Author: King Bron

The Whys and Why Nots 

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College for me personally has been a college of experiences ranging from great to not so great. If I had to rate my experience out of 10, I would give it a 7. There are many reasons why I would give this a 7. The freedom that comes with being a college student is one of the biggest positives. These freedoms may include getting to choose my schedule, not having early classes, getting to choose what classes I take, and where I can take the class whether it is online or in person. Another positive is all the amazing opportunities that a college campus, especially Green Bay, has to offer. There are intermural games, organized get togethers, and many sporting events. On a more personal level for me joining the Swim and Dive team has been one of the biggest positives. I have made many friends through the team and get to participate in organized sports, which is important to me. 

However, on the not so bright side of college, for me college was also very challenging to start out. Time management was and still is a constant struggle. Given so much free time, I must learn how to manage it properly to get all my work done. I am taking some pretty hard classes and to ensure that I succeed, I must learn to manage my time. Similarly, I found out my study habits are not what they should be. In high school I never had to study because of the highly structured format of high school classes. The transition was made harder in part. The last negative is how much money is spent during college. There is gas money, food, tuition, books, and next year it will also be living arrangements. All in all, college has been a great experience so far, and once I get into the swing of things it will only get easier with time. 

The Ups and Downs

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With an increase in the use of technology, especially after the covid pandemic, there are many positive aspects but just as many negatives of taking online classes. An example of a positive use of online school is the availability in one’s schedule. Personally, when my schedule has an online class, I don’t have to make the trip to campus. This allows me to stay at home, spend time with my family, and avoid unnecessary travel time. Another instance where taking an online class has been beneficial is that I can work at my own pace. This allows me to take a slower approach if I don’t understand the content or to work at a faster pace when I do. I can also look back on the lectures as many times as I need to ensure that I know the content. I also do this if I don’t understand a certain topic.

However, not everything about online school is positive and beneficial. An example is when there is miscommunication in class, or a student has a question, it is harder to get in contact with the professor. There have been many times where I had a question on an assignment or about the lecture and it was hard to get in contact but also to send and receive clear instruction on the problem. If a professor is busy, they won’t be able to check their emails putting my email/ question as a second priority. Most of the time the professors aren’t intentionally doing this, but it does happen. When they do send the emails, they are harder to interpret than a normal face-to-face conversation would be. Another con is that many people learn better in person. I have always been a very social person and I incorporate this into my learning. I do so by getting involved with my classmates and asking questions. It also helps when other students ask questions because then we can solve the issue as a class. Rather than during online classes there really isn’t a way to communicate with classmates unless you email them, and hope they respond.