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Are Online Schools Good?

Aastha Dogra
If you want to know whether online schools have the same standards as the traditional institutions, then read this post to know their advantages and disadvantages.
Online schools are becoming very popular today. Whether it is working professionals who cannot afford to attend a full-time college due to work commitments or stay at home moms who have many familial obligations and hence cannot join a college, online schools are much sought after by all.
And now, even regular students, who have all the time to go to college, are going in for online education, as it leaves them with enough time to pursue other things, such as a part-time job or a hobby, along with studying. However, as with everything, there are both pros and cons of online schooling.

Advantages

Let's start with the positives. These schools cost very less. You don't have to spend on buying books, commuting or hostel fees. Also, since you can work along with studying at an online school, you would not need to take an education loan.
Another benefit is the flexibility it provides. You can study at any time during the day. You can study wherever you want - in your house, at a cafe or even in a park! Many online degree courses let you decide the pace at which you want to finish your courses.
Professionals who want to study further, now no longer have to take a break in their careers, thanks to online schools. As you can see, the amount of flexibility and freedom they provide can be compared to none.
One very important advantage is that most of the students in online schools work side by side. This means that they can actually apply the concepts and theories learned in the class in their professions. By gaining practical experience along with theoretical knowledge, can give them a mastery over their chosen subjects.

Disadvantages

Moving on to the disadvantages of going to school online, those students who lack discipline, who constantly need a pushing from their teachers to do well, have a very high probability of not doing well in online schools. Another drawback is that a student does not get to interact with other students and teachers like in a classroom.
When studying in a class, various topics in a given subject are discussed and looked at from various angles. Different students give their point of view and the same are listened to and pondered over by others.
Many a time, the classroom discussions may shift from the topic being studied to life in general. Thus, a classroom environment has a positive impact on a person's mind and leads to overall development of a student. This is something that online schooling cannot promise.
And now, the greatest disadvantage of going to school online. There are many employers who prefer students with a regular, traditional degree over those who have an online degree. The employers feel that students who go to full-time colleges are more well-rounded and knowledgeable compared to those who have online degrees.
Since the very purpose of an education is to land a person a good job, online degrees, many a time, do not serve this purpose.
Lastly, there have been many scams in the past, in which certain online schools offered fake degrees to students. So one needs to be very careful, or else he could end up with a fake degree, which will hold no relevance for him in the future.
No doubt that online schools, these days, offer degrees in all kinds of subjects, such as nursing, management, engineering, law, etc. and the fact is that they offer the flexibility and freedom which no regular college can provide.
However, how much the employers will value the degrees and whether a student can actually make his own study schedule and most importantly, stick to it, depends upon individual to individual.
So in the end, it can be rightly said, online schools are good for some, while others should give them a skip! The conclusion? A person should see the situation he is in, as well as his temperament and then go ahead and get enrolled in an online school.