1. No Pants Are The Best Pants
The fact that I can literally plop down with my laptop anywhere, anytime, sans pants, makes me feel very happy. Lectures don’t require dealing with other people or shoes or even clothing, for that matter.
I can be as comfortable as I want, and my focus usually improves. When forced to be dressed and paying attention at 9 a.m., the focus is most often not on the course material, but on how much you’d rather be at home on your bed, half-naked. (Or fully naked, I’m not here to judge.)
2. No Awkward Small Talk
In a normal classroom setting, many professors like to start the semester off with an introduction period. Many times this requires everyone to give a brief description of themselves, interests, goals, etc. And for those of us who LOATHE public speaking (me), this can almost be worse than the homework itself.
Not only the first class but introductions and awkward chit-chat come along with the territory of you have to deal with a group project or mandatory partnered-studying. Skip the small talk and stay at home! No more uncomfortable eye contact while you are staring blankly into space trying to remember the words to Baby Got Back.
No need to rush to class to fight over that sweet spot in the back of the room with the best cell phone reception. None of this is necessary. Just stay home!
3. Open Schedule
This one is probably the best perks that there is. There is obviously a schedule that you must follow when studying online, as far as meeting due dates. But the rest is fair game. If you don’t feel like waking up at 9 a.m. and listening to an hour-long lecture on North-American Invertebrate Characteristics, you don’t have to.
There is no set time that you have to put the work in, as long as it’s done by the due date. You can spend a little time every day focusing on the work instead of forcing yourself to pay attention after a weekend of bald sleep and even worse decisions.
4. No Parking, No Problem
This one can come in handy for those students that are homebound for whatever reason. Be it health issues, lack of child care, or lack of reliable transportation to get you to class. None of these issues really matter if your classes are online. You are never required to enter into a classroom, therefore you can hypothetically stay home all semester and still murder that Bio final! Some classes, of course, have exceptions to this rule.
Classes that require you to do all coursework online, but test on campus, are more of a hybrid online class. But getting to campus a couple times a semester is far more achievable than three times a week.
And the biggest benefit of not having to set foot on campus? NO PARKING. There is no need to circle the parking lot for 15 minutes, hoping to find a spot within a three-mile radius. Because isn’t that just everyone’s favorite part of college?!
5. Pace Yourself
I think this one is my favorite of all. In an online class, most of the time, there is coursework material available to complete at any time. If you are having a boring day, and you want to feel productive, you can go ahead and knock out the next three weeks worth of work. Nothing is stopping you.
You can go ahead and get that project turned in early so that you can go out next weekend with no distractions. Working ahead is achievable and encourage in most classes.And getting your coursework done early leaves you with plenty of time for other important things.
