Today my daughter told me she was taking three online classes so she can work almost full time this summer. She is doing this to graduate in December, four and ½ years after she started. While I am grateful financially that she is motivated to finish up; in the back of my mind I am wondering if she can handle the intensity of three online classes. She is quite organized so she has that in her favor, but I am not sure if she can handle the demands. She has taken an occasional online class with her on site classes, so she does have some idea of what she is getting into. Online classes require a lot of response, which is visible or invisible to the instructor. She tends to get overwhelmed and I am wondering if online classes condensed for a summer session might be too much for her. She did not inherit her mother’s need to stay busy.

If you work full time, online or on site classes, eat most of the free time you have after working an eight hour day. You need to have a lot of energy to do either types of college education. If you have children they still need a piece of your day too. The advantage of online classes is you can complete a lot of your assignments on the weekends before your assignment is due. If you are the first to post, you have the advantage of starting the discussion and understanding all the threads that follow.

Success in online classes belongs to those with a lot of energy and good organizational and time management skills. The ability to work ahead before the deadlines helps a lot in the online environment. If a student lacks these skills it will be difficult for them to achieve in the online environment.