do online students miss out on the "university experience"

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by sociallysavvvy, Jan 22, 2014.

Loading...
  1. sociallysavvvy

    sociallysavvvy New Member

    I'm a canadian citizen considering doing a university degree in Public Relations only problem there are only two universities in Canada both of them are on campus. I would literally have to take a bunch of electives to fix my GPA (could take 1-2 years then 3 years of the program) to be admitted and there is no guarantee and I don't have time/money for that i'm 27.

    I found a degree online through the university of southern queensland in Australia I could do at my own pace where I could get transfer credit but I can't stop thinking that I would miss out on an international university experience.

    I found another university in Australia - University of Newcastle who has the same program but their program appeals to me more they even have a radio station on campus where students can gain work experience. I am trying to work on my own work experience right now.

    can somebody give me an opinion on this greatly appreciated :)
     
  2. Pugbelly2

    Pugbelly2 Member

    Only you can answer that for sure. When I was 27 I would have found the university experience to be annoying.
     
  3. LawGuy

    LawGuy New Member

    If by "university experience" you mean face-to-face networking opportunities and personal interaction with a professor, yes.

    If by "university experience" you mean the pleasure of attending sporting events and cheering on your team, yes.

    If by "university experience" you mean binge drinking followed by unconsciousness, yes.

    If by "university experience" you mean the struggle of still trying to find a parking space while the final exam starts in 45 seconds, yes.

    There's good and bad.
     
  4. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Although I have never been an on-campus student, I have spent much of the past decade actually working in college classrooms. I'm not only certain that I missed out on absolutely nothing, I'm glad that I did my degree the way that I did my degree or I might not have ever really known what I wasn't really gaining from that experience had I had that experience. Yes, that last sentence was grammatically correct. I think that making forum posts has helped my writing ability better than any old tradishinul kowlidge coulduh :yup:

    When I first started in my profession, I was the same age as the students I was working with, but attitudinally and intellectually often felt like I was much older than them. Now, even though I'm still in my twenties, I can't help but to slip up now and again and call the students "kids." My point in sharing that is to second what pugbelly2 said above. In my case, I STOPPED working at universities because I found the experience to be annoying- despite the fact that I was being PAID to be there as opposed to going into debt to be there.
     
  5. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Cue 3/4ths of degreeinfo rolling their eyes at the proposition that Maniac Craniac has ever been among the more mature people in any given room at any given time :smile:
     
  6. Koolcypher

    Koolcypher Member

    Oh I don't know, you might miss this...

    [​IMG]
     
  7. Gau555

    Gau555 New Member

    I think the lack of an internship at online schools is the biggest gap between classroom and online learning. In the case where someone wants to make a career change, an internship is definitely the way to get your foot in the door. Of course it's possible to make changes without an internship, but it's much more difficult.
     
  8. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Out of curiosity, if you're concerned about this and you're not too much older than the normal age to attend university, why not go to Australia and do your program on campus?
     
  9. sociallysavvvy

    sociallysavvvy New Member

    When I meant miss you on the international experience I was more or less referring to moving to Australia and having the international experience not talking about frat parties etc.

    My only issue is it is more costly to go on campus and I am still lacking work experience it may be better for me to stay in Canada and work full time and do the online degree I.e. 1 course a semester
     
  10. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    The problem with the Campus Experience as a grad/professional student is that you are so immersed in your studies that you don't come up for air unless you make a concerted effort to do so. I imagine that a classroom in New South Wales is pretty much like a classroom in Ontario except for the weather and the accents.

    As an undergrad, not so much. I wish I'd been more open to foreign experiences in my college days.

    As to the "College Experience" itself, I wish to h*ll I'd avoided most of that in my UG days. I wasted much time and money and frittered away a large part of the opportunity for intellectual and professional development that a BA program offers.
     
  11. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Yes, they miss out on the on-campus experience. But in return they get to work, eat, and drink in moderation.
     
  12. BlueMason

    BlueMason Audaces fortuna juvat

    What exactly do you think you'll miss out on? Joining a frat? Living in a dorm with a bunch of 17 to 20 somethings? If you're concerned about your GPA, I would actually recommend doing it online as you're in charge of the distractions around you, not others...
     
  13. sideman

    sideman Well Known Member

    Ho Hum. Maybe in my younger days this would've got the blood to flowing. Now they just remind me of my daughter and her friends. Now if we see a picture of Kizmet dressed like this....:)
     
  14. sociallysavvvy

    sociallysavvvy New Member

    Maybe you should of read my second reply, I already answered this.
     
  15. Pugbelly2

    Pugbelly2 Member

    Let me let you in on a secret. There is FAR more of THAT in your 30's and 40's than there ever was in college, and they're not as dramatic or as bitchy.
     
  16. PuppyMama

    PuppyMama New Member

    To a Certain Extent

    I think that online students do miss out on the university experience to an extent. I have experience in both realms. I was a slightly older student, beginning at 21 and since I worked full-time and changed my major twice, I did not graduate until I was 27. As an undergrad, I was on campus for my first few years (there weren't too many online courses at the time). I got married when I was 25 and by the time I reached my senior year, my husband and I moved across the country and fortunately, there happened to be enough online classes at that point so that I could finish my degree remotely.

    When I was on campus, I loved socializing, getting to know people with different backgrounds, participating in live, in-class discussions - I even loved things like sipping tea in campus espresso cafes, silly as that sounds. I missed all of those things when I began fully online classes. What I DID NOT miss, however, was paying hundreds every semester for parking and waiting around for classes to get out so that I could find a parking spot. I didn't miss having to breathe other people's cigarette smoke as I walked from class to class, or having to find a way to work my classes around my work schedule.

    There are positives and negatives to either option. I WILL say that I felt that the quality of courses was no different when I was online (in fact, I think I actually spent more time studying while online). I have never taken an MOOC, though. I would imagine the teaching methods would be different. My instructors remained personally engaged with the students and they were responsible for designing their own courses - they were actual professors, not course facilitators.

    Very interesting thread!!
     
  17. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    You're Canadian - and yet you're hesitant about missing the experience of driving to school on freezing slippery roads, then parking miles from your classroom, at a cost that likely exceeds tuition? Or walking to school, which is worse...

    I've done both - on campus and online. I'm actually on a college campus at this moment, even though the campus experience is highly over-rated, as I see it - especially today. It's currently -20C (-4F) here in Southern Ontario. Then again, I'm almost 71 and a loner by choice, so your mileage may vary. :smile:

    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 23, 2014
  18. distancedoc2007

    distancedoc2007 New Member

    I'd go online. You can get enough of the on-campus experience some other time by taking a 12 week night course in your own town and showing up in the coffee shop a half-hour early before class, and hanging around to chat after class. IMHO. In fact, I think creating your own online community/cohort through a FB group or similar would be just as much fun.
     
  19. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    You don't necessarily have to enrol at a university for that experience. The University in my home town has a radio station. Most of the shows are hosted by volunteers and many are not students at the Uni. I know some who have never been enrolled there. There is also a radio station at the College where I am right now. I know for a fact that some of the people there are not current students. A friend of mine who graduated a while ago is hosting his weekly country show right now.

    Johann
     
  20. Koolcypher

    Koolcypher Member

    Touché...:hail:
     

Share This Page