The Pros and Cons of In-Person Classes

Normally, I don’t take in-person classes, but this term I decided to go ahead and take a few. Because I travel for up to six months of the year, as mentioned in my post, “The Pros and Cons of Online Classes”, I don’t usually have the option to take in-person classes. But this term I had the opportunity, so I went for it, and signed myself up.

  

One major pro of in-person classes is that they give me the chance to ask the teacher questions about assignments and class material in real time during class. When I’m taking an online class, I almost always have to send emails to ask questions. Asking questions in writing is complicated, and sometimes it can be difficult to know if what I’m asking will be clear to the teacher. I have basically one chance to ask my question when I’m working online, so I better get it right. However, in in-person classes, I don’t have to worry as much about this problem; if I have a question, I ask it in-person, and if it doesn’t make sense, I clarify on-the-spot.

Being able to ask teachers questions during class also has opened up the possibility for me to explore subject material in more depth. Sometimes teachers provide their thoughts or opinions on subjects in addition to factual material. This can spur intelligent discussions among students, which makes the information more interesting and therefore easier to retain. It’s easier for me to form my own impressions of the class material when I get to work in-person with an instructor.

Aside from the purely educational benefits of in-person classes, though, one other benefit has to do with socialization. In-person classes have given me opportunities to meet new people. Working in-person gives me the opportunity to get to know my teachers and even make new friends with fellow students. I interact with classmates and instructors on a regular basis. I think that having regular social interaction is important. For me, I’ve found that socialization is a sort of emotional moderator. If one day I’m feeling down, or if I’m obsessing about some tiny little issue, sometimes it helps to go to class. It keeps my mind off my own problems, and usually, I walk out of class with a fresh, positive perspective on life.

But despite the positives of in-person classes, there are some negative aspects.

One thing that gets on my nerves about in-person classes is how they influence my schedule. I have to arrive to class at a certain time, and then stay in the classroom until the end of the class. Class is usually in the middle of the week, and thus, I get my homework assignments in the middle of the week, and have to turn things in at that time as well. This middle-of-the-week scheduling tends to throw a wrench into my life. I prefer to get my assignments at the beginning of the week because then I can complete them by the weekend. With my in-person classes scheduled on Thursday this term, I tend to have a lot of homework over the weekend. I’ve learned to deal with it, but I don’t like it. Flexibility is really important to me. To get myself through it, I’m looking at this term as an exercise in patience and self-control.

In addition to the tight schedule, I also don’t have the option of working ahead in in-person classes. I get my homework week-by-week, and that’s that. As I’ve mentioned in one of my other posts, I’ve often tried to figure out ways to get assignments done ahead of time, but in my in-person classes there’s just no way. Working ahead is out of the question.

As I discussed earlier in this article, I do like the social aspect of in-person classes, but I also don’t like it. Although I believe that having a moderate amount of socialization is important to a person’s health and well-being, I also think there’s a point when a person can become over -socialized. Generally, I like to regulate my socialization time by deciding (on a whim) when I feel like I need to socialize. My needs in terms of socialization tend to vary. One week, I might feel that brief interactions with the grocery store clerk and a person I pass on the street is enough. Other weeks, I might wind up talking to and interacting with a whole bunch of people by purposefully putting myself in situations with lots of socialization opportunities. In-person classes don’t give me a choice about socialization and some weeks, I get really irritable before my classes because I just want to hole up and be at home.

Even when I’m in a bad mood, though, I still go to class with the knowledge that after class is over, I’ll probably feel better. And this rarely fails me. By the time the class is over with, I tend to feel happier, and more content with my life. My problems seem significantly smaller during and after class, and I’m able to look at them in a more realistic light. So, despite the fact that I really don’t like having to follow a strict schedule and I don’t like doing homework week-by-week, I do like the fact that every week when I go to class, I come out with a fresh perspective. And that definitely keeps me on track.

Lydian Shipp

Webzine Team Member