If you’re interested in getting a college education, technology has increased your options. You don’t have to ever step foot on campus to earn a degree – with online programs you can do it all at home. It might seem great, but there are six key reasons why the real, traditional college experience is always the better choice.
You’ll Form Valuable Relationships with Professors
With online courses, you won’t necessarily meet your professors in person. Your relationship will be limited to online text exchanges, and it will be difficult to get acquainted on more than a superficial, single course basis. When you’re actually in class, you can talk with your professors face to face, and you’ll get to know each other better. Forming strong relationships with the professors you like can help you tremendously when you need a job or a letter or recommendation.
You’ll Meet Lifelong Friends
In the adult world, most people don’t hang out with the same group as they did in high school. As you get older and go your separate ways, you become distant and different and relationships change dramatically. When you’re on campus, it is there that you’ll meet your true lifelong friends. You’ll meet people with the same interests, and you’ll share the significant college experience together. You won’t be able to form those types of relationships when you’re only taking online courses.
You Just Might Find Your Life Partner
Talk to all the married couples you know, and you’ll find that many of them met each other in college. You won’t be able to meet the person of your dreams in an online environment. If you’re interested in dating and having a relationship with someone, you’ll need to get on campus to do it.
You’ll Absorb More Knowledge
There is something about being in a physical classroom that makes learning more “real.” Online, it can be harder to absorb knowledge. You might not have the benefit of hearing a teacher talk about it or seeing things drawn on the blackboard. For most people, they learn best from a combination of methods. With online courses your main source of knowledge is reading, and you may not retain as much information as in a traditional classroom setting.
You’ll Get More Real World Experience
One of the most important reasons that you need to have a real college experience is that college isn’t just about taking classes. As a student on campus or commuting, you’ll deal with many more real world situations, and you’ll be exposed to a variety of people, places, sights, and sounds. The online classroom is not nearly as colorful or diverse, and it won’t prepare you for life in general the way “real” college can.
It’s a Lot More Fun
It’s hard to joke around with professors and classmates or have fun when you’re just online at the computer. Nothing compares to the fun you’ll have with a traditional college experience. Online courses tend to be less than thrilling, and what good is learning if you don’t have fun doing it?
