Hard Decisions: Going to School Essay

One of the most important decisions a person will ever make is whether or not to further his or her education by going to college.

How does he or she decide which type of college is best? Making such an important decision can be tough and there are various ways to earn a degree. There are numerous varieties of classes to take, so it’s best to figure out which would work best for that particular student. Traditional schooling is, well, traditional, being defined as, “schools characterized by a conventional, non-innovative approach to education. Online schooling is the upcoming new trend and is becoming more and more popular because it allows students to do assignments on their own time. Compared to traditional schooling, online schooling requires more commitment, is more expensive, and requires more work to be done in a shorter amount of time. Regardless of where a student attends school, he or she will have to be committed. The level of commitment for online schooling is greater than traditional schooling because the student has to balance every factor of his or her own life, as well as make time to study and do homework.

This can be very difficult because most students are forced to work a minimum of thirty hours per week to pay for school, so finding time to study and do homework is minimal. Students must have a lot of determination when attending online school because the workload is heavier and requires more time to complete. It’s easier to get motivated when going to a traditional school because the unity between a student and his or her fellow classmates is empowering, and it allows students to work together as a team. Collecting ideas and opinions from other classmates is helpful in the learning process.As they say, “Two heads are better than one. ” Compared to traditional schooling, going to school online also makes it much easier to procrastinate.

The freedom of making your own schedule to do school work can be a blessing to some, but to others it can be detrimental. It’s so easy to say, “I’m tired today. I’ll read tomorrow. ” Or, “I have a whole week to do these assignments; it will be okay to start at a later time. ” Traditional schooling forces students to get their work done in a timely manner in order to prepare for class the following day.In addition, if a student has a problem with procrastination, he or she may want to reconsider going to an online school because of lack of commitment. It’s so easy to get distracted when doing school work. If a student isn’t committed to getting his or her homework done, distractions allow him or her to fall behind.

It’s important to be aware of the time it takes to complete online schooling before enrolling, because it’s very easy to fall behind, therefore, wasting the students’ money. Fortunately, our generation is now in an era completely driven by technology, which has made it very convenient to obtain a degree online.With every day life being so busy because of work, and in some cases, kids, it’s very difficult to get to a traditional campus in time for class. Online schooling is more convenient because a student can sit in the comfort of his or her own home and still get an education. When a student doesn’t have to worry about rushing to school from work because he or she got stuck in traffic and is going to be late for class, it’s a lot less stressful. It’s very convenient to be able to do ones own homework without the pressures of cramming three or four classes into one day, especially after working a ten-hour day.Moreover, having the ability to learn at a student’s own pace is beneficial. When attending traditional school, there’s a curriculum students follow that goes with the pace of the class.

Online schooling allows students to go at their own pace, which is very favorable because if a student learns at too slow of a pace, he or she will get bored and fall behind in class. It’s empowering to learn at one’s speed so he or she can stay interested in the class and succeed. Online classes are condensed versions of traditional schooling classes, usually to be completed within a month’s time, instead of three months time for traditional schooling.

Because of this, the students’ workload is greater. Reading requirements are much more intense and they are required to complete the same amount of work as a traditional student, but in less time. If a student isn’t responsible and doesn’t have effective time management skills, it’s very easy to fall behind and fail. Having good self-esteem and a bright outlook on life also has an impact on students’ schoolwork. Traditional schooling allows students to have contact with other students face-to-face, whereas online schooling requires little to no physical contact with other students.Having friends when going to school helps relieve stress and anxiety, and provides an outlet for students when their personal lives get a little complicated. Friends help students stay positive and not fall into a depression, which can result in less initiative to do schoolwork; therefore, failing the course. College is not cheap.

Each college varies in price, and tuition can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $13,000 per semester for traditional schooling, and $11,000 to $17,000 for online schooling.Universities don’t always lower the cost of classes because a student decides that staying home would best fit his or her schedule. Often times, students pay just as much, if not more, in the same materials they would pay for while attending a traditional university. It’s important for students to figure out if they can fit online schooling into their budgets before getting stuck with payments they can’t afford before it’s too late. Making the decision on which type of school is best for a student to attend is not an easy one, but thousands of people make that exact decision every day.

There are many factors that play into deciding on where to go and a student must know his or her personality and what he or she is able to handle. The workload is more intense; he or she isn’t forced to get work done in a specific amount of time, which requires him or her to be able to manage time well, and it’s more expensive to go to school online. Take into account one’s income, available free time every week, and personal responsibility and it surely will make the decision easier to make.