Pretty much almost all of the world has transformed to online schooling. For me, my uni classes for the semester had completely translated to online. However, my thoughts and feelings surrounding online uni are pretty mixed.
You see, I like how I save time on commuting to uni and paying for parking, BUT I like to actually still experience actual class in uni… so it’s an ongoing inner debate!
So, just to be clear, I am not writing this blog to help you see whether online or real life studying is better, but to help ME know what I like better… because I don’t even know myself!
Down below, I am going to show you the pros and cons of both Online Studying and Real Life Studying.
Online Studying PROS
Saving time on commuting
This is probably one of my biggest pros of doing uni online, saving so much time on travelling to and from uni.
No longer do I have to slightly rush in the morning to leave at a certain time.
No longer do I have to cut my usual morning activities short.
Instead of leaving at 7:30am to head off to uni and make it to my 9am class, I can use that extra hour to do tutoring work, blog work, or even just preparing for my tutorials.
And the best part is, I can show up literally on time to class (through Zoom!).
Saving time and money
Adding onto my previous point, saving time and money is also another pro of doing uni online.
Let’s start with time.
As I have said previously, I save a lot of time in travelling to and from uni, but that’s not the only time that I save… time.
I also save time on walking to every class (which truthfully takes forever and is so tiring). Before this all happened, I found myself always rushing from one class to the next. Now, I just click one zoom link to the next…
AND the extra time that I have in between classes, since I am at home, I can do other important things. I like to get my tutor prep, blog work, and organist practice in between my classes, so that once I finish the day, I will have some more free time…
Now with money,
Saving money on petrol is a HUGE plus for me.
Saving money on parking is also another HUGE plus.
Saving money on the food that I could’ve impulsively bought, definitely a huge PLUS
Can get comfy in my own environment
Another great thing about online uni is that I can be very comfortable when I want to be.
Although I do not choose to wear my PJs and sweatpants, I still like to dress up a bit BUT only with comfy clothes.
And clothes aren’t the only thing… I can attend class anywhere in the house.
Technically, I can attend class from my bed…
But again, since I need to be concentrating and have a high attention span, I need to be in a good working space environment. It is in my own home anyway, so I can get comfy can I?
Saves me time in getting ready
Yes, continuing on from time, I save time in getting ready. I only put on a bit of BB cream and fix my eyebrows so I look at least presentable for video.
YES I can choose to turn off my video, but the truth is, and I don’t know if it’s just me, if my video is not on, then I don’t feel like I’m in the class.
And when I don’t feel like I am in class, I find myself daydreaming, drifting off, and not paying attention… putting my video on does make a difference in how I act in class.
Can do lots of things on my break
Yes, continuing on from my previous points.
At uni, I am typically using the uni break to just relax and maybe get some things done, but while I am home, I have more options.
I can get more productive things done so by the time I finish the “uni day” I can have more time to relax.
Or I can just watch Netflix and take a nap – when I’m home, there’s so many possibilities!
…..
Online Studying Cons
Hard to do group projects
This semester I had two group projects – I still have mixed feelings about this experience.
Yes, we frequently meet up on Zoom and interact on Facebook Messenger, but truthfully, the interactions are not as good as if we were going to meet in person.
I am grateful that we have technology and applications to communicate with each other, but sometimes it is nice to have face to face interactions once in a while.
Why real life studying is better for this
Yes, even though sometimes it’s hard to find a good time for everyone in the group to physically meet, having physical meetings does make discussions run smoother.
This may seem like a very little thing but you can show each other your screens. For example, you’re writing something, or something else and you want to show your group members. When it’s face to face interaction, it’s easier to just simply show your screen to your group members, but when it is online, you have to either share your screen (which is slightly difficult when someone else is already sharing your screen), or you try to share your screen to the camera (yeah when some people say that they can see it, I know that they really don’t).
Overall, I feel that you can get so much things done as a group when physically together rather than through video call. Because with video call, there’s so many distractions especially when you’re not in the most quiet environment.
Hard to interact with lecturers and teachers directly
They’re very busy so they may not have time to answer back to messages until 24 hours or more later.
Sometimes you can’t ask them in tutorials because they’re online and there’s so many people.
And the most annoying part is that when they do answer you, one of two things (if not both) happens:
- They answer your question but you still don’t understand what they’re saying.
- They answer your question but then they say something which makes you want to ask another question
And then the cycle repeats again where you ask your questions and then you have to wait another couple of hours or even 24 hours for your message to receive a response again.
And this can get frustrating especially if it’s about something that is quite urgent (e.g. a last minute assignment!).
Why real life studying is better for this
I think the reasons are quite obvious for this. When you’re on campus, you can chat to your teachers during their office hours, and have a proper conversation with them until all your questions have been answered.
You can chat to your lecturer right after the lecture and have a proper conversation with them and ask them to repeat what they said until it makes sense to you.
You can chat to your teacher right after the tutorial and again… have a proper conversation with them and it all only takes 1 to 2 minutes max.
And the best part is that you know for sure that you’re not going to be receiving a response 24 hours later….
Hard to concentration if you have distractions at home
I personally don’t have this experience, but I have heard from friends who have very bored little siblings, and distractions.
To be honest with you my biggest distraction is the fact that my classroom environment is close to the TV, my bed, the kitchen… even though they don’t make a lot of “noise”, it’s just the fact that I am tempted by them…
My sister just sleeps while I am in class so she is not that noisy. 🙂
Why real life studying is better for this
Again, the reasons are obvious. When you’re actually in class, it is actually easier to be present in class.
You can’t be using your phone because it’s considered disrespectful.
You can’t be using the TV because… there’s no TV.
You can’t be using the bed because… there’s no bed.
But you get my point.
When you’re actually in class on campus, (almost) you know for sure that your home distractions aren’t there to… distract you.
Real Life Studying Pros
Property interact with lecturers and teachers
Having proper conversations with them, if you didn’t get what they had said, you can always ask them to repeat it or say it in another way.
You don’t have to wait 24 hours for their response.
You can actually have a proper conversation!
Actually have a social life
Probably the part I miss about uni is that I actually had friends to hang out with, etc.
During my breaks in between classes, I always enjoy catching up with a friend or two for lunch.
Every time I go to class, it’s always nice to have a nice conversation with the person next to me once in a while…
Good learning environment that encourages you to contribute
TBH being online really disrupts the way that I contribute in discussions in class. Since it’s online, I never feel like contributing to the discussions.
However, when I am in a classroom environment, I find that discussions easily flow and it’s easier to contribute when I come up with something.
Overall, just being in class actually makes me feel like I am in class, unlike being in class in my bedroom do you know what I mean?
Real Life Studying Cons
Time spent on commuting
We have to spend so much time commuting to uni…
I totally feel for anyone who travels really long distances to get to uni. It gets annoying especially if you only have one class for that day.
But lucky people to those who live walking distance from uni!
Commuting can be a pain though when you don’t have a good flexible uni schedule, and sometimes if you have a huge break into between classes, you can’t just go home and come back…
Why online life studying is better for this
If you had a really bad schedule this semester, then online studying would have been a life saver for you.
If you only have one class during the day, you don’t have to spend hours on commuting there and back, you just need to spend 1 hour in class, taking 5 seconds to click on a Zoom link.
Plus, you are at the comfort of your own home, so you can pretty much do anything you want.
My Overall Scoring
I will be completely honest with you with what I like better overall.
Some of you may not agree with me and that’s okay.
Writing this blog was actually supposed to help me decide which form of studying I actually like better.
And that is online studying!
Why may you ask?
Well I do not think you want me to practically repeat everything I mentioned with the pros and cons on online studying, and why I think it is better, but just to sum everything up – I just love the flexibility I am getting from it.
I save time and money on commuting, and I have so much more time to do other things that are of great importance to me.
So you may not actually agree with me on this one, and that’s okay. I completely understand why some people prefer real life studying – and I can totally see it.
But just because I prefer online studying and classes over real life, it doesn’t mean that I don’t miss seeing my friends, and having proper conversations with my lecturers and teachers. When studying does go back to campus, I am going to be welcoming it with open arms….
So that’s pretty much it unless you want to see the video version of this blog post, where I am still doing a debate with myself 🙂
