After registering for way too many online courses because I had no patience to drive to campus every day, I found myself questioning why I thought online classes were more convenient than classes on campus. The online courses were just as hard as regular course and sometimes even harder because there was no vocal instruction, and they were more costly than an on-campus class. Before considering an online class, you should consider the downsides of online courses instead of the upside of not having to go to campus and being able to submit as late as midnight.

1. You have to pay a ridiculous fee

I've registered for online courses at two universities to-date and the one thing that always blows my mind is the fact that you are paying an additional fee to take a class online. You would think that your extremely pricey tuition would cover whatever hidden fees lie within the sphere of Blackboard, but that is never the case. At both community college and university, I was forced to pay a pricey fee on top of the course cost. It was cheaper at community college, but still unnecessary considering the fact that I am already paying a boatload. The only thing that justifies the fee and convinces me to continue taking online courses is that—in most cases—online courses give you more free time for work or extracurricular activities, and saves you a bit of gas money.

2. You actually have to study for the online exams

It may seem more difficult to fail an online course than it would be to fail a course you take on campus because you are allowed to look at notes and at your book, but that does not mean that you are allowed to ignore studying. Relying solely on looking at your notes and your book will make the timed exams much harder than an non-open book exam would be. Online exams have a tendency to include questions that are much more difficult than questins that would have been given in on-campus course.

3. You have to write down every assignment

You might think that you will remember to go on the portal for your online class every day, but you will end up forgetting to check the syllabus for assignments. I would constantly log on and work on assignments, but I would always forget to actually submit them at the end of the day. The best way to stay in control with your online courses and get everything in on time is to set up reminders on your phone, write it down in your daily planner, or keep post-it notes near your desk as an additionall reminder.

4. You should question any grading that may be wrong

Be vigilant about checking your grades and making sure that the calculations are correct. It really depends on the portal your university uses for online course, but your professor might enter a grade that does not correspond with the grade your originally received. I recommend keeping track of your grades by writing it down in a notebook. Also, make sure that the grade-book has calculated all of your grades correctly because glitches in the system can be a possibility.

5. Don't be afraid to challenge your professor if something seems unfair

Whether it is a written assignments or a question on an exam that seemed unfair, challenge your online professors as you would for an on-campus class. Make sure you keep up communication with your professors and question a certain grade you got on written assignments. If you feel that you did something well and you were graded wrongly, don't be afraid to question it as soon as you can via email or even in person. Some people falsely believe that grades in online courses are final the moment you get them, but that is not the case.