The 5 Easiest And 5 Hardest College Classes
When youre choosing your college classes, youre probably looking for a bit of a challenge but maybe not a bunch of classes that keep you up late studying until dawn. How do you strike a balance between difficult and approachable when you dont know what youre getting yourself into?
While every college is unique, there are some courses that have similar reputations across institutions. So, what are the hardest college classes, and which are the easiest?
Easier Courses To Pursue Online
Several of the classes that are easier to take online would be courses without a serious time commitment, just like in a traditional education route. If you have an interest in a more flexible schedule, these courses would be considered as easy courses to take online.
- Social Science
- Basic History
- General Education Courses
Just like any class, no matter how easy or how hard are online courses, a syllabus outlining the course is provided. The syllabus provides an overview of what topics will be covered at what point in the course. Some even provide details on longer projects required for the course and their completion dates.
The Verdict: Online Classes Require More Self Motivation
With online learning, you will need a higher amount of self-motivation and a determined attitude. This is because it will be your primary responsibility to maintain a consistent schedule to watch lectures and not leave assignments until the last minute.As an on-campus student, you will also need to be determined but not when it comes to maintaining a learning pace. When it comes to student attitude, an online class is harder than an on-campus class. In an online setting, you will have to be more diligent with your class management and avoid distractions.
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Professors Expectations Are The Same
Many professors will have the same expectations of you over the summer as they would have during the normal school year. You are going to have to show up on time and regularly, finish your homework, and limit your extracurricular activities so you can get above average grades on your exams.
Your professor is busy working over the summer teaching you, and, chances are, shell want you to work hard too! I know you can do it, just make the commitment and stick to it. Oh! And if you have a hard time getting up early for class, check out these awesome tips for never missing your 9 oclock lecture.
Get Help If Youre Falling Behind
When you arent physically in the classroom, it can be harder to ask your professor for help. You cant just walk up to them after class or find them in their office around campus. Youll need to take more initiative.
However, dont let this difficulty prevent you from getting help. If you arent understanding the material or youre falling behind on assignments, talk to the instructor ASAP. The longer you wait to get help, the further behind youll fall and the more likely you are to perform poorly on exams.
If the assistance your professor offers isnt enough, look into additional resources.
Chegg Study offers affordable help with homework from subject experts, as well as solutions to problem sets from many textbooks.
And free resources like Khan Academy or Crash Course can provide explanations of common concepts across subjects, giving you a different perspective than your professors.
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Summer School Is Definitely Harder
The first camp claims that summer school classes are harder than regular school classes. Maybe its just because anything is harder than taking three months off and working on a suntan. But believe it or not, there are other factors that can potentially make summer school courses more difficult than your regular college classes. Here are a few:
Tips For Making High School Easier
There is quite a lot of debates that go in your and your parents minds whether online schools are as easy as they seem or not. You are in more of a dilemma when you learn from your friends that they are having a hard time following their online courses. Frankly, it is a matter of preference. Online schools are not necessarily easy or hard. They offer an environment which is way too different from the traditional classroom environment. It depends on you yourself whether you find it easy or tough. If you are responsible and diligent enough, you will surely find it to be your cup of tea, or else it is not your thing.
Here are some of the criteria required for being successful in online high school classes:
- Addressing your queries:There is no gain in keeping your queries to yourself, especially when you are enrolled in a time-bound curriculum. You will need to address all your queries and doubts to your instructors or counselors. As an online school student, you cannot be passive and hold back things. You have to make the effort of connecting with your teacher via email, phones or live interaction sessions. Since there is no face to face interaction, you need to come out clear on your own so that your teacher understands your queries and helps you out readily.
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Communicate With Your Professor
Just because you are completing the course outside of the classroom doesnt mean that your professor isnt there to help. When you have questions or need help, dont hesitate to reach out to your professor via email or discussion boards.
Knowing that your professor is there to help you can reduce stress and will most certainly help you succeed.
Are Online Classes Really Harder Than Traditional Classes
So are online classes harder than traditional classes? Probably not. But they are different and those differences can sometimes make them more difficult for individuals. Its important to remember that online education is more self-directed. Students who know how to stay motivated and study at their own pace, can find great success in this type of education.
