What It's Really Like To Earn Your Degree Online

I’m earning my BA in Creative Writing at The New School, a private research university in New York City. But I live in California.

​Before I enrolled at The New School, I had some experience with online classes. I completed an online Certificate in Fashion Industry Essentials through Parson’s in 2017 and I have been working towards earning a Certificate in Children’s Book Writing through UC San Diego which blends online and in-class learning since 2018 .

I know that when I was in high school, I wished for alternatives to traditional school. However, earning a degree online was never discussed as an option.

If you’re curious about what it means to be an online student, then keep reading. I will walk you through the pros and cons of online learning and what an average week as an online student is like.

​PROS:

​Living at home. After experiencing what dorm living is like, I’m so grateful to be living at home. It’s nice to have personal space, a kitchen, a laundry room, etc.

Academically fulfilling. The classes at The New School challenge me to think critically and creatively. Because there are no social distractions in an online class, the entire focus of your education is on the academics.

The ability to work at your own pace. I’ve taken classes where the professor's speed through their lectures and others that move at a ridiculously slow pace. Although my assignments are posted weekly and there are deadlines, I can control how quickly or slowly I move through the material.

Going to class whenever you feel like it. I remember what it was like to get up for 8:00 a.m. classes. Some mornings, I was awake and ready to learn, but a lot of the time I was not in a good mindset to focus. It’s so nice to be able to log onto your class when you feel prepared, focused, and energized. I think that because everyone in an online class has this same flexibility, the discussions are actually better. Everyone shows up when they’re in the best headspace possible to contribute which leads to stronger and more well-informed dialogue. In a traditional school, you have to go to classes at specific times. This can be challenging if you also work. Online school is great because I can work at the gallery whenever I need to without ever missing class.

​Going to class wherever you feel like it. Classrooms are horribly designed and everyone knows it. Who came up with the idea to put fluorescent lighting in schools? Who wants to sit in a lecture hall with 500 other students in old gum-covered seats? Do you want to do school in bed? You can. Would you prefer to take all of your classes at your favorite coffee shop? Go for it. As long as you have wifi you can access your work from anywhere.

​You can travel while classes are in session. Last semester, I went to London (which you can read more about here and here). If I were on campus missing classes would have been inevitable and impossible to do. Being an online student meant I could go on my adventure and also get my work done from my hotel room at night.
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notes and doodles from publishing class

​CONS:

​No social life. Most college students meet friends in classes and clubs and you don’t have that with online school. I’ve still connected with different peers but it is really challenging to meet new people.

No traditional office hours. Since I’m not on campus in New York, I can’t meet with my professors during office hours. This means I need to Skype them or email them if I have questions. I don’t actually mind this (and I never used office hours when I went to a traditional university) but it’s something to keep in mind.

​No clubs. Again, not being on campus means you can’t attend club meetings.
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ohh deer notebook

​The New School uses Canvas for online classes. This program is easy to navigate and intuitive to use. As shown in the screenshot below, each course has a Homepage with a menu displaying all of the different tabs. In all of my classes the “Modules” and “Discussions” tabs are the most important and most visited.

canvas homepage for my public relations class

Each Monday, new assignments, lectures, discussions, and readings are posted. Whatever is assigned on Monday will be due at the end of the week (Sunday night). On Mondays, I like to get as much of the preliminary work out of the way as I possibly can. On Mondays I go through the lectures for each of my five classes and take notes. My professors make powerpoints or videos of themselves for us to watch. This is great because I can move at my own pace and pause/play the content as I’m taking notes. For classes like Psychology, I like to have my textbook open so that I can follow along and make sure I’m understanding everything. Once I am done with the lectures for each of my classes (which takes about five hours) I make lists of the assignments and readings I need to do for each class. Since Monday is usually my busiest day, I like to go to the library or my favorite café to work.
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geocaching adventure/homework break with sasha

I usually begin my assignments on Monday once I have finished reviewing the lectures, but most of the work is tackled on Tuesdays. Each of my classes have assigned readings that build upon the content from the lectures. The quantity of reading varies class to class. In Psychology, I am assigned chapters to read from my textbook. In my Screenwriting class I have to read articles and books on the subject matter. In my Novel Workshop we read novels weekly and also critique student submissions. Each of these types of reading assignments take about an hour to complete per class. Once I am done with the five hours of reading, I am ready to move onto the writing assignments and discussion questions.
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notes for screenwriting

The most important aspect of online learning is contributing to discussion boards. My professors will post questions based on our learning goals for that week. The discussions are posted on Monday and I have to keep replying to my peers until Sunday.
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watching rainbows, dolphins, and a sunset with sasha after "school"

​I spend the rest of the week replying to other students in our discussions and contributing to critiques in my workshop-style classes.

rainbow chasers

double rainbow heads

The process repeats!
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​Each week I have about 35 hours of school work to complete. This can vary slightly depending on how many creativity-based classes I am taking. For instance, my Screenwriting class is the most fun, but also the most time consuming. We are asked to develop worlds, settings, characters, and scripts which is exciting but easy to spend hours on crafting, drafting, and perfecting.

Overall, I am very pleased with my experience as an online student at The New school. Academically, I find online classes to be more engaging and rigorous than the classes I was taking in lecture halls and in classrooms at UC Santa Barbara. My coursework is extremely time consuming, challenging, and meaningful. Personally, I am self-motivated and enjoy holding myself accountable. Self-discipline and time management skills are essential to thriving in an online school environment. I value being able to control how I spend my time, so the flexibility of online school is very rewarding. I love being able to alternate between school and my art studio whenever I want. I like that if it’s a beautiful sunny day I can save my coursework until nighttime and take advantage of the great weather and go outside. Professionally, I am acquiring the skills and knowledge I need to be prepared for a fulfilling career.

notes for my diy public relations class

INFORMATION ABOUT MY PROGRAM:
https://www.newschool.edu/public-engagement/bachelors-program/

Disclaimer: These are my personal opinions and they’re not affiliated with my college, professors, peers, or anyone else. Depending on your academic, personal, and professional goals, your experience may be different than mine.

sasha beneath the rainbows

documenting the rain

© Annie Fay Meitchik. All Rights Reserved. All content on anniefay.com is my own or credit is given when applicable, please do not use any of my images before contacting me above or @ anniefaymeitchik@gmail.com.