Attending College Online

Today's college student looks much different than in past years. Many students are choosing out of necessity to work full-time and so an online education makes much more sense than attending college classes in person. Although and online degree is convenient, it can sometimes be hard to motivate yourself to go to class, when the classroom is your living room.

When taking an online class it becomes important to create a time management system. Online classes can usually be attended anytime and anyplace. Because of this, online students tend to procrastinate and wait until the last minute to attend class. Creating a time management system at the beginning of the semester will help keep you on track.

PUT INTO PRACTICE THESE 5 STRATEGIES to improve time management skills;

Set specific and measurable goals; both academic and personal
Create a semester calendar
Create a weekly schedule
Make a to-do list for each day of the week
Set aside time to work on each course

DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE TIME YOU NEED TO STUDY

At a traditional College there will be much more time spent in class. Online College is the complete opposite. Most of your time will be spent studying and working on projects. On average, students should expect to spend two to three hours outside of class for every hour spent in class. This means for every 3-unit class a student should expect to spend six to nine hours per week studying outside of class.

KNOW YOUR CAMPUS RESOURCES AND DON'T BE AFFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP

Even though your taking online college courses, there are still plenty of resources available to you. Professors that teach online classes usually have a lot of experience in the fields they teach and expect a lot of interaction from the students, so don't be afraid to ask your professor for help if you don't understand something. Getting an online degree can be very convenient, but it's not for everyone. You have to be very disciplined and motivated.