Do you think you have what it takes to become an online college student? If you are interested in business, criminal justice, technology, or health science, ECPI University offers online degrees in these fields. Connect with a friendly admissions advisor today to find out more information about this exciting opportunity.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
DISCLAIMER ECPI University makes no claim, warranty, or guarantee as to actual employability or earning potential to current, past or future students or graduates of any educational program we offer. The ECPI University website is published for informational purposes only. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained on the ECPI.edu domain however, no warranty of accuracy is made. No contractual rights, either expressed or implied, are created by its content.
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What I Wish Someone Told Me Before Taking Online Classes
By Hannah Meinke on 07/27/2020
The perks of taking online classes are numerous. They offer additional flexibility for busy students, especially for those balancing school with work and family. They can attract professionals looking for career advancement, parents seeking to better provide for their families and returning students looking to pick up where they left off. Some online programs even provide additional control over the pace of learning.
But if youve never taken one before, you might not know exactly how they differ from on-campus courses. Are they harder? Whats the best way to stay on track?
Learn from those who have been in your shoes. Keep reading to get some insider knowledge about what to expect when taking classes online.
Are Summer Classes Harder Only If You Want Them To Be
Are summer classes harder or easier than regular school year classes? Its an age-old question that many panicky, pent-up students start asking themselves when they realize that their next few months arent going to be solely spent reading trashy romance novels by the pool.
But who says you cant mix school with pleasure?
Im going to lay out how you can plan your summer schedule to be as hard or as easy as you want it to be. Its up to you to knock out a harder course during summer school or simply punch the clock to get course credit for an easier class.
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You Can Make Or Break It With Time Management
Its your responsibility to take the initiative to keep up with your work when enrolled in online classes. It can be easy to let assignments slide and miss due dates because of the wiggle room and flexibility that come with online courses.
Procrastination is a slippery slope and can affect your grade negatively. Its important to stay organized and follow a schedule because its difficult to catch up once you fall behind.
Many students underestimate the amount of time theyll spend studying for class. You should expect online courses to take about the same amount of time as traditional courses.
I wish there were resources to help you schedule your time while taking an online class. I didn’t know that there would still be strict deadlines in many of the courses, so although you’re not meeting during class time, a lot of scheduling and planning still has to be done for the course, says Gianna Sollitt of Newberry Public Relations & Marketing.
Innovations And Advancing Technologies
Another positive aspect of online education, at least in the case of FNU, is that technological innovations are being applied in practical and convenient ways such as rolling semesters. Some FNU degrees make independent coursework dominant, which means that you can complete the entire curriculum requirements according to a schedule you set on your own and without having to wait for a new semester to roll in. Through the Blackboard learning management system, degree programs that are 100 percent online are truly within your reach.
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The Benefits Of Taking Classes Online
The potential benefits of taking an online class are plentiful. Online classes have the flexibility for busy students who balance school with work and family life. The flexibility of an online class is often great for professionals looking for career development, parents looking to support their families, and students looking to save time and money on the commute to school.
Students taking online classes tend to do the same or better than those taking traditional classes. The curriculum and timeframe are typically similar, if not the same. The main difference is the presentation of material. In your online class, you have more flexibility to read and view the material at your own pace.
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As you read and view material online, youll have the time to re-read, research more, and communicate one-on-one with your teacher. If English is your second language, youll have more time to translate and focus on meaning.
If you tend to get lost during traditional lectures, an online class can give you the ability to re-watch the material as you take notes.
Finally, online classes have the potential to save you time and money. You wont commute to school, spend time finding a seat, deal with other students drama, or otherwise navigate campus life. Even if youre sick, you can still attend your online class, although you might choose to reschedule your work.
You would have the ability to do so in an online class.
New Material Is Difficult
As youve probably already discovered by now, learning new subjects can be tough! If you sign up for that exciting summer astronomy course, for example, you may be shocked to find out that its not all about gazing at the stars and memorizing the constellations .
