Another week has passed, so another Grace Notes is here for my faithful readers. I have to say I hope these notes are as helpful for you to read as they are for me to write.

This week comes from someone stuck in the olden days, much like myself. They are wondering about the option of taking in-person courses versus taking an online class.

To be 100 percent transparent, if I take an online class, there is about a 15 percent chance that I will learn something from it. Computers are useful, but I want to spend the majority of my time in front of a professor learning.

While some may excel with online courses, there are just too many distractions for me to focus on. On top of that, it can be very easy to miss an assignment with an online class.

Unfortunately, it is not realistic to be able to take every class in person, and it is good to have a healthy balance of things. I have a mixture of in-person and online classes every semester. This helps diversify my day and sometimes lightens the workload.

There are a couple of things I have worked out to help navigate an online class:
Never take a very important major class or super difficult class online. You should always take a class like Anatomy one and two in person.
Do your research on the course and make sure it is a subject that you can help yourself through.
Get a planner of some sort. It is easy to lose track of online assignments.

I want to clarify that there are pros and cons to both online and in-person classes.

Online classes are flexible, and you can do them on your own time, but they also can be harder to learn and come with a greater workload.

In-person courses can have more; conducive learning environments and connect you with your peers, but they are also less flexible with your schedule.

The moral of the story is this: try your best to work a schedule that will help you learn. If in-person classes are your jam, like they are mine, then tell them. But, if online is your route, then that is what you should do.

You will likely end up having to do both throughout college, but fortunately, our campus tends to have a decent mixture of both