| There are all kinds of college programs that | | | | campuses experience on campus housing |
| are available today for those seeking higher | | | | shortages and rely on housing that is located |
| education and degrees in a wide variety of | | | | in and around the college area in order to |
| fields. The problem often lies in finding the | | | | fill in the gaps. |
| type of education that is appropriate for | | | | |
| your specific needs. | | | | Some universities will even offer limiting |
| | | | housing opportunities to students who have |
| We all learn best through different methods | | | | spouses and children. While housing on |
| and identifying your learning method is a | | | | community college is seen, particularly in |
| great way to understand what learning | | | | rural areas where there is limited housing |
| environment will work best for you. | | | | available in and around the schools, these |
| | | | are more often the exception rather than the |
| The common learning environments for college | | | | rule. |
| level studies are the following: community | | | | |
| colleges, universities, and online or | | | | Most community colleges are largely commuter |
| distance learning opportunities. Community | | | | campuses with very limited if any housing |
| colleges tend to offer smaller classrooms | | | | opportunities. Online and distance learning |
| with more discussion-oriented styles of | | | | programs offer no housing to students. |
| learning and discourse. | | | | |
| | | | Another concern that most also be considered |
| Universities tend to be more lecture oriented | | | | carefully is the distance between classes and |
| while distance and online learning | | | | any special needs you may have. Universities |
| opportunities are quite often self-directed | | | | tend to be large and spread out. It is quite |
| learning opportunities that require a great | | | | possible to need to get from one end of |
| deal of discipline in order to be successful. | | | | campus to another (a mile or more in some |
| | | | cases) with a 10-minute window in which to |
| When trying to identify the college that will | | | | get it done. |
| work best for you, you should keep in mind | | | | |
| your personal learning style. Beyond that you | | | | For students with special needs or physical |
| should also consider the type of environment | | | | disabilities this can be quite problematic, |
| you expect from your college education and | | | | especially on days of in climate weather. |
| the amount of time you wish to devote to the | | | | Community colleges tend to have smaller |
| pursuit of your education and degree. | | | | campuses, which mean less real estate to |
| | | | cover in between classes. |
| Some people find that university life is far | | | | |
| too distracting while others find that the | | | | Online and distance learning classes go with |
| solitude of online and distance learning is a | | | | you wherever you have access to a computer. |
| distraction in and of itself. | | | | This means that they are as portable as you |
| | | | need them to be if you have your own laptop |
| You will find all kinds of cultural | | | | and wireless Internet access. |
| opportunities at a university that you will | | | | |
| not find through home studies or on the | | | | You must consider all these things and so |
| community college level. For some students, | | | | much more when narrowing down your college |
| these opportunities are icing on the cake and | | | | choices. Do you really want to take the |
| an important part of the learning experience | | | | personal responsibility required in order to |
| as you delve into other cultures, art, music, | | | | succeed in online and distant learning |
| and history. | | | | courses? |
| | | | |
| Others find these opportunities to be far too | | | | Do you want to be limited by the meager |
| plentiful and far too distracting for their | | | | offerings of coursework available at the |
| study needs. Whichever student you tend to be | | | | community college level? Is it worth it to |
| will make a huge difference in the best | | | | you to pay the high price involved in a |
| situation for your learning needs. | | | | university education? These are all questions |
| | | | that you need to consider carefully before |
| Another important consideration is housing. | | | | making the decision as to which college |
| Most universities have ample on campus | | | | environment is the most desirable for you. |
| housing for their students while a few | | | | |