There is some legit new stuff youll have to learn to master astronomy, so dont get too excited about jumping on a mission to Mars just yet. First youre going to need to figure out the difference between absolute and apparent magnitude and learn how to calculate escape velocity!
Classes youve never taken before can be very challenging since all the material is brand newunlike the universe, which is 13.77 billion years old .
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Total Costs Are Much Lower
Universities and colleges can earn high profit margins on e-courses because a vast majority of the classroom sessions are taped and can be viewed at any time. In short, schools spend much less on e-students than on those who live and matriculate on campus. In general, expect to pay about half the cost of a traditional diploma when you are a remote learner.
Lack Of Peer Interaction
Though many online classes encourage collaboration through group projects and forums, students may feel isolated from their peers when not sharing the same physical space. One of the biggest disadvantages of online courses is missing out on the social element of going to class, says writer Michael Alexis. Sometimes just seeing classmates and chatting for a few minutes before a lecture can be an important social outlet.
Its not ideal for a student to sit alone with their computer throughout their entire degree program. However, Alexis points out that there are plenty of ways for online students to forge social connections on their own. I recommend making an extra effort to get to know your digital classmates. You could organize a group video hangout and do icebreakers or facilitate a conversation.
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Skeptics And Critics: What Gives
I know that there are still plenty of skeptics and critics out there who think that online college classes are not as hard as those you take in-person and on-campus, but I have to say that I disagree.
After having experienced both learning environments, Ive noticed myself pushing even harder to be a good student in the online classroom because Im the only one at fault if I perform badly. There are no weirdly written questions to throw me off Its just me, my reading comprehension, and the words that I type in my discussions and projects.
So my question is: Why are so many people skeptical and critical about online college classes, and what can be done to give people a better view of them?
Staying Focused On Your Degree
A potential disadvantage of taking online classes is that if you are not thoroughly committed to getting your degree, it could take you years to complete the program. Doing your assignments, reading the required materials, interacting with your professors and peers, and taking exams are entirely up to you. As opposed to the campus experience, where your sheer presence in a classroom filled with other students and a present professor helps to add pressure and urgency to fulfilling commitments, you may encounter a greater temptation to ignore obligations when you choose the online education route.
If you are the type who is easily distracted, you may procrastinate it is even worse when you do not have your eyes focused firmly on earning your degree as this can cause you to drop out if you donât feel inspired.
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Common Challenges And Problems With Online Education
Many things can make going to an online college easy and convenient for some people.
However, there are also hindrances online learners have to face all the time or every once in a while. Some or all of them can intimidate students who are not suited to earn degrees via the internet.
Do you plan to enroll online because you have heard over and over again that it makes being a degree holder so much easier? Then you will be in for one of the biggest surprises of your life. Theres a wide assortment of trials and tribulations that online students have to go through.
Lets take a look at some of the most common ones:
Even Easy Online Courses Require Self
Online courses require more self-motivation. Finding ways to self-motivate and work well independently can possibly be hard for students who dont work well without supervision and the lack of face-to-face interaction and hands-on learning can also be tough to get used to for students who are used to operating in a classroom setting.
How do you choose the right online college course? What variety of accreditation can you expect to receive and gain from when you graduate? If you have been contemplating a career change or want higher learning for your future employment prospects, you will need to learn the fundamentals of the online college degree programs.
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Beware Of Sneaky Deadlines
In an in-person class, the professor probably reminds you of upcoming due dates. But with online classes, you may not get these reminders. Therefore, you need to be extra diligent about monitoring deadlines.
At the start of the class, read through the syllabus and find all deadlines for assignments. Put this information on your calendar, and consult that calendar regularly. Also, look out for changes to deadlines so that you can update your calendar accordingly.
Having a calendar of deadlines wont guarantee that youll turn everything in on time . But it will help you avoid damaging your grade just because you forgot an assignment was due.
Online Classes Are An Opportunity
While this article has mostly focused on the potential pitfalls of online classes, distance learning also has many advantages. Its a chance to become more productive since there are fewer distractions. And you can work at your own pace, pausing or rewinding lectures that you dont understand .
If you view online classes this way , then they can be just as rewarding and educational as in-person classes.
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