Online classes are not worth cost of full tuition

Re:Online classes are not worth cost of full tuition by astura on Wednesday July 22, 2020 @12:22PM (#23918647)

Only you can afford to do something like that or are bankrolled by someone else. I couldn't afford being away from my only source of income at school (student loans) for a year when I was going to school, I would literally be homeless without it. Add on that it's very difficult to get a job to support yourself right now and full time students are not eligible for unemployment. That's not even considering the risks you take academically by taking a year off.

The "just take a gap year" crew are living on a different planet than me. No, a different universe. How do you afford to eat and have a roof over your head while you're learning python from Wikipedia full time?

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Re:Online classes are not worth cost of full tuition by kerkeslager on Wednesday July 22, 2020 @01:02PM (#23919077)

Don't assume I'm coming from a position of privilege. I dropped out of college because I couldn't pay for it, and if I could go back, I would absolutely not go in debt for those years of college which didn't result in a degree.

Let's be clear here: student loans are not income. If you're going into debt to pay for college, that's even more reason that you should wait to go to college.

If your reason for staying in school this year is that you need funds to survive, you'd be much better off trying to find a job. Jobs pay in actual money, not debt. If you're college age and able-bodied, the delivery companies are all understaffed to the point that if you can fill out an application you're probably hired. It's not glamorous but it's better than many situations right now. When my business was floundering last year, I used my truck to haul recycling for local businesses. Sometimes the best option is not very good.

Obviously you know your situation better than I do, and it may be that there are some other reasons why going to school is a better option. But nothing you have said so far indicates that to me.

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Re:Online classes are not worth cost of full tuition by nitrogen on Wednesday July 22, 2020 @04:47PM (#23921392)

In any other year, if the economy is doing well, and if your degree program is good, then it makes sense to use student loans to get into the high tech workforce ASAP. But there are tons of other assumptions around that: health, chronotype, personality, housing, etc.

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Re:Online classes are not worth cost of full tuition by Tempest1981 on Wednesday July 22, 2020 @03:15PM (#23920531)

If you leave school for a year, how hard is it to return? I.e. any re-admission issues?

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Re:Online classes are not worth cost of full tuition by kerkeslager on Wednesday July 22, 2020 @04:53PM (#23921448)

In the past, as long as it's only 1 or 2 years, there weren't really any readmission issues as long as your previous grades weren't terrible. I've been readmitted, and had a few friends readmitted. There are lots of reasons that students take a gap year, some of which are well outside the students' control, so it's a fairly common occurrence that colleges have provisions for.

However, if you go too long, prerequisites start to change, credits start to expire, etc., so even if you're readmitted that can be problematic.

And there's the caveat that Covid may have all sorts of effects in the coming years.

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Re:Online classes are not worth cost of full tuition by kazagistar on Wednesday July 22, 2020 @04:54PM (#23921463)

It will be hard to be readmitted when the school Financials completely collapse in the next few years due to a massive drop in attendance.

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Re:Online classes are not worth cost of full tuition by bilbo0s on Wednesday July 22, 2020 @12:53PM (#23918955)

True. People who talk up the idea of taking a full year off and "volunteering" live in a much different economic reality than a lot of other people.

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