Nearly every summer, I try to take online classes at a local community college. I've come to notice that taking classes over the summer has its ups and downs, and really, they're very different from taking classes at your college or high school in person. Often times, the best classes to take are the ones that are way too difficult for what they're worth at your school (looking at your history general education classes, Gardner-Webb). Anyway, let's get to the reasons I love and hate online summer classes.
Love: The Price of the Class
Most of the time, it is so much cheaper to take a class online at your community college than to take it online, or even in class, at your actual college, so it's a much better investment.
Hate: The Triple Checking to Make Sure the Class Will Transfer
I get really anxious about making sure the class I'll be taking will transfer over the college. It's like a nightmare I have, because what if you spend the summer working hard on the class and then find out it can't help you graduate?
Love: Doing All the Work From Bed
I'm a homebody, which isn't really a secret, so I love that I don't have to leave my room to get any of the work done, because it's all done through the computer. Because, let's be honest, the worst part about classes is having to get dressed and look presentable. With online classes, no one can judge me or my pajamas.
Hate: Having to Motivate Myself
When you're physically going to a class, it tends to be a lot easier to remember to get the work done, because the teacher usually mentions it. However, with online classes, it's all up to you to remember what is due when. And then, even when you remember when it's all due, you've got to actually motivate yourself to do it on time. There's no teacher looking at your and judging you if you aren't getting things done; the only response you'll get to not doing thing is the zero that pops up in the grade book if you've been lazy.
Love: How Short the Class is
Since it's a summer class, it doesn't last as long as classes do during the school year, which makes me less likely to get bored with it. In my experience, it's more enjoyable to have a class condensed into a few weeks, than to have a class that last three months but is spread very thin.
Hate: Discussion Boards
Discussion boards are by far the worst part of online classes. They wouldn't be terrible, I guess, if everyone started at the beginning of the week and routinely checked on them throughout the week, but pretty much everyone is like me, where you don't start on them until a day before they're due. So it's like a mad rush for everyone to submit something, and you get responses to your boards that are like, "I never thought of it that way! Good job!" You never know just what the teacher expects from you either, until you've got the first one done. Some teachers are cool with just a paragraph, others want a specific amount of words. There's no universal rule about the best way to do a discussion board.
