If you’re considering getting a college education, more pathways are now open to you than ever before. You can study either part time or full time, and whether you want to attend classes on campus or online. There are pros and cons to all these different approaches, making it tricky to know which is the best option for you.
To help you out, this article talks about some of the factors you should take into consideration when deciding whether to study on campus or via distance learning.
Find Out What’s Viable For You
The first step to take is to do some research into whether on-campus learning and virtual learning are even both realistic options for you. For example, if you intend to study a more practical subject such as medicine or engineering, it might not be possible to do so through remote learning. However, purely academic subjects like history and philosophy are much more straightforward and can be done online.
Similarly, if the degree you’re interested in is at a university in a different part of the country or even another part of the world altogether, you’ll have to think about whether moving there to attend classes is feasible and affordable for you.
Finally, you also need to consider which programs you’re likely to get accepted onto with your grades. Take a look at CampusReel’s take on Notre Dame admission requirements and those for other colleges to get the information you need.
Think About What You Want From Your College Experience
Once you have a better idea of your options, it will be time to consider exactly what you want to get out of your time at college. There are certain experiences that will only be available to you if you learn on campus, such as going to sports games, studying in the library, grabbing coffee with your classmates after lectures, and taking part in extracurricular activities. If those are important to you, you probably won’t be satisfied with the online learning experience.
Conversely, if you are purely considering going to college as a way to get the qualifications you need for your career, distance learning might be more practical. You’ll be able to study from the comfort of your own home with no one else around to distract you from your work. Plus you’ll still be able to connect with other students – you’ll just be doing so virtually.
Weigh Up Your Existing Obligations
For those considering going to college later in life, existing work and family commitments can make attending classes in person impractical. If you have caring responsibilities or a job you don’t want to quit, you need to think realistically about whether you can balance these with a program that’s based on campus.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that doing so isn’t possible. Plenty of people successfully juggle a degree course with their work and family life! One option to bear in mind if you have your heart set on a campus program is to study on a part-time basis, which will leave you with more free time for the other aspects of your life while still enabling you to get a formal qualification.
