Nevertheless, a few months before completing college, I went through a period of doubt and confusion. Thoughts flooded my mind. Was I taking the right step? Was it something I would be able to handle? All my friends had opted for university, and they just could not fathom why on earth I wanted to study from home? Although they didn't say, I knew for a fact the majority were assuming I was either a) forced to study at home by the parents b) Didn't get the grades for uni or c) I was engaged and thus marriage would not enable me to study further. Typical!
Yet, what if I told you that a) I wasn't at all forced to stay at home and study, in fact, my mum till the last minute was discussing so many options with me b) my grades were in fact great, Alhamdulilah, and would not have affected by entry into university, and c) Nope, I wasn't engaged or married, and even if I was, that shouldn't effect mine or anyone else's choice to study. Who said both cannot be done simultaneously? Anyhoo. Seen as I am rambling on a little now, I might aswell get straight into the main purpose of this post.
I wanted to write up a post for all those people out there who may be considering open or online university. I wanted to shed both the positives and negatives of studying from home, which I have encountered thus far. I really pray it helps you get a more broad and true understanding of life as an online uni student. Enjoy! :)
Pro's
Since its always good to start with the positives, I thought I'd list the several pro's of online studies. Note: I am not studying through open univerity but 'Islamic online university' and to all those raising their eyebrows right now, yes it is recognised, yes it is professional, and yes its awesome.
Where was I? Oh yeah, so to proceed...
Flexibility: I am not even kidding, but its the best feeling ever to know that, even if something pops up whilst I am studying, such as a text from mum telling me to begin cooking because she's going to be home late, or a sudden text from the auntie, saying I need to babysit the munchkin for a short while, I can say yes, without feeling stressed or pressured into it, because of my workload. Alhamdulilah. Its one of the best things about studying from home. The fact that, even if you fail to complete your work in the morning, you have the evening to catch up, and that you can sort your priorities based on what is urgent and needs doing first. I cannot emphasise how important it is to maintain a balance in your life. We always talk about balance in life, but it all begins in refining our days. I have found that studying from home enables me to make time for studies, family, cooking and even my own hobbies and interests, some which were impossible for me to do when I was in school or college.
References to Islam: One of the reasons why I love studying through IOU, is because whatever I learn, whether its about child psychology, personalities or even counselling etc, it in someway links to and refers back to the Qur'an and Sunnah. Its amazing when you discover how science and religion, when combined, can provided a whole new level of understanding. Sometiems when I'm studying or listening to lectures, I can easily become bored, and then all of a sudden, an ayah from the Qur'an will play which relates to the subject at hand, and I am instantly intrigued and motivated to carry on listening. Sometimes I even forget I am studying a degree!
Skills: Studying from home is not easy. Although its enjoyable it does have its challenges. However, through these challenges I have noticed how it teaches you skills, every single day. It teaches you patience, time-management, discipline (this!), multitasking and so many other skills. Some days, you literally have to tell yourself out loud "No, you're going to work." No matter how tempted you are to log into Facebook, or bake that cake. You have to tell yourself NO, and thats you learning how to be disciplined and learning how to juggle your priorities.
Not an obstacle: A lot of people I've spoken to, and this is not a generalisation, but rather what I've heard from others. They have told me that there are certain things they want to do, or would like to do, however feel they can't to do it, until they have competed university. Of course, I totally understand them. University is a full time commitment and involves a lot of effort and sacrifice. However, with online university, I've noticed that it doesn't act as an obstacle when it comes to doing others things in life. Whatver it is, whether you want to settle down and get married, plan for a baby, travel abroad, do some voluntary work, work part-time, or even full-time, if your like totally disciplined, then with open university, it is a lot LOT easier. Its like packing your degree in a suitcase and taking it with you, wherever you are.
Learn at your own pace: I've always been someone who hates being 'controlled in what I study by other human beings.' I found that in school and college they literally throw information at you. Tell you it needs to be done by this date, and if its not done, you're a sheer failure, or you just don't listen. Ok, thats great, but hey, where's the whole 'enjoy what you learn' gone. SubhanAllah, I feel like much of my GCSE years, I din't learn because I didn't enjoy it. They told me do this, because you've got to pass this exam, and become this in life. That's it. With online university, I am studying something which I love learning about, in a way that suits me and my lifestyle. There's deadlines of course, and exams, but there's also that recognition of individual circumstances and the constant reminder that we're learning for the sake of Allah, because we love knowledge and want to seek it and benefit others with it.
No Riba: Wallahi, I am so grateful for the fact I din't have to take out a student loan which involved Riba to study a degree. All I'm going to say, that it is one of the best choices I have made. If you sacrifice something in the fear of disobeying Allah, He will grant you something so much better. Believe that.
Cons:
Now to the negatives. I'd be lying if I said there was absolutely no negatives, so here are some general ones. :)
Sacrifice! Yup. Some days you may be awake till midnight, competing assignment or modules, other days you may have to begin your day at 5am and work till your completely zonked out. As an online university student, be prepared to sacrifice some things. Like, your sleep. A lot of people think that online uni students can chill, relax, and even sleep in. Nu-uh. In fact, my mornings mean so much to me right now. If I end up sleeping in, thats literally me behind on a day's uni work, which isn't good, because you have to complete the designated work for that day if you want to keep on task. That means, getting up early, praying, quickly eating your breakfast, cleaning the house, do a few other things, get on with your uni work and get it completed before the parents come home from work, kids come back from school, and the other responsibilities begin!
Lonely soul: Yeah, its true. People actually think I am socially deprived. That is true on some level, but not entirely true. Ok, I've never been such a party animal anyway, I've always been a 'homey' type of person who has although has a particularly large group of friends, there's probably only a close few I interact with everyday. Although, yes I am going to be honest, staying at home has made me want to stay at home even more. That is a con, yes, because I am not interacting with other people, as much as I would do if I was at an actual uni. But hey, that doesn't mean I lock myself in a prison day and night. Rather, I have made it a must to get out of the house, whether its to visit my grandma, attend archery, boxercise, driving lessons, halaqahs. I will to do it, or else, then I would be socially deprived. Alternatively, we have the huge gift of technology which means in my spare time, I Skype friends (who are all in either Riyadh or other parts of the world *sob*) , go out with family, or babysit. Ok, thats at home too but its still socialising, right?
Resources: No, I don't have a lab, or a classroom, or a lecturer who visits me everyday, or or or....However, I do have my kitchen? If I ever needed to experiment anything, which I highly doubt I will have to in Psychology, then there's always a way around it. So yeah.
Food, food and more food: This hasn't been such an issue for me. In fact, since I begins studies at home, I've began to eat less. There really is not much free time to go fetch out crisps, chocolates and sweets, when you have to be constantly writing up notes from your lectures. However, this is an issue for some. Due to the lack of motivation (which happens to me also at times), we end up sitting there stuffing ourself with whatever we find. A lot of people say that they would not be able to study at home because they won't be able to disincline themselves and would end up eating all day long. My solutions? Create a timetable, have a plan. Eat 3 meals everyday, keep a glass or bottle of water next to you, buy healthy snacks and if you feel peckish, just go grab that banana! You're at home, meaning you have more time prepare healthy meals and *choose* what you eat.
Prepare to sit all day long: You can say that again. You will be sitting so much, you'll almost forget how it feels to walk long distances. However, best way to sort this issue out, is to try and exercise this muscles everyday, someway. Go for a walk, do some cardio at home, clean the house. Just make sure those muscles are working in some way.
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