Free Advice

More students than ever are choosing to learn online. A new study finds a 17% increase in online enrollment. The same study found 25% of college students are taking at least one course online. That means more college students are having to learn new skills for learning. Participating in a distance learning college requires a different approach to a traditional classroom setting. There is less opportunity for personal interaction and no one to track your progress. That means online college students may need to be more disciplined.

While college campuses are often compared to a bubble, sheltered from the real world, online students remain in their world and strive to make learning fit in. On a college campus, all students are there to learn. But when you are going to online college, you may be the only person in your home or office in that situation. Not having classmates to commiserate with when feeling lonely can be a challenge for an online college student, but you can succeed with a little planning.

Set goals for your education. If you know how long you want to take to get your degree, you can figure out how many classes to take each year. Many online schools go year round, so you can finish your degree in less than four years or take more years to fit your schedule. If you plan to get financial aid, make sure you have enough money to cover all your years of study. Set short term goals for completing class projects and weekly reading. If you get behind in your assignments you will waste time trying to catch up.

Next, find a good place to study. It may be your room at home, the library or a neighborhood coffee shop. Treat online college like a job. Just like you go to an office, you need a place to study with no distractions. Set aside a time each day to go to your study area and get your work done. Don’t forget to make reminders about project due dates. Getting into a rhythm early will help you stay focused.

What are you interested in? That’s a good question to ask yourself before you declare your major. If a topic interests you, you are more likely to enjoy studying. Taking a variety of classes early in your college career may help you determine what field interests you most. Remember this is your career, so don’t be influenced by family pressure, your current job or hiring trends.

Make online college as personal as possible. You may not be able to trade notes with someone sitting next to you, but you can take part in class chat rooms. Chat rooms and discussion boards are a great place to discuss class topics or set up a study group. Contact your professor regularly to find out how you are progressing in class. Most instructors make their email address or phone numbers available.

Ask your family and friends for support. Everyone may have been excited when you announced you were going to college. They want you to succeed. But what happens when the baby’s screaming or someone needs a ride somewhere? Letting your friends and family know your study schedule will help them respect your boundaries. During school is not the time to run errands or answer phone calls. Consider blocking off your class time on a daily calendar.

Just because classes are on your schedule, does not mean attending schools online is going to be easy. In some ways online courses are more difficult than campus courses. You really have to discipline yourself. You set your own class and study time and get assignments done regardless of what else is happening. Set yourself up for success for the best online degree you can achieve. The decision to get your college degree could be a life changing move for you and your family. You may find an abundance of new information about on line degree programs on the internet.