Online vs In-person Classes

The impact of COVID-19 is significant in the educational system as students are having to adapt to learning online. Although online classes are not ideal, there are perks to them. This year at Carleton, I am finishing my first trimester of college. Since I have had the chance to take both online and in-person classes, I was able to compare and contrast the two systems of learning.

Carleton runs on a trimester schedule, which means the school year is divided into three-10 week periods. In one trimester (10 weeks), a student takes three full-credit classes.

This year, out of my three classes, two were online and one was in-person. For additional context, my French 101 and Calculus 1 classes were online and my A&I seminar, a prerequisite freshman writing class, was in-person.

What is it like taking online classes?

A theme I recognized in my online classes was how much effort professors exert into making class an interactive sphere. The classes did not only consist of lectures but several activities and opportunities to work with your classmates. Another perk of online classes is that you have more free time. An amazing thing about taking online classes is that you can be anywhere! I found that not having to walk classes, professor’s office hours, or academic help centers, I save myself about 20 minutes a day. Another helpful aspect of online classes is that they are often recorded. As an auditory and visual learner, this aspect was useful to me when I wanted to review class lessons before an exam.

What is it like to have in- person classes?

Although online classes have their advantages, the comfort of being face to face is extremely refreshing, especially after coming out of several city and state-wide lockdowns. Having an in-person class, I have discovered that you can have a more natural interaction with people since you don’t have to worry about being on mute or periodically check your network connectivity.

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Although the year of 2020 has proved to be an unusual year, just know that whether you take online or in person, there are plenty of people to support you at Carleton!

This is Lettu Konshie and she is an incoming freshman at Carleton College. Lettu hopes to spend her freshman year getting to know her peers and exploring the town of Northfield! During her free time, she loves to read and watch movies that explore new ideas, concepts, or lifestyles. Meet the other bloggers!