Are you self-motivated? This personality trait is perhaps the most important when it comes from separating successful distance education students from the rest. Unlike a traditional classroom you will not be meeting several times per week to keep you moving along towards progress. You will be assigned projects to complete, and have tests to take, and perhaps will view some teacher notes and then you will be left to your own devices. This means you have to make yourself study even the blandest of material. Your success or failure in learning the material and meeting deadlines will be solely on your shoulders.
Are you a procrastinator? While self motivation and procrastinating seem to go hand in hand, some people are motivated, but only at the last minute. If you wait until the last minute to study for tests or write assignments a distance education would not work well for you. Since you are on your own to prepare you will need to set aside time to prepare and study routinely in order to succeed.
Do you learn well by reading? If you went to a traditional college you would spend most of your class time in lectures, viewing videos, and participating in classroom discussions. If you learn well by reading and have better than average reading comprehension skills you’ll be more prepared to digest all of the reading material on your own. Unlike reading in a traditional environment, reading for a distance education may replace the majority of your lectures. If you cannot readily recall written material vs. learning by listening this could hurt your chances of doing well. There are some study tips that you could utilize to help you in this regard but you need to assess your learning style honestly.
Are you distracted easily? If you find yourself accidentally spending your study time watching the newest reality show, or on the phone, or surfing the internet, you will have to make sure you can discipline yourself come study time. Setting aside a quiet area to study will help. But ultimately, if you cannot resist temptation you won’t be able to take in the material you are attempting to learn.
Lastly are you a social butterfly? For many considering a distance college education you may be past the traditional college years and not mind missing out on sorority parties, or keggers. However, college has other social opportunities including classroom debates, and just taking in the eclectic sort that hang out on college campuses. If you are craving the social interactions that can only be had on a college campus you may regret choosing a distance education.
So, if you are self motivated and have faith in yourself and do not need the assistance of lectures or others to learn you may do well choosing a distance education.
