in a different city, that option isn\u2019t always available to people, especially non-traditional students who have families and jobs.<\/p>\n

Kristy English of Portland State University expressed how critical an online degree was for her. She looked at a few schools before deciding on Portland State. She felt that her criminal justice degree would help her to help her community. Fortunately, she didn\u2019t need to leave her community or her job since she could study criminology online<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Con: It Can be Hard to Find Quiet Time<\/h3>\n

Students who need sequestered places to study might find the online environment challenging. Students at traditional universities can go to the library or the study in the quiet of the lounge. Online students often have to work around family, pets, and co-workers to get their work done. This makes it hard to concentrate at times.<\/p>\n

Con: An Online Degree Requires Self-Discipline<\/h3>\n

If you have trouble getting to class at a traditional university, it\u2019ll probably be more challenging when you\u2019re getting an online degree. Classes on campus force you to focus and to set aside specific times for work. Students who lack that kind of self-discipline may falter in an online class. It\u2019s easy to forget about class when you don\u2019t have a set schedule to follow.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts on Online Degrees<\/h3>\n

Online degree programs have opened up educational opportunities for all sorts of students. They allow people to study when it\u2019s convenient for them. However, they also require a great deal of discipline and don\u2019t offer the quiet spaces a traditional university does. If you\u2019re looking at some online degrees, be sure to be honest about how well you\u2019ll do with the cons as well as the pros before deciding on a program.<\/p>\n

\n

About the author: Anica is a professional content and copywriter from San Francisco, California. She loves dogs, the ocean, and anything outdoor-related. She was raised in a big family, so she\u2019s used to putting things to a vote. Also, cartwheels are her specialty. You can connect with Anica\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

All views and opinions of guest authors are theirs alone and are not representative of the views of Petersons.com or its parent company Nelnet.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Internet technologies have changed education. Via online classrooms, students can study anywhere, anytime. However, online classes and degrees also have drawbacks. If you\u2019re thinking about taking an online degree, it\u2019s best to look at the pros and cons before you do. Pro: It\u2019s Convenient One of the big pluses of online education is convenience. You<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1515,1031,24],"class_list":{"0":"post-2805","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-colleges","7":"tag-online-course-tips","8":"tag-online-degree-programs","9":"tag-online-degrees"},"better_featured_image":null,"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCollege on the Web: Comparing the Pros and Cons of Online School<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Internet technologies have changed education, and online school has pros and cons. This article evaluates factors of online school. 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