“Due to puppy adoption, then becoming pregnant and having a lot of sickness and life getting hectic, I felt if I wanted to continue my education, I would have no other choice but to go online. I take Zoom classes now, which I have found works better for me. I need to see the professor talking about the material and feel like I am in a classroom, even if it’s a virtual one. It also helps me to be on a schedule of sorts.”
Autumn Buddemeyer, age 22, is currently in her third semester at SMCC pursuing an Associate in Liberal Arts with a concentration in mathematics. Her first semester, she lived on campus.
“I enjoyed that experience for the most part,” Autumn said. I lucked out and had a roommate I had common interests in. It was nice to be out on my own, somewhat. But the lack of money, no car on campus and people I didn’t know was difficult at times.”
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Autumn found herself switching to online learning through the same college. Commuting to classes wasn’t really an option.
“That adjustment was so hard! Considering I went K – 12 in a public school, comparatively speaking, online learning is so different. I enjoy some of the classes. Even though I struggle with it, online just works so much better for me right now regarding several things like life and full-time work. The convenience of having a deadline but being able to do the work at my own pace, and time constraints, works.”
So, despite preferences, online school options versus traditional ones make getting a degree feasible. In the past, depending on life’s circumstances, a degree may not have been possible.
