Introduction
People nowadays have the option to take online courses or enroll in traditional courses in college. With the advent of the Internet and topnotch universities offering free and paid courses, many individuals take courses virtually. On the other hand, conventional way of learning is still the most prevalent way of earning a degree. In this argumentative essay, I will present both claims and counterarguments why going to college is still much better than taking online courses because it is not only personally appealing but also entails many long-term benefits and effects.
Taking Online Courses versus Going to College
Going to college has many advantages. The process itself is self-fulfilling. Prospective students take an entrance exam personally, meet new faces and may make new friends. When they passed the qualifying tests, they personally attend college and move from places to places for their various classes within a campus. Additionally, professors teach students hands-on and students in turn learn from one another through face-to-face interactions. Not only that, students may also interact with teaching assistants and other college staff, especially for guidance in using college facilities and other resources. Hence, going to college has invaluable benefits among students who may even feel attached as they engage with classmates and other college staff who may significantly contribute to their learning.
In addition to the above, going to college means getting to know more about oneself as a learner who can sometimes rely on classmates, professors and other university staff for real-time clarification, assistance, and help. When there are assignments and projects, for example, where students have to clarify about instructions, they can approach teaching assistants, instructors, or other school personnel. In case they are lodging in a dormitory, they can also have peers or learning groups when course topics are getting harder for them to deal with independently. In other words, one can have real-time study buddies tutoring one another for more effectively learning.
There are other pros attending college personally, but for the sake of an unbiased presentation of the other opposing side, let me share now some of the advantages of taking online courses before concluding that enrolling in a university is much better than studying in the comfort of one’s home, online. First, online learning is much more convenient. Students apply, take tests, and when they become eligible to study, all they need from start to finish of a course are a good internet connection, laptop, printers, accessories, peers, lecturers, etc. Online learners study virtually anytime and anywhere, especially during asynchronous sessions. In addition, they can get mostly the information they need from various online sources. However, online learning can be too impersonal. Students learn on their own pace and personally alone, and may feel even more emotionally detached when problems arise and they have to solve problems on their own even when virtual buddies and tutors may be available.
Conclusion
Despite the benefits of online study, attending college personally is much better because of its personal touch to learners. Students get to know their classmates better at a personal level. They can have learning buddies who can help them academically, socially, physically, emotionally, etc. They can also go to the different facilities of the university and use them for their learning. Comparatively, online learning can be convenient, but the personal benefits derived from traditional educational system cannot simply be underestimated. I have tried online learning before, but I think that having a verified certificate is not as important as the learning obtained through classroom learning, which is richer, deeper and has long-term personal effects on me.
Work Cited
The New York Times Company. Learning in Classrooms Versus Online. 25 July 2012. Web. 25 June 2015.
