do online students miss out on the "university experience"

What is "college experience"?

 

I actually think that this isn't a bad idea. Once I hit 24ish, I did begin to feel a little out of place and I naturally transitioned into this type of socializing. A group of us that became known as the "coffee club" met every Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. at a previously chosen coffee cafe. It was fun; it was something that I still miss today. Sometimes you just have to create your own experience I guess. I was never the party hard type, but I did enjoy the campus culture.

Johann has a point. Why do you want to park miles from class and walk in the freezing cold weather? I went to school (well undergraduate) in the southwest where it was a blazing inferno. It certainly wasn't a thrill to walk in the heat, but it was much better than your scenario. I think I'd go online if I were you.

 

Cliff Notes + Parties = College Experience

 

Kegs, too. Don't forget the kegs.

 

While attending distance learning college, you are allowed to participate activities at the following colleges
- Monster University
- Greendale Community College
- Cyprus Rhodes University

 

The only thing I can think of that may justify a "college experience" is learning some independence after high school.

 

Online students will miss out on some things that are not essential to getting a good education. For example, they will miss out on going to football games or being a part of a club, but that is not essential to getting a good education. You don't have to attend football games or join an on-campus club in order to get a good education.

All of the scientific laboratory research that can be done on campus cannot be duplicated online or in the privacy of your own home, but the degrees that online students earn are not the degrees that involve that kind of scientific laboratory research.

 

Are you currently employed in public relations and just need a credible degree to move up?

If the answer is yes, then a distance degree might be the answer as all you are missing is a check mark in your resume.

Some Canadian studies reveal that employers will not worry much about the degree after you have been in the market for more than 5 years.

The problem is if you are currently working in a different field and the you expect that the degree will just get you there. Universities provide a lot of services that are normally not available to distance students such as networking events, career management services, coop programs, internships, career events, etc.

It is not very realistic that someone that is working at McDonalds would all of the sudden get a great opportunity in public relations just because the resume has a degree from the University of Southern Queensland.

For a young person that needs help in order to enter the job market in a particular field, the on campus university experience is a must.

Distance education is great for those that just need the check mark on a resume and have already the working experience but not ideal for those just trying to enter the market for a particular field.

 

Yes, that is a great point. I am currently employed in the Marketing/Communications field I have a college diploma in Business Administration - Marketing but I wanted to do a degree as some employers want you to have one will it can lead to more opportunities. I was never looking for the experience of "frat parties" etc. I was more so looking for socializing, meeting new people, going abroad, activities but I have to look at my situation and the broad picture. Maybe if I was younger it would have been an option.

I am going to do the degree online from USQ. Where it would be nice to be on campus and get that experience I don't want to be in university full time for 3 or more years with only a few internships and be 30ish when I finish. I only decided I wanted to do public relations 3 years ago I can do 1 course a semester while I work full time which would be better for my career in the long run.

Thank you everyone!

 

Currently, I am working in Marketing/Communications but i just recently started less than a year so I am lacking work experience. I do have a diploma in Business Administration - Marketing but was really hoping to get the degree as it can open more doors.

newcastle's degree interested me more than USQ i think the only thing I would be missing out on would be the international experience which would be living in a different country, meeting new people, etc. never referring to frat parties etc.

I would pretty much be getting the same degree but i think I need to look at the big picture overall I don't want to be like early 30's when i finish and have no work experience i want to get on with my life now. I think I'll do the online degree at USQ thanks everyone for the input.

 

This is a tough one. I'm actually visiting colleges with my 17-year old right now. She'll graduate high school in May 2014 so she'll start college in the fall. My older daughter is almost done with college - she's going to be an RN. Both know that Dad want back to school to pursue a PhD via distance. The cool thing is that I'm required to go to my university in Barcelona, Spain to meet and greet, present papers, and hope fully defend my doctoral dissertation someday, and they will come along for the ride. This is all well and good because I've had plenty of formal, butt-in-the-chair college experience. I'm also AARP eligible. But I think kids do need the so-called college experience, at least in the beginning. This way, they will appreciate both traditional learning and DL. As they get older, I am sure DL will be the rule, not the exception, but you need to be disciplined for DL.

 

Excellent point. "College Experience" should not mean "Party Experience" and then your kid ends up back home because he can't compete in the labor market because he earned poor grades, or worse, flunked out of college.

 

Agreed, something a 27 year old should already know (age of original poster).

 

Since the "college experience" often doesn't include completing a DEGREE, let's not give the "college experience" such high rank.
According to US News World Report, there are are SIX colleges/universities in this country with greater than 90% completion rate. Of those six, the HIGHEST completion rate of EVERY college....92%.
Once you get out of the top 150 schools, your completion rates sit somewhere around 70%.

Do online/distance learning programs have higher completion rates? I don't know. In fact, I'd estimate that many of the reported colleges are including their DL students in their reporting. I'm betting, however, that 100% of those kids (and their parents) were SURE that THEY were going to be in the group that graduated....


Highest 4-Year Graduation Rates | Rankings | US News