So I recently got the opportunity to study with an incredible university from the UK via online learning, in the major that I really love. (Being in the UK, there are no generals, which is a huge plus.)
I think it would be an amazing opportunity, but I’m worried that I would miss out on traditional college life.
I’ve always wanted to have the traditional college experience, staying at the dorms, having lectures, making friends, etc…
But the college close to home would be 80k for the four years while the UK college is more like 18k for the four years. (I know 80k is not horrible, but I’m wanting to go into history, so I’ll be going for my PHD and I don’t know if it’s a smart idea to spend that much for undergrad)
Is college life worth the extra 20k? I’m also worried about the value of an online degree. It is from an accredited institution in the UK, but is a really good school online degree worth the same or more than a state school in person degree?
I’m more concerned about the online part. There’s nothing wrong with online education from reputable schools, although there are definitely some (employers included) who perceive it as “less than” a brick-and-mortar degree. This is especially true in the case of undergrad. What is this “incredible university” in the UK? Online education by itself has a stigma, and schools outside of the US and Canada (with the exception of a few well-known universities) may also carry a disadvantage…so you’re combining two potential disadvantages.
This is especially true if you eventually want a PhD. You need professors who know you well enough to write recommendation letters for you. It would also look good to have some independent studies or a thesis in history, and those things are hard to get through online education.
Yes, I do believe that the extra $62K for undergrad would be worth it, assuming that your family can afford that somehow.
Also, don’t worry about the PhD. Most good PhDs in history are funded, meaning a full scholarship including living expenses; you won’t be expected to pay out of pocket for it.
@juillet Thank you so much for your detailed response, I really appreciate it.
I was given an offer from both University of London and University of Leicester for their distance learning programs.
I really appreciate your input. It has given me a lot to think about. Right now, I think I am leaning towards the more brick and mortar approach. It seems to be the most solid and straightforward out of the two.
To me it feels like you might very well end up having to complete a master’s someplace before you could get into a good PhD program for the reasons @juliet listed. That is usually on your own dime, so if you end up staying on that career path, it may not be cheaper after all to do the online option. You probably have more than one brick & mortar option, too.
College is so much more than taking classes. Going for a PhD requires research and contact with professors, which online programs won’t provide.
You’re better off finding a good LAC where undergraduates can do research or an honors program at a Brick and mortar university.
What are your stats?
(Some Universities, like Amherst or Hamilton, don’t have requirements, but expect stellar applications.)
Even with an accredited online program, doing well for a lot of online students is very difficult. It’s a very different type of learning that requires discipline and the ability to learn without a live person or classmates present. As others have said, college is a lot more than classes and exams, and you would miss out on all of that doing it online.
Thank you everyone for your responses. I really appreciate it!
@MYOS1634 My stats were pretty good, I actually got into my first choice college, but I was unable to attend due to some serious health problems. My only options rn are a state college which is VERY expensive, a smaller state college known to have mediocre professors, or the online programs.
I really don’t want to miss out of the college experience, so I’m leaning towards the smaller state schiol, but I’m worried about the professors not caring…this is so hard to choose!!
Thank you again everyone! I’m out of hs and don’t have a counselor, so I really appreciate all of your help.
Do your health issues require you to live near home or your hospital?
As a freshman with good stats, could you apply for Honors College and scholarships (sending an application ASAP and indicating you’re interested in the Honors College)? That would mitigate both cost and lack of access to professors.
If you indicate which private and public colleges are within the realm of possibility, adults here may be able to provide you with further information about them.
Unfortunately, my health problems do require me to stay close to home. (Although the larger state school is about an hour away, I think it’s doable.)
I actually was thinking about applyjng to the honors degree at the large state college. I don’t think it would mitigate the cost though? I guess the scholarships are usually really good but they all require you to be a high school senior? Which is so frustrating.
(I would indicate the colleges I’m thinking about attending, but I’m not comfortable with it, just for privacy reasons. Which I know makes it difficult for you guys to help, so I appreciate all the time you’ve all spent on this post.)
So little update:
I’ve chosen to not go to the large state school, the one that would be 80k. Talking over it with my family, we’ve decided it’s not the best choice.
So it is between the online school and the small state school. I’m gravitating towards Online school, but I’ll keep you posted.
Thank you all for your input. It has been very valuable and helpful.
Does your state flagship have an online program?
Examples …
https://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/degrees-and-certificates
https://asuonline.asu.edu/online-degree-programs
http://ecampus.oregonstate.edu/online-degrees/undergraduate/
If it’s your flagship, perhaps when you get better you can “transition” to the brick-and-mortar campus.
My flagship does have an online alternative, but it is still sooo pricey. I wouldn’t have to do dorms, but it would still be very expensive.
And if I’m doing online, shouldn’t I just do one of the UK programs where I won’t have to waste time/money on generals??
If I did the flagship online, would it give me a better chance at crafting relationships with my professors who could give me recs for grad School?
I really appreciate you following up with this. It means a lot to me.
You would still have access to the campus at your flagship - the career center, in particular. The professors would have online office hours and would be more available due to the difference in academic cultures.
