Chemical Engineering Degrees

If you’ve decided to return to college online you’ve doubtless spent a longtime analyzing the reasons you need a degree. Perhaps you want to enhance yourcareer; or instead you may be looking for an intellectual challenge for its ownsake. But have you thought about the psychology of studying online?

Choosing distance learning will involve facing some different situationsthan those faced by most traditional students. A clear sense of what’s ahead ofyou, and some thought-out strategies for approaching any problems, will bevaluable assets as you begin your online degree program.

- Motivation

Simply wanting a degree isn’t going to be enough. The work required to getyour degree is substantial, and you have to be sure that you’re committed toputting in the hours. When you’re faced with a daunting task — a major essaythat’s due, an exam for which you need to study — do you have the self-discipline to buckle down and get the job done?

Or will you fall victim to the many avoidance techniques that will stop youachieving your goals? At times, you’ll need to turn off the television; ignorethe pile of laundry that needs folding; and be willing to make your excuseswhen friends invite you out for pizza and a beer.

- Social isolation

One of the most obvious psychological pitfalls of studying online isisolation. Instead of the hustle & bustle of a busy campus, with all itsopportunities for chatting, socializing, and just generally hanging out withfriends, you’re going to be spending long periods of time alone with yourlaptop.

It’ll take a conscious effort on your part to get out of the house once in awhile and see friends. Despite the time constraints of a demanding studyschedule, it’s important that you find at least some minimal time to gettogether with actual real people, away from the computer.

- Adaptation

Adaptation is the skill of handling new situations by changing yourbehaviour. In order to study online effectively, you need to learn new skillsof time management, organization, and research. Do you have the flexibility toadapt to this new way of studying?

Or will you be stuck in the old patterns you learned in high school, wheremuch of the information you needed was spoon-fed to you by willingteachers?You’re going to need to be more self- sufficient, now that you’re in amode of study that demands greater independence.

- Communication

Communicating online takes different skills to that of a regular classroom.While most online degree programs will facilitate quite a lot of interaction,both amongst students, and between students and faculty, it’s likely to be viayour computer. Whether you’re using simple email, or advanced software forcollaborative study, your writing skills are going to be vital.

Online communication often lacks nuance, and subtlety. The body languagethat tells us that the person we’re talking to in real life is amused, orintrigued, or bored, is almost completely absent online. A gentle joke, orinnocent question, may be read as a snippy insult without the context of liveinteraction.

The psychology of online learning is only just beginning to be studied inany real depth. As you begin an online degree program your mindset needs toreflect this very different way of studying, and you may have to modify yourapproach as you progress.