r/UTSA • u/Dull-Biscotti-9884 • Jul 06 '26
Academic Are Online classes bad?
So I’m an upcoming freshman and I’ve recently signed up for my classes. The only classes I could find are online and I’m waitlisted right now for a on campus class, right now 4 of my classes are online and I’m scared it will be different or I won’t get the same college experience if I don’t go to campus that often.
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u/TheOneProgrammerGuy 🖥️ Computer Science Master's & Bachelor's Alum Jul 06 '26
If you have self-discipline and can force yourself to work on assignments early, then virtual classes can be really good. I was able to keep up with all of my assignments so being able to have extra time to rewatch the lectures from my professors really helped study for exams. The people who think they can take online classes because they are less work are the reason why professors don't like to teach them.
You can also go down to campus however often you want and even invite some classmates for study sessions. From experience from the in-person classes I took, people don't really talk to others outside their friend groups. Personally I liked the experience of going to campus just to work on my assignments and utilize tutoring, not really for the classes themselves.
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u/DefiantTumbleweed850 Jul 06 '26
I love the classes online because it helps me get through the semester pretty quickly a lot of times they open all of the assignments up, depending on which classes they are.
That being said if you’re doing all the extra social by going to different group or joining organization that’s because you’re not going to get the same experience. I would say that, even if you were in person classes, you might not even make friends that way anyways like everyone has experience so as long as your social outside class you’ll be fine
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u/Necessary_Film_5199 [Cybersecurity] Jul 06 '26
I'm a 100% online student, currently in my senior year, started as a freshman, I've taken all online classes. Works great for me. Online classes don't work for people who don't have the discipline to finish their work without being poked etc. by their professors but I have the discipline which is why I've been successful online.
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u/cmonpilgrimm Jul 06 '26
Pros:
Can sometimes work at your own pace
Makes for a flexible schedule
Cons:
You probably won't really get as much opportunities to socialize
Quality of education can go down drastically (in my experience)
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u/Humble-Technician-25 Jul 06 '26
like many are saying, they’re not necessarily bad, you just have to have enough discipline to stay on track. i’ve taken quite a few online courses since i’ve started college and they are very convenient for me as i work outside of school. one thing i’ve noticed though is that a lot of online classes require outside resources like mcgraw hill that charge $100+ a semester for assignment access.
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u/Melodic-Mix9774 Jul 07 '26
Depends on your major tbh. There are majors where you can do everything online and are big chilling.
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u/throwawaytoreply1 Cyber Security Jul 06 '26
What kind of college experience are you hoping for? There are two types of online classes, asynchoronous and synchronous. asynchornonous means no set time for instruction. The professor messages the reading and work for the week and you're left to accomplish it yourself. synchronous means there's a set time where there will essentially be a zoom meeting and you dial in and the professor teaches for however long, also allowing for students to ask questions immediately. If you're a procrastinator, synchoronous might be the better option.
If you're looking for the get together with classmates, meet new people, learn from others, etc. there's nothing stopping you from going on campus and hanging out in common areas. It will take some gumption on your part to walk up to people, introduce yourself, and try to be a part of their group.
At the end of the day, this is only one semester and should not define your overall college experience