Online schools and degrees are looked down on by most people, simply because they’re perceived as lower in quality and standard to brick-and-mortar institutions. However, the truth is that online education has brought about a revolution of sorts in the world of academia; it has opened doors that were hitherto locked and hidden from many people; it has taken education to the masses; and it has made possible achievements that were very difficult or impossible to achieve for various reasons.
High school students would probably assume that they have no use for online education because they’re looking to apply to the best traditional colleges. However, online courses can not only ease their way into the college of their choice, but also make their college education much less expensive than it would be otherwise. If they’re aware of this fact, they can move ahead of the competition by leaps and bounds and even graduate in less than four years from college. If you’re wondering about the importance of online courses for high school students, read on:
- Online education allows you to enroll in Advanced Placement programs through which many colleges offer undergraduate courses to high school students.
- Most programs admit students with an average B grade in high school
- Some colleges offer courses at undergraduate tuition rates while others like those offered by the iSchool at the University of North Carolina – Greensboro (UNCG) are free of cost.
- These courses they help bring down the overall cost of college tuition; AP courses are subsidized fully or partially by states or municipalities.
- A few well-known options are the Oregon State University’s Extended Campus Program for High School Students and the California State University’s Young Scholar Program for High School Students.
- Classes are offered online through a combination of study material and video lectures
- AP credits allow you to move into upper level courses as soon as you enter college and also pave the way to a double major.
To make the most of this opportunity, look for courses that meet the requirements of the degree of your choice, and if you haven’t decided your major, go with general college requirement courses that independent of any particular major or degree. It takes a great deal of effort and dedication to succeed in these courses, especially since you’re going to be balancing high school requirements as well. However, they provide you with the discipline you need to excel in college and earn high grades.
An alternative to online college credits in high school is the dual credit course which allows you to earn both college and high school credit simultaneously by taking regular classes at school and summer classes at the college campus. These credits too transfer to most other colleges and universities.
About guest writer:
This guest post is contributed by Michael Erins, who writes on the topic of Masters degree in Education. He welcomes your comments at his email id: michael.erins85@gmail.com.
