6 Common Mistakes Online Students Should Avoid


Wednesday, 29 September 2021

Are you considering studying an online degree? Here are some mistakes online students typically make so that you are aware of them beforehand and are able to avoid them.



During the last few years, online learning has become more and more popular both among undergraduate and postgraduate students. The reason for this trend is kind of obvious: Online learning brings about many benefits for students. On top of that, the Covid-19 pandemic has enabled many more students to experience online learning first hand, and has convinced many who were skeptical about this learning methodology.

Studying from the comfort of your own home (or anywhere you feel more comfortable), choosing the time of day you prefer to study, not having to move to another city or commute to attend classes, studying at any university in the world from home, and rewatching recorded classes as many times you want are only some of the benefits students can enjoy if they decide to study online.

Even though studying online has many benefits, it also has its drawbacks for students who aren’t prepared for independent study and being alone. It is pretty common for students to make a few missteps when they study online which cause them to fall behind on their studies or feel lost. Below we will mention the mistakes students who study online typically make so that you can avoid them:

6 Mistakes Online Students Must Avoid


Not listening to study your preferences


Since you will be on your own most of the time, making sure you don’t ignore your study preferences is essential to avoid getting distracted or discouraged. If you force yourself to study at night to save time when you know you are better in the morning would not help you, it may end up making you hate your degree. Listen to your preferences: This goes for the time of the day, the place, among other things.

Being disorganized

Studying online requires discipline, responsibility, time management and self-accountability. If you are disorganized, and tend to procrastinate, then studying online is definitely not the way to go for you. Since students who study online programs are on their own and have no one to remind them of what they have to do or study, they need to be organized in order to keep up with everything and avoid falling behind.

Not being cautious about nonaccredited programs

If you are interested in studying online, then you should make sure the program you choose is fully accredited. Otherwise, even though you will have learned, you will end up with a useless degree. Diggin deep into the programs and universities you are interested in is a must in order to make sure you pursue a fully accredited program.

Underrating the difficulty of the online program

Thinking that online degrees are easier is a common misconception, but the truth is that online learning programs require the same effort as on-campus programs do. In fact, it may be more difficult to study online than on-campus, because many online students typically work or have family commitments at the same time.

Studying on your own

Even though studying online means you won’t have physical contact with your classmates, this by no means implies that you have to study on your own. Thanks to technology, there are plenty of ways students can communicate with their classmates and form study groups so that they benefit from each other.

Not asking for help

If you feel you aren’t learning, you should go to counselors and instructors for help. They are there to help you go through any crisis you may have and learn. You can contact your professors during their office hours if you need help with a topic, and you can also get in touch with your classmates. 

Now that you are already aware of the mistakes online students tend to make, you can be cautious not to make the same mistakes. 

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