I chose to complete my degree online. At first, I was really judged, but this isn’t like those diploma mills where you pay an amount for a fake degree. Doing any work online takes time management, planning, discipline, and proactivity. Your end result is only as good as what you put into it, and if you slack off, you’re only hurting yourself. As what happens with any brick-and-mortar establishment, there are good and bad instructors. Some make sure that you are getting the most out of your course, while others leave it to you or a TA to do the work. The “open door” policy will also vary by professor.

In my experience, most of the instructors were great. I half-expected them to be uninvolved, but was pleasantly surprised. They were knowledgable in their field, provided constructive feedback, and set times for conference calls. The students were the same as what I experienced at a brick-and-mortar campus as well. A mix of proactive individuals and social loafers. A difference I saw was in the communication between advisors and students. My advisors in a virtual setting would reach out a total of 3 times, and that was generous. With the exception of one advisor, who unfortunately left for bigger and better things, all of the rest weren’t worth their pay. When I was at a brick-and-mortar campus, the advisors were in touch far more often, even though meetings were typically over the phone.

Two common themes throughout these posts will be an emphasis on being proactive and time management. You have to advocate for yourself, because nobody else will do it. The same goes for group settings, but more on that later. When it comes to courseroom work, it is imperative that you plan ahead. It all depends on your major and university, but each course will ask for work to be done. Long story short, know that your expectations may, or may not, be met. Also, everyone’s experiences are different, and everything in my posts are my own opinion. Next week I’ll be discussing coursework and planning.

Peace & Love, always!