Online courses vs. classroom

[freakyflygirl 0]

Anyone have any experience with these?

I've decided to go back to school to get my appraisers license and most of my courses are offered online. I'm afraid that it'll be easy to f&*k off if I go this route vs. actually driving the hour and a half to take all day classes all day on Saturdays (which will seriously cut into any possible jump time). I will be working full time with 2 very active kids and once I get through the first few courses I'll have to start an appreticeship that takes 3000 hours. In the long run the $$$$$$$ will be A LOT better. On the other hand if I go the online route, I can do everything at night during the week. Who needs sleep anyways, right?

Just wondering if anyone has had any bad experiences with online courses....

YIKES, I'm gonna be a college student again, Hopefully this time I'll remember most of it

[PhillyKev 0]

You have to look at it like a job. No kids, no friends, no phone calls, no distractions. Go in a closed room, do the work, and don't let ANYTHING distract you.

If you have the discipline to do that at home, they work. If not, you'll just end up wasting your time and money. At least that's what I did.

[txblondie 0]

I say go for it. I've never taken classes on line, but one of the guys I work with does, and he loves it. He has to write a lot of papers, but it's fairly simple and quick.
I did correspondence to finish high school, and it was just about discipline. Basically, I f***ed off six days a week (mostly because I worked) and sat down one day a week to do all the work. I could finish 3 or 4 units a day, which meant that all my coursework was done in under a year, and I actually graduated early.

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Blondes do have more fun!

[jfields 0]

I have done both. At one point, I was going "to school" full time with 18 credits, but all of them were online. So I just had to go from the bedroom to the computer room in my underwear to go to class.

My experiences with online classes:

Pros:
Hello, flexible schedule. You can do the work whenever you want.
You can go as fast as your abilities will let you.
You don't have to put up with crappy boring professors in person.
It forces you to be more organized in your approach to academics.
No wasted commuting time.

Cons:
They actually assign more work.
You have to be disciplined.
If your computer crashes, you are so screwed.
The interpersonal "networking" isn't as good as you get in person.
If you aren't good at communicating in writing without nonverbal body signals, you may struggle.


I just got accepted to grad school. In the spring semester, I'm starting up a 4-year dual-degree program. I will take 2 classes per semester, year-round, while working a full-time job. The entire program is online. I can't take day classes, because of my job. I don't want to take evening classes, because I want to have that time with my family. I don't want to do an "executive" (weekend) program, because I could never jump. So I'm going online again. I can do classwork at work some, instead of spending my time here postwhoring, and do some work in the evenings after my daughter has gone to bed.

[jfields 0]

Quote

If not, you'll just end up wasting your time and money. At least that's what I did.

Been there, done that, but it wasn't the online/offline issue. Like the warden in Cool Hand Luke said, "You got to get your mind right." My early college GPA: about 2.0. My post-Army college GPA: about 3.5. My undergrad degree was a sporadic 5-college 10-year journey.

[pleifer 0]

I have taken a couple of business online
accounting, stuff i could not take in person because of work schedual.
I would rather take them in person.
but that is because i am on of those people that if i hear it in a lecture i don't need to read the book or study it that much
online- there is alot of book reading but i think the hw is easier, just cus' of the format mst is givin in.
when i did it i just took one, to see if i was dedicated enough to complete it. even though i get A's on them all i'd still rather go to lectures
hope thats insightfull enough for ya,

you can pm if you like with any questions if you like
i have taken ba 211 & 213, and ba280, along with 2 music apperciation classes

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The Angel of Duh has spoke

[livendive 8]

I like 'em. It's nice to not have to go to class every week. The only downside is keeping procrastination at bay, 'cuz they expand the workload to make up for the time you're not in class. I made the mistake of taking 3 at the same time last year, and with 2 weeks to go had a 15 page paper and two 20 page papers due, as well as two proctored finals. Turned into the mother of all cram sessions the last weekend.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[freakyflygirl 0]

Thanks for all the input everyone!!!!! I did find out today that I have to take 3 different seminar type courses AT a school before I can start with the online program. I think they total something like 14 days and then I can do everything from home which is the what I think I'm going to have to do.

As much as I want this I still have to put the family first. Which as you all said is going to take massive amounts of discipline (which I lack severely...lol)
At any rate, I know I can get this done, I just want to get it done NOW!! I lack patience as well sometimes..lol

Just got to keep my eye on the end result....a career that'll provide me with more jumps!!!!!!
Oh yeah, and stability and all that junk that goes with being a responsible adult