If you are thinking about taking an online class, don't. Or do. Whatever makes sense to you. But do not take an online class until you know what you are signing up for. I have taken three online classes so far, and every one of them has made me question why I chose to take classes online.
Everyone promotes the easy and flexible schedule. This is the only reason I signed up. I took 18 hours spring semester, and the only way to fit statistics and Spanish in were by taking it through the web. While one may think online requires less time since you get to choose when you "go to class," that is simply not the case. If anything, you do double the work because you are not in a classroom. The amount of assignments was ridiculous compared to my regular classes. This made it harder for me to fit in all of the work, so I stayed up most nights finishing homework. My social life vanished.
Secondly, you do not really have a teacher. There is no one to call on you when you raise your hand. If you have a question, you will have to wait for a response through email. To me, it gets frustrating because it takes five seconds to answer it in person, but a day or two to answer through email. I'm also an auditory learner... why it occurred to me that an online class would be great for me, I honestly can't tell you. College is all about learning about yourself. By the fifth kick in the face, you learn and move on.
Your life depends on wifi. Without wifi, you cannot access your assignments or reading material on your laptop. No wifi is suicide for an online class. Along with this, make sure you always have access to a plug. The worst is when you're in the middle of an assignment and your computer dies.
I've signed up for a math class thinking it was completely online, then found out tests were on Saturdays at school. My boyfriend had to come the Fridays before to tutor me for 12 hours, pounding all of the information in my head. I've also had a Spanish teacher email the class, saying, "The first deadline is due a week from today, the orientation quiz." When you read that, you think the orientation quiz is due next week, right? Wrong. The orientation was due that day, and 76 activities (not lying) were due next week, followed by a test. Read and dissect every email, point on the syllabus, and class announcement.
***Don't worry. I got mostly 100's on all of those activities.***
Finally, be honest with yourself. If you can't hold yourself accountable, do not sign up for an online class. You have to be responsible to survive. You are basically teaching yourself every lesson. After teaching yourself, you'll have a million assignments due the next week. Write deadlines in your planner. You will study, live, and breathe those deadlines. I had no idea what I was signing up for, but thankfully I got good grades. If you plan on taking online classes, don't say I didn't warn you!
