When most people imagine college, they probably imagine strolling along a tree lined Mall, holing up in the library before finals and taking vigorous notes inside a cavernous lecture hall.
But with the budget cuts and the general economic crisis, more and more students are imagining college from the comfort of their own homes— with online education.
The Daily News recently reported that at Pierce College, 3 percent of the student population is enrolled in online education courses, and the number is only expected to grow.
While online classes offer convenience, they’re not for everyone or every subject, and could never replace a real college experience.
I’m not exaggerating when I say I spend the majority of my waking hours in front of a computer.
I sit in front of a computer all day at work, sit in front of another computer at school and then spend most nights with my laptop attached to my hands. Granted, I do need to spend a lot of time on a computer, that’s just the reality of the modern age we live in.
So for someone like me, taking online courses would seem like the smartest thing to do. I’m going to be on it anyway, why not get some work done?
But this isn’t the case for other students.
It’s no secret that academia can sometimes take a back seat to friends, boyfriends/girlfriends and living the “college life.” So taking a time out to sit through a virtual lecture might not be too high some people’s priority lists.
The majority of people who take online courses will never meet their professors; they’ll never meet their classmates and never even step foot inside a college classroom.
It would be all too easy to slack off or drop out all together if the only thing holding you accountable on a day-to-day basis is an electronic roll call and your email.
Online courses should not be taken lightly. They are designed for the motivated, self-starters who don’t need a lot of instruction, or for those students with families or full-time jobs that aren’t able to dedicate time to come to campus.
But for the rest of us who can be on campus: enjoy it! College is supposed to be one of the best times of our lives, where we could meet our future mates, lifelong friends and really nail down what we want to do with the rest of our lives.
It’d be a shame to spend this part of our lives in front of a glowing computer screen.