Online summer classes before freshman year?

smwhtslghtlydzed
Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:28:39 +0000

I’m going to be a freshman at UMD next year as a Government/Politics and Arabic double major. Because I also want to study abroad, I’m thinking of taking some online classes this summer to get some requirements out of the way. I’ve already decided to take an intro Government course so that I can move onto more advanced classes in the major, and I’m thinking about taking Microeconomics as well. My major requires that we take Macroeconomics only, but Microeconomics is recommended to be taken first for general understanding. My one concern with this is that I tried to self-study for the AP Macroeconomics exam but ended up deciding against it because I was having trouble learning all the concepts from a review book. So I’m worried that taking an online class might be harder than learning the concepts in a classroom. But then again maybe learning primarily from a textbook with supplemental online lectures and practice problems would be more doable than something that’s designed as a review. I’ve never taken an online class before so I don’t really know what it’s like or how hard it would be.

Could anyone with experience taking online classes try to explain how they’re different than classes taken in person and whether or not they’re harder? Do you think I would be fine taking Microeconomics or should I stick to the Government course where I feel confident I’ll be able to do well?