In college, you won’t get detention for being late to class, your parents won’t be called in for a conference if your grades are declining, and you won’t have teachers personally checking up on you to make sure you work is done.

In online classes, this lack of supervision is even more prevalent. You will be given an entire semester’s worth of information and strict deadlines of when work needs to be completed. After that, you’re on your own. That may sound daunting to you, or it may sound incredibly freeing. Check out these pros and cons of online classes to see if they are the right fit for you.

Pros:

• Less class time, more sleep time. Listening to a lecture on your laptop in spare time is definitely preferable to waking up for an 8 a.m. class.
• Most online classes have deadlines for homework and quizzes on Wednesdays and Fridays, which gives you an entire week to complete assignments or study for quizzes.
• Most professors will go out of their way to make themselves available to students. You can always reach them via email, or even make an appointment to stop into their office.
• Some online classes hold review sessions in which the professor will give a brief overview of the material learned so far and personally answer any questions you may have.

Cons:

• When lectures for the entire semester are at your disposal it becomes very easy to put them off, which sometimes leads to having six hours of lectures to catch up on when your test is only two days away.
• If you’re a procrastinator you may not complete an assignment until 11 p.m. on Wednesday night when the deadline is midnight. This is even worse for Friday deadlines because if you wait until the last minute, you’ll be stuck doing homework on Friday night.
• If you prefer face to face feedback on a regular basis, you will not find that in an online class. While personal instruction is available, it is usually done over the internet.

What to know before signing up:

• Each college offers online courses.
• You can tell if a class is offered online if it’s section is labeled XW or if it’s description labels it says Course Delivery: WWW
• Most online courses have a delivery fee of about $150, but prices can vary.
• Some online tests must be taken at the Online Testing Center in Carver Hall.

Tips for success:

• Don’t take an online course in a subject you struggle with. If math isn’t your strong suit, you might be better off taking a math class in person.
• It’s easy to let work build up when you are not being supervised. To avoid this problem, create a schedule for yourself and stick to it. Set aside time specifically to work on your online classes, just like you have time set aside to attend in-person classes.
• Go to face-to-face review sessions when they are offered. 
• Don’t be afraid to contact your professor with questions or meet with them personally.