December 18th, 2009

Many entering college freshman women fear the possibility of gaining the dreaded “freshman 15” far more than they fear the introduction into a new spectrum of learning.  In this sense, does the prospect of online college quell fears of the added weight gain or simply add to this fear by the possibility of sitting at home in front of the computer all day?  Aside from this, the loss of attending classes may also lead to other experiences many of us encounter in our first year of undergrad school, and many students who have the means to attend traditional college but do not are seemingly missing out on this whole process of learning.

Online college classes are typically structured in such a way as to cater to the most unpredictable of schedules; this way, students can log in at any time to receive their lectures or turn in their assignments (all by a deadline, of course).  While many online college students struggle to fit their classes into their busy schedule, many others are simply full time students and did not want to leave the comfort of their home or computer to attend classes.  This opens up the possibility for a whole new forum for weight gain for the incoming freshman, albeit in an entirely different manner.  Online classes have come about as a method to cater to students who have grown up with video games and the ease of computers in researching information for their needs.  As a result, many students have begun to rely on the convenience of online classes, never realizing that they are missing out on one of the most social events of their early adult life.

Freshman year is full of discoveries and full of achieving independence from your parents; it should not be about staying in their basement all day attending class online when you could readily attend any traditional school.  This is not to say that online college is not beneficial for many students around the country; it has allowed many students to earn degrees who otherwise would be too busy with work and family to attend classes.  However, there are still many students who would benefit from attending traditional universities but instead opt to take the easy road out through the internet.  This is a growing problem in our population: the inherent “laziness” our generation has developed over the past decades.  While online colleges present an innovative experience for many students, they may be debilitating for those students who need more social interaction or who may become dependent of their online relationships.

Online education has opened doors everywhere, and works great for most of the students that enroll in classes.  However, before you make a definite decision n attending online college, make sure that you go through the pros and cons list in your head and determine whether the traditional college experience would be good for you, or if you have a life that is too busy for traditional school.  Online college is constantly evolving to meet the needs of people who are constantly on-the-go, but this does not mean that they have not attracted the attention of students who otherwise would be fine in traditional schools.

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