The Pro's & Con's Of Finishing Your Bachelor's Online

o, my college experience has been different pretty much every year. My first two years were at a community college to have zero debt, junior year I attended my dream university, and then senior year happened to take place online through a different university. I have talked a lot about the process of transferring both times, but never about my experience with how I've been doing online. It is a completely different way to experience college, one I cherish.

Today's post is sharing all the pro's and con's of doing college online, so I hope you find it helpful. As you can tell, there really aren't a lot of downsides to being an online college student. It has met so many of my needs! Also, if you wish to gather more about my college feelings or tips, I'll feature a few below (just like the green tabs).

1. Saves debt.
Now, to be clear, I never imagined myself finishing my Bachelor's degree online. But, once I received the total cost for my senior year at Vanguard, there was no way I could stomach the debt that seemed to triple from junior year. Hence my reason for finding a cheaper solution, online college!

2. Clears up your schedule.
I love being able to have an open schedule. It allows me to work in retail, and I've even been thinking about getting a second job. Maybe more towards the summer once my degree is finished.

3. Work at your own pace.
Since online school allows you to complete assignments at any time of the week, you have the opportunity to work ahead or wait until the last minute. The hours I spend on homework is literally 10 hours a week. That wouldn't have even compared to the hours I spent in classes. See how much time I am saving myself?

4.  You can live at home.
Ahh, the second reason why I said goodbye to the dorms. Living at home comes with so much freedom. I am the type of person who needs my own space to feel creative, safe, and happy. Plus, this also saves me tons of money.

5. Ditch the university pressures.
Okay, here I go spilling the tea. University clubs, music, or sports is a great way to get involved. I did it all. I was in the top concert choir, a writer for the college newspaper, had vocal lessons, and attended all types of campus events (floor meetings with RA's, spirit rally, chapels, etc.).  Over time these things weighed me down. Plus, in college everyone plans things at like 10pm or later. So, my chances of still being awake at that time was pretty brutal. I was always tired, or always ditched things anyways.

6. Able to eat healthier. 
Honestly, this is the best aspect of saying home. I missed my mom's cooking so much. Plus, I was spending so much money on a cafe meal plan that I never used. Don't miss college food for anything.

1. Lack of professor relationships. 
When I left Vanguard, I left behind my favorite professor ever! Of course, professors are extremely on top of their email game once online, but nothing compares to the relationship you can form in a professors classroom.

2. No longer able to give presentations. 
My favorite assignment in all my courses has always been presentations. Creating a powerpoint, and presenting in front of my class is just so empowering for me. An online assignment of this just isn't the same.

3. Group collaborations do not exist.
Group projects were always a pain, but I still miss the conversations that sparked from them.