A brick-and-mortar high school – the kind most readers know familiarly – has a few benefits. Having a physical teacher nearby to structure the pace and style of learning can be helpful as a student transitions from elementary and middle school learning. Likewise, the social aspects of a brick-and-mortar school can be comforting (if a little distracting for some).
But as a student moves further up the academic ladder, they need to start preparing for the world beyond high school, whether it’s the workforce or a post-secondary institution. An online school lets you accomplish this crucial transition. In this article, let’s explore a few reasons why you should take grade 12 online high school courses.
Self-Paced Studies Prepare You for Life Beyond High School
Online schools are often “asynchronous” or “self-paced.” Instead of following a single, rigid classroom pace, students are free to learn through a course as quickly or slowly as they desire. If a student needs more time on a polynomials unit, they can take more time. Conversely, a student can breeze through their entire grade 12 math course if they feel confident in their abilities.
This self-paced model prepares students for university. Universities and