Pros and Cons of Studying Online

The quarantine took many of us by surprise. A lot of people weren’t ready to change their normal life into something quite different, online life. Thousands of students now have to study online, and not all of us are happy with it.

We can't deny the fact that online studying has some pros. First of all, it’s quite convenient. Students don’t have to spend their time or money on transport. All you have to do is turn your computer on. Moreover, you don't even have to spend your time on dressing up nicely. No one will judge you for having no make-up on. Secondly, students now have a more self-oriented schedule. Of course, there are still some online classes that have a particular date and time, but other than that students can work around their own schedule.

On the contrary, online studying has some serious cons. The first thing that comes to mind is the heavier workload. The material at times is more challenging than face-to-face classes. Besides, you sometimes don’t have an opportunity to clarify some material you have problems with. A major drawback to doing classes online is that you never meet your professors or classmates face-to-face. It especially can be troublesome if you have concerns or questions, or if there is a clear miscommunication between you and your teacher.

It’s also important to note that online studying can be stressful for parents as well. As Seamus O'Reilly says in his article "Half conversations on Zoom and the boy's screen addiction returns" (Accessed: 18.05.2020), online studying makes his son's addiction to gadgets worse. Before the quarantine O’Reilly was able to convince his son that spending too much time on the Internet is not healthy. But now that children have to spend half of their day sitting in front of the screen during the lessons, it’s quite hard to control this screen addiction, which is harmful for both physical and mental health of the children. 

Unfortunately, there is no alternative way of studying during these times. We have to adapt to the situation and make the best out of it. Besides, I think that after the quarantine is over, a lot more people all around the world will take different online courses, not being afraid that these online courses can be not as productive as traditional ones. And it is a good thing, because the more educated people there are in the world, the better place it becomes.