Online College Student Life vs. Pandemic Student Life
Ever wonder what it’s like to be an online college student? Many of us now have some familiarity with the experience following the covid-19 shutdown. Indeed, most children, teenagers, and college students found themselves studying entirely online for months or years. However, traditional colleges were pushed online without much warning or preparation. Higher education, like most industries, found itself at a loss on what to do. The programs they ran didn’t compare to many long-standing virtual schools.
Consider the stories you may have read or heard first-person of poorly organized courses, empty zoom calls, and an overall lack of content during the shutdown. Some students had very negative experiences and even took a break from school while everything remained virtual.
Over time, colleges did figure out how to exist in the online sphere. They adapted to technology and found quality programs to help their students. Just in time for them to reopen their traditional on-campus programs. As a result, many students never experienced a true online college experience. And some still have a bad taste in their mouth. But many programs have been online long before the pandemic.
What Makes True Online Colleges Different?
Established online schools have been around for years, offering a variety of programs and certification options. These accredited institutions undergo regular review by third-party companies to ensure quality and usefulness. For example, each program must meet multiple standards showing that they will help students prepare for the future, learn valuable up-to-date information, and succeed in their desired field.
In addition, these colleges have learned what works through experience and research. They’re not just taking in-person classes and throwing them onto the internet. The programs are designed for virtual learners and are updated regularly.
Because of these regular updates, established online colleges provide students with a streamlined experience. The average online college student knows what’s due when, has access to all necessary resources, and knows who to contact in case any issues show up. If there are any live lectures, the instructor is trained on how to run the program with minimal interruptions. Basically, these programs are organized, clear, and engaging.
So, what does the average life of one of these students look like?
The Daily Life of an Online College Student
Notably, the online college student population is a diverse one. There are many reasons people decide to study virtually instead of at an in-person school. Maybe they have a family, an established career, or an illness that prevents them from traditional study. Perhaps they can’t afford to study out of state or commute to a distant school. Or they might simply prefer studying online.
Regardless of their reasons, these students all receive the same benefits from studying online. Notably, they get to create their own schedules, watch lectures from the comfort of home, spend more time with their loved ones, and pay less for tuition than the average student.
Ultimately, the benefits are not unlike the ones we get from working from home. Both traditional and non-traditional students enjoy the freedom they get from an online school. Below, you can read how these students spend their time.
Maintaining Their Everyday Lives
One of the main benefits of working from home is a better work-life balance. The same can be said for online schooling. Imagine the bustle of a typical college campus. You’ll likely have a roommate; live in a small dorm room or apartment; and find yourself surrounded by crowds, parties, and events. It’s not exactly a quiet life.
On top of that, non-traditional students can’t always stay on campus. They may have families and jobs to tend to. Instead, they must commute regularly for lectures, exams, and other events. Things like a sick childhood, overtime, or an event (such as a child’s play or concert) will often overlap with class time and due dates. Truly, if you have kids, you may be called at any time to pick your child up from daycare or school due to an illness or other issue. Many find it difficult to balance these different parts of life.
An online college student can pause the lecture recording on a whim if something comes up. In addition, they may not even need to drop their child off at daycare, since they’re at home. And they can study wherever they have internet access, or they can download videos and audiobooks to listen to wherever they go. Which means they can use their daily commute to work to get schoolwork done.
This benefit doesn’t only extend to students with families or jobs. If you have pets, chores, or just a busy social life, you can organize your weekly schedule around your needs. Need a break from a tedious lecture? You can get out and take your dog for a walk. Important phone call? You won’t need to send it to voicemail. Just hit pause and come back when you’re done.
Waking Up Whenever They Want
Early morning lectures are the bane of any college student’s week. Each year, hundreds of students regret enrolling in their eight o’clock lecture. They struggle to make it to class, regularly skip it, or can’t focus on what their professor is saying. Their grades might even suffer as a result. An online college student doesn’t have to deal with these problems. Rather, they decide when their class time starts and ends.
As a result, these students don’t have to worry about setting an alarm for seven in the morning just to rush to a class that they won’t remember later in the day. Maybe they’ll create a schedule where they don’t need to be awake until noon.
Getting Treats Mid-Lecture
Ever sit in class and realize just how hungry you are? All you can think about is what you’re going to eat after the lecture is over. But your professor keeps going on and on and even though you’re sure an hour has passed, the clock tells you it’s only been five minutes.
An online college student doesn’t need to wait for the clock to get themselves a snack. And they no longer have to worry about professors setting a no drinking or eating rule for the lecture. Their house, their rules.
Notably, well-prepared college students will gather their snacks ahead of time, so as not to interrupt their scheduled class time. But sometimes the granola bar or coffee we grabbed before clicking play isn’t enough. As an online student, that’s no problem. You can run to your kitchen or favorite fast food spot and click right back in.
Changing Up Their Weekly Schedule
It’s always recommended that online students set up a schedule at the beginning of the semester. They’re encouraged to choose a couple of days and times every week to focus on their schoolwork.
Some will go for typical class times, logging in at ten in the morning and getting their work out of the way, while others don’t log in until after midnight. They may choose to only work on the weekends or spread their classes out over the entire week. Basically, they do whatever makes sense for them.
Also, some may change things up week-to-week, as needed. Imagine if your child joins new a club, you change jobs, or maybe a big life event occurs such as a wedding. The average student has to hope their professor can accommodate their needs via extensions and lecture notes. An online college student can move their usual Monday class time to Thursday and watch lectures on a plane.
While some may still need an extension due to an illness or a major event, many online students have the freedom to change up their schedules to stay on track.
Snuggling With Their Pets
One of the worst parts of leaving home for college is leaving behind beloved childhood pets, especially if they’re older. Unfortunately, most dorms and apartments have strict rules against animals, most for good reason. Notably, if you’re staying in a dorm, there is no guarantee that your assigned roommate won’t be allergic or afraid.
An online college student gets to watch lectures and do their homework while their animal rests comfortably next to them. They can take them for a walk or play with them if they need a break from lectures and assignments. They’re good distractions that help improve our mental health. Notably, animals can help you destress during a difficult exam, homework assignments, or finals week.
Pets are part of our family, and it can be hard to leave them behind. By staying home, students avoid some of the stress that comes with enrolling in college. It can be especially important if there is no safe place for the pet to stay otherwise. Students of any age may be the primary caretaker for a cat, dog, or other animal. Notably, some animals, such as reptiles, require special care that others aren’t comfortable with doing. Imagine asking your parent to feed a live mouse to your pet snake or give medicine to your feisty cat every weekend. Not everyone is up for the challenge.
Learning Their Own Way
Finally, one of the upsides to virtual programs is how students can study as it makes sense to them. Every program has at least one course that students consider the “boring” one. Let’s take a look at how that might go: the professor stands in front of the class for an hour or two, lecturing about a topic. For the entire lecture, they read right off an old, boring presentation that doesn’t even have pictures. And the textbook pages on the slides are outdated. They go off on tangents that they swear won’t be on the test and talk so slowly that you swear you’re already asleep. In the end, you leave with a quarter of a page of confusing notes and no idea what you just learned.
While you probably won’t find every class you take to be super engaging, as an online college student, you can use class, textbook, and online resources to enhance your studies. Indeed, online programs mostly engage students using visual stimuli. Considering around sixty-five percent of people are visual learners, many find it easier to learn in a virtual environment.
But auditory and reading/writing learners can also excel in online programs. Earlier we mentioned that students can download their lectures and even their textbooks to listen to at any time. And nothing is stopping those who learn best from reading and writing from taking notes through every lecture and textbook. Kinesthetic or tactile learners may struggle the most with a virtual environment, but they may find additional tools to help them succeed.
In the classroom, instructors tend to lean towards one of these learning styles. Notably, reading/writing and auditory learners benefit the most, while visual learners may be left out, despite most people falling in that category.
An online college student can customize their learning experience using provided and additional free resources to learn new material.
Final Thoughts
Lakewood University is an accredited online school that offers a variety of degree and certificate programs. We have rolling enrollments and asynchronous courses. In other words, you don’t have to worry about missing a lecture or running late to class. If you plan on enrolling in college while working, Lakewood University offers the flexibility you need to earn your degree.
Don’t hesitate – reach out to our admissions department today to learn more!
