Author: Dani

I have learned quite a bit about myself as a person and student throughout my past three years in college. I feel I have acquired the self-discipline I wish I had my freshman year. Balancing my social life and homework was something that took a while for me to navigate. My freshman year, I would prioritize a movie night with my friends and parties at the frats over finishing an essay or doing my homework in general. This led to a lot of late and poorly done assignments. The decline in my grades made me realize that something needed to change. I didn’t have to stop hanging out with my friends and boyfriend, but I did have to start making sure I was staying on top of my work. I actually had a conversation about this with my friends and they told me they were also struggling with this. We decided we would make Tuesday nights our library/study nights. If we were at the library, we were not allowed to leave until everyone was done with their work. If we were at one of our houses and one of us finished our work, we weren’t allowed to throw on a movie or turn music on until everyone was done. This was something that helped us as a collective. We all benefited from having these “rules” within our friend group.

Another issue I struggled with was studying. I noticed that studying in college was different than in high school. In high school, it was more about memorization but in college, it is crucial to learn the content. Setting up study groups with people in my classes was something that helped me. It was also helpful to know the people in my classes. If I was having a hard time with the subject and my professor wasn’t available, it was nice to have people to text or call who could help. It is also nice to know people just for the sake of knowing you’re not the only one struggling. Sometimes we feel as if we’re the only people having a hard time with class material, but the content can get difficult. This is probably my best tip, make at least one friend in each class. It can come in handy more than you’d expect. College can be fun, it doesn’t have to be stressful if you’re focused and prioritize your work.

 

Source: https://www.edweek.org/leadership/is-online-learning-worse-than-being-in-school-majority-of-teens-say-yes/2020/09

In my first year of college, I was surprised to have been given the option to take some of my courses online. I was under the impression that every class was in person, and it was the responsibility of the student to show up. Having the option of online classes seemed great to me. I ended up taking one online course and one hybrid course. This is where I learned the importance of self-discipline. I quickly learned that taking an online class meant that forthe most part, I was going to be teaching myself. This class I was taking online was an introductory course to American Law. Although law is something that interests me, it quickly became hard to understand the course material with just an online book. I also found myself forgetting about the class and the due dates because I wasn’t attending the class in person with the instructor. This class was already a harder course to take. It being online only added to the difficulty. I think it is very hard to keep up with the work and set aside time on your own. There is definitely a lack of structure. It is up to the student to stay organized. Online classes aren’t for everybody, and they require a lot of self-discipline and accountability.

On the other hand, I have taken online courses where it was beneficial for them to be online. There were times that certain classes were required for me to take but the times clashed with other classes I was taking. Luckily there were online options for these classes. Online classes allow for flexibility in your schedule. Sometimes online classes can be easy if they’re a subject that is easy to understand on your own. An online class can be great if the instructor does a good job at giving you enough resources and is available for any questions you might have. Online classes can also be more interactive. Discussion boards allow for more interactions with your peers and it can be helpful to see other people’s views besides your own. Overall, I would only recommend online classes to people who know they can hold themselves accountable and stay on top of their work. There is a lot of work that goes into taking courses online that not everyone is ready for.