The Pros and Cons of Online College #2
The Cons
1. The cons. The internet, wonderful invention that it is, has allowed more scams than ever before to flourish in the vast anonymity of cyberspace. Just like anything else you find on the WWW, you must investigate your chosen school before you enroll, and definitely before you pay anything.
There are literally thousands of web sites offering “accredited degrees without study.” You pay them a substantial sum; they print out a diploma with your name and mail it to you. Employers are catching on fast to this hoax. One column writer applied to and received a degree in the name of his cat. The owner of this particular degree mill was caught and jailed—and now operates his “school” from prison under a different name.
I repeat: never send money to an online school unless you’re sure it’s legitimate. If a degree is offered, but no course outlines, degree program descriptions or faculty list is posted, it’s probably a scam.
If you can’t tell from the web site, e-mail the owner/president and ask if you can contact a few of their students to find out about their experience. Most of the time, a simple Google search for “school name” + “fraud” will generate plenty of information.
2. Limited subject matter. There are some things you just can’t learn through e-mail. Would you trust a doctor with a degree from a distance learning institute?
Careers requiring hands-on experience generally aren’t offered through online classes, or if they are you must enroll in a “mixed” program that requires periodic on-campus attendance. However, the range of degree programs offered online is extensive and still growing: you can receive A.A.S. or B.S. degrees in business, management, graphic design, just about any IT field, criminal justice, education, and more.
But if you want to be an airline pilot… you’d better start looking for a flight school.
3. No social interaction. If you’re the type of person that has to talk to someone every ten minutes or so, distance learning is not right for you. Even if you’re not that type of person, distance learning might not be right for you. Social isolation is one of the most difficult factors that must be overcome in an online environment.
You will never meet any of your classmates or your professors face-to-face, and you have to be prepared for that. There are a few things you can do to minimize the impact of lack of interaction: enroll with a friend, join a meeting group with similar interests, or just make sure you have plenty of family and friends around (as long as they understand that sometimes, you have to do your school work).
4. Self-discipline is a must. It’s easy to log on to your virtual classroom, glance at all the assignments posted, and say to yourself, “I’ll do them tomorrow; I can catch up.”
It’s also easy to tell yourself the same thing every day; until you reach the end of the semester and find that you have 50 projects and papers due in half an hour. Remind yourself that even though you aren’t going anywhere, your school work is a priority.
There will be days when you have to make yourself sit down and participate—and there will be days when you really can say, “I’m all caught up; I’ll skip school today and catch up tomorrow.” Just make sure that when tomorrow arrives, you follow through.
5. No immediate feedback. In a traditional classroom setting, you raise your hand and ask a question, and the professor answers you. In a virtual classroom, you e-mail your professor with your question and wait until he or she has the time to reply. Most online teachers are great about responding to students, but it can sometimes take up to a day.
That’s why procrastination is not an option, because if you’re deep into a project and run into a snag close to the end, by the time you get your question answered it may be too late.
The Colleges
Ready to sign up? Following is a list of links to some of the most popular and successful online colleges. There are, of course, many more. Also, your local community college or university may offer partial or full online degrees. Check with your nearest college for details; and if you combine online and traditional classes, you may get the best of both worlds.
1. The cons. The internet, wonderful invention that it is, has allowed more scams than ever before to flourish in the vast anonymity of cyberspace. Just like anything else you find on the WWW, you must investigate your chosen school before you enroll, and definitely before you pay anything.
There are literally thousands of web sites offering “accredited degrees without study.” You pay them a substantial sum; they print out a diploma with your name and mail it to you. Employers are catching on fast to this hoax. One column writer applied to and received a degree in the name of his cat. The owner of this particular degree mill was caught and jailed—and now operates his “school” from prison under a different name.
I repeat: never send money to an online school unless you’re sure it’s legitimate. If a degree is offered, but no course outlines, degree program descriptions or faculty list is posted, it’s probably a scam.
If you can’t tell from the web site, e-mail the owner/president and ask if you can contact a few of their students to find out about their experience. Most of the time, a simple Google search for “school name” + “fraud” will generate plenty of information.
2. Limited subject matter. There are some things you just can’t learn through e-mail. Would you trust a doctor with a degree from a distance learning institute?
Careers requiring hands-on experience generally aren’t offered through online classes, or if they are you must enroll in a “mixed” program that requires periodic on-campus attendance. However, the range of degree programs offered online is extensive and still growing: you can receive A.A.S. or B.S. degrees in business, management, graphic design, just about any IT field, criminal justice, education, and more.
But if you want to be an airline pilot… you’d better start looking for a flight school.
3. No social interaction. If you’re the type of person that has to talk to someone every ten minutes or so, distance learning is not right for you. Even if you’re not that type of person, distance learning might not be right for you. Social isolation is one of the most difficult factors that must be overcome in an online environment.
You will never meet any of your classmates or your professors face-to-face, and you have to be prepared for that. There are a few things you can do to minimize the impact of lack of interaction: enroll with a friend, join a meeting group with similar interests, or just make sure you have plenty of family and friends around (as long as they understand that sometimes, you have to do your school work).
4. Self-discipline is a must. It’s easy to log on to your virtual classroom, glance at all the assignments posted, and say to yourself, “I’ll do them tomorrow; I can catch up.”
It’s also easy to tell yourself the same thing every day; until you reach the end of the semester and find that you have 50 projects and papers due in half an hour. Remind yourself that even though you aren’t going anywhere, your school work is a priority.
There will be days when you have to make yourself sit down and participate—and there will be days when you really can say, “I’m all caught up; I’ll skip school today and catch up tomorrow.” Just make sure that when tomorrow arrives, you follow through.
5. No immediate feedback. In a traditional classroom setting, you raise your hand and ask a question, and the professor answers you. In a virtual classroom, you e-mail your professor with your question and wait until he or she has the time to reply. Most online teachers are great about responding to students, but it can sometimes take up to a day.
That’s why procrastination is not an option, because if you’re deep into a project and run into a snag close to the end, by the time you get your question answered it may be too late.
The Colleges
Ready to sign up? Following is a list of links to some of the most popular and successful online colleges. There are, of course, many more. Also, your local community college or university may offer partial or full online degrees. Check with your nearest college for details; and if you combine online and traditional classes, you may get the best of both worlds.
posted by Jared Wash at 8:49 AM
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