For many, the first year of life as an undergraduate student is the foundation for the adult experience. This is the first time many young adults are required to make important decisions in regard to time management and financial responsibility. This may be the very first time these students are responsible for feeding themselves whether through a meal plan at a school's dining hall or preparing their own food in a kitchen, caring for a living space by picking up after themselves and roommates, and vacuuming the floors. Students moving away to college, whether to live in a dorm or apartment, will soon face the challenges that juggling a class schedule, work, roommates, extracurricular activities, and the like present. Though this can be an exciting time in a teenager's life, it can also present many challenges that an online bachelor's degree can help to avoid.
One of the best reasons to consider an online bachelor's degree is that it offers a student the flexibility to determine the majority of their schedule. Instead of building a personal schedule around traditional class times that include several hours each week on campus, an online student can predetermine when she will read, study, and complete projects for each course based on her schedule. This not only saves valuable time each week, it also creates much more convenience when time and expense aren't spent on traveling to and from a campus, on trivial expenses like parking fees, and even the time traveling from building to building on many of the nation's campuses that cover hundreds of acres and require bus trips to help get students from the parking garages to the English building.
Speaking of saving on expenses, students pursuing a bachelor's degree through distance learning are not responsible for a university's housing fees, expensive meal plans, and even many textbook fees which are so commonly connected to brick and mortar college experiences. Online students have the benefit of more online resources often associated with their classes, yet still draw from many of the same curriculums and professors that their traditional undergraduate student counterparts utilize. Most universities and colleges that offer 100% online degrees make it a point to communicate that diplomas awarded through online education look exactly identical to the standard diplomas granted not mentioning the term "online" anywhere on the degree.
With more flexible schedule options and lower financial responsibilities than traditional undergraduate students, an online bachelor's degree can open the door for students to enjoy one of the greatest thrills in life – travel. Decades ago, students would take the summers or holiday breaks to globe trek and learn more about the world. "With online learning, a college student can do this throughout the year. Anyone can access the Internet throughout most of the world. Even buses, trains, and airplanes provide Wi-Fi access. Companies such as Amtrak, for example, provide students with the means to take school with them to every stop across the U. S."
Imagine being able to tour Europe for six months while completing substantial hours within an undergraduate degree in Project Management. While many courses require time limits for certain projects and exams, a student able to predetermine what scheduling works best for him can make the choice each week to perhaps visit museums and historical landmarks each day and put in two hours of coursework each evening. Many online degrees offer a library of resources like prerecorded lectures students can access 24 hours a day. While many programs feature message boards in order to promote quality communication and teamwork amongst its students, the use of such resources offers a lot of flexibility to a program. Thus, while an online bachelor's degree can help students save in time and money, it can also allow for experiences that can further their future careers and enrich their life.