There are a plethora of reasons why Penn State students choose to pursue a world campus degree, a fully asynchronous, high-quality Penn State education. Penn State World Campus’ bachelor degrees are highly ranked by the U.S. News & World Report and offer over 175 different programs. There are so many different demographics of students that pursue world campus degrees, ranging from adult learners, military students, young parents, and learners around the world.
As for myself, I started off as a University Park student and switched to world campus after my junior year, still living in downtown State College. World campus helped me sleep more, have more time to myself, go out as often as I wanted and improve my GPA.
There are a lot of things to consider if you’re contemplating pursuing a world campus degree. There is a huge financial advantage that comes with pursuing a world campus over a degree at University Park. For senior Marina Flores-Cass, world campus helped her save money for loans and courses, as she pays for college on her own. The university recognizes that online students aren’t reaping the benefits of in-person instruction, so the cost of tuition is reduced to a fraction of the price of tuition at University Park. That means as a world campus student, you are required to take control of your schoolwork instead of having things laid out for you. Your grades and success as an online student depend on your ability to communicate any shortcomings or confusion about your courses.
Visit https://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/tuition-and-financial-aid/tuition-and-costs for more information on tuition and finances.
So if you’re someone who may struggle to get back into a routine, you might want to keep that in mind.
I think it’s fair to say that when COVID-19 began and we were being forced to do online school (Zoom University), we were excited about not needing to leave the comfort of our beds to go to class. The downside of it, though, was the loss of a routine. After switching to world campus I noticed that I wouldn’t find many reasons to leave my apartment building. I, along with the rest of the world, noticed after COVID-19 how much easier it was to fall into dependency on everything online— whether it be school or ordering groceries. After all, I could do things on my own time and wasn’t constricted to a strict schedule— why would I want to make things more difficult?
I did notice, though, that world campus worked the best for me once I took on more responsibilities and started to orient my schedule around interning and job searching, with classes on the back burner. Finding productive things to do with the gift of extra time maximized my capabilities for doing better in school while also prioritizing my future.
For people who are self-sufficient or have greater personal responsibilities, such as a full-time job or children to take care of, world campus would be a saving grace.
For students like Flores-Cass, she finds that having a part-time job throughout the school year gave her a sense of routine again and helped her mental health drastically. “I am able to focus more on my work outside of school,” said Flores-Cass. “It helps my social anxiety since I do not have to be in a lecture hall.”
Are you considering pursuing a world campus degree for the rest of your time at Penn State? Talk to your academic advisor and visit https://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/ for more information.