Finally, the general education classes aren’t wasted time - if you choose well they can complement your major, they ensure you’re well educated and can understand the world (the intellectual versatility they imply is a big reason there’s such a difference in critical thinking between college graduates and high school diploma graduates), and in a study older people typically say the class they remember most fondly tends to be a gen ed class, often philosophy, art history, music, or a class opening students to another culture. (Steve jobs credits his ability to turn Apple into the behemoth we all know … to a calligraphy class.)
Don’t see the UK program as a shortcut. If you don’t have 5 APs they may admit you to a foundation year where you take the equivalent of gen eds anyway… The UK system is very different from what you know. You’ll likely only have 4+4 classes your first year, and 3+3 your second. Most of your learning will come from reading books and writing papers about them, with the professor criticizing the paper.
And if you get an online degree I don’t see how you can go do research, which is a fundamental part of your grad school application.
Perhaps if you do the online degree at your flagship, you can switch to “in person” “on campus” once you’re better and thus get to build a better resume.
What’s the smaller state school? Depending on what it is, it may or may not be the right choice…some small state schools are good (Truman state), some wouldn’t work for a strong student who wants to go to grad school because the Dept of interest would be too small.
What state are you in? Some states offer grants to low income students or have grants for students pursuing certain types of degrees.
Are there any community colleges or 4-year state schools within commuting distance? If not, see if your state colleges offer online degree programs. NYS colleges do, and the degrees the online students earn look just like the degrees of the students who lived at the college.Maybe your state has something similar.
How much can your parents pay per year? Are you eligible for need based or merit aid?
@MYOS1634
Those are all very good point about generals. I think it would really help to be well rounded, and I do worry about not having that aspect of an education. And it would be really nice to be able to get to know the professors and them me.
But online is still really expensive and I can’t see it being doable, even with the scholarships that I would get. (Still like 50k in debt for undergrad)
Undergrad research is something that would be nice, but it’s not necessary for the universities I would apply to for grad school. (Plus at my flagship, the undergrad research is primarily focused on med, which is not what I’m interested in)
The smaller state school is only okay. It is known for having uncaring professors and it’s history department is very tiny. There would be no research opportunities, so I’m not sure it’s worth it. I think I’d go to this uni mostly for the “traditional” college experience.
I hope this made sense. I am very tired and very stressed out. I really appreciate all your help. This is a very big decision and it is helpful to understand the pros and cons of each option.
@austinmshauri
The biggest problem is that I’m not a low income student. My family makes quite a bit of money, but I’ve had some severe health problems that eat up pretty much all our money.
With scholarship and merit aid I can get the cost down quite a bit, but it’s still really high for us right now.
There isn’t a cc close to where I live, but there’s a small state school, but it doesn’t real have what I’m looking for.
I guess for me the online program is the program that I really like and want but I’m worried I’m missing out on that college experience. So I’m just wondering if paying the money is worth it to get the college experience and the benefits that come with being an on campus student. The consensus seems to be that there are some vital things that come with being in person student… we will see. I will keep you guys posted if you want. I have to choose pretty quickly since the deadlines are coming up.
Have you looked at the other online universities I linked… Would any be more affordable?
Can you apply, using UCAS, to more uk Universities? Is your uk university the Open University or is it an online program tied to a brick-and-mortar University?
What’s your budget for college?
What’s your EFC?
Could you apply now for Fall 2018 and perhaps be in a better shape and thus have better chances at scholarships?
What would you study (course in the UK, major in the US?)
I did look at the links (thank you for posting those, by the way) and they are all ever more expensive than my flagship.
The universities in the uk I’m looking at are attached to brick and mortar universities. (Leicester and Royal Holloway) I haven’t thought about open university. Should I look into it?
Right now my family has around 20k in savings for college.
I was talking with my parents and they said we could technically afford the flagship school right now, but theyre worried that as my health changes, our financial situation could change completely. I could be left hanging with only a part of a degree or having to take out a loan to finish. But they also know the importance of higher ed. Everyone in my family has been to grad school and it’s something I really want to do and I have support in.
I’m definitely planning on apply for Fall2018 just so I can have some time to get everything settled.
I’d be happy studying pretty much anything in history, but the course/major I’ve chosen is Archaeology.
Unfortunately, you probably will miss out on living the college life. But, it wouldn’t be the worst thing ever if you decide to go with the online path. Even though that the college life is fun, you’ll be more focused on your work because there’s no distractions if you stay at home since it’s an online class. Overall, you just have to follow your heart and decide what’s more important to you. Your online class or college life?
No, Leicester and Royal Holloway would be better than Open U.
Look at the Leagues Table (rankings) and see if higher ranked universities have online programs.
So, your parents have about 5K per year in college savings; do you know how much they can use from their income each month in addition to that ($500?? $300?) Add 5.5K in federal loans and you have your basic budget. Any scholarship you earn would increase that basic amount.
Because scholarships depend heavily on test scores, it may be well worth your time retaking the SAT and/or ACT.
For history, you want a university with strong preparation in the major areas and periods, a French department (typically required language for history), and if interested in archeology, strong classical language&civilization.
Does the small university offer those? What sort of university is it (public, private, religious…), their 25-75 entrance test scores, criteria for the honors college, top 5 majors?
(Can’t you indicate what it is? It’d really help in helping you make a determination. There’s a difference if it’s UNC Asheville and Geneva, for instance…)