By Allison Jia
Many of us have grown up solely focused on trying to gain admission to the top colleges, so much so that we fail to see another alternative: online college. While many people are skeptical of these online courses, there are major benefits of attending an online college over a physical university.
The typical cost of university can go up to about $45,000-60,000, whereas online colleges are less than half that price at about $16,000 and offer the same academic courses that a physical university does. Online colleges are often cheaper because there is no need to pay a dorm fee or a textbook fee, as a lot of required texts are available for free online. Online colleges are a wonderful way for students keep up in their academics and take courses to further their interests and careers. Students are still able to choose courses they enjoy, and they are able to earn degrees from a career certificate all the way to a doctorate degree. Physical colleges do offer a completely different experience that comes with its high price, surrounding yourself with other hard-working, and intelligent students. However, online colleges are great alternatives for those who simply cannot afford the high tuition that a physical college requires.
Online colleges additionally allow for more time flexibility and overall convenience for students. Rather than the strict rules and intense time investment of physical college, now, they can juggle their online courses as well as working a part-time job and discovering their passions.
Finally, online colleges also offer a multitude of classes that students can customize to their own interests and schedules, just like physical colleges. In addition to taking the required classes of all universities, students can take the opportunity and take more specialized classes which will definitely help with transferring credits or writing a job resume.
Ultimately, online college does not deserve the bad rap it gets. With its affordability and convenience, online college is a great tool that all students should consider using. Although physical colleges may provide more resources and opportunities for its students, online colleges are able to provide students a more accessible way to get the necessities they need in order to get them on the right path to enter the real world. And, at a much lower price!
