How to Get the Most From Your Online College Experience
Before COVID-19 had just about everyone studying online, there were students who intentionally chose that route. I was one of them!
Studying online has a lot of perks but there is also the danger of isolation and boredom. Let’s face it: when you’re getting a degree online there aren’t football games to go to. While that is true, the idea that online college has to be as boring as you just sitting on your bed doing college is a complete myth.
In this post, we’ll cover three things you can do to make the most of your online degree.
1. Take advantage of the flexibility.
You’re not bound to a classroom! Take advantage of the flexibility that online college affords and live an adventure while you earn your degree. You can literally go study abroad…for however long you want! You can study by day and road-trip by night or vice versa! Most online courses are flexible enough for you to have a lot of control over your schedule.
Boredom is a choice. You don’t have to settle for a bland or lame online college experience. Online courses provide fantastic flexibility that can be used for some seriously cool adventures.
2. Practice building community.
When you’re taking online college classes the responsibility of building community with your peers falls on you. Unlike attending a college, the community isn’t going to come to you. This may not seem like a big positive but it will train you to practice building community: a skill that will deliver benefits for the rest of your life.
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Intentionally building a community takes time and effort but it’s so worth it in the end.
3. Get work experience…and money!
This one goes back to the flexibility element.
Pursuing a college degree online can open up your schedule for more part-time work opportunities. In fact, if you work full-time, you can study online during evenings and weekends. (You’ll want to avoid burnout, of course.)
Working simultaneously with your online study will help you in two areas.
First, it will help you pay for your college degree. Second, it will give you valuable work experience so that when you graduate you already have something on your resume.
Optimizing Your Experience
Doing college online can teach you a lot about productivity, discipline, learning, and how to balance multiple demands on your time. Rather than being a “second-rate” college option, an online degree can really help you get ahead and take advantage of the flexibility that online courses offer.
If you want the flexibility of online courses combined with the adventure, community, and experience described above, apply for Ascend, Unbound’s core program.
Jace Bower is a Copywriter for Unbound. An Unbound alumnus, he has experienced firsthand the powerful advantages of doing college differently and participating in an intentional community. Jace graduated with his bachelor’s degree in History in 2016 and has worked in restaurant management and marketing since then. He also served on the Unbound Student Cabinet in 2019.
The author of two books and a semi-regular blogger, Jace can often be found doing something with words. When he’s not, chances are he’s reading about theology, listening to music, or playing pool or tennis with his wife Shannon in their Virginia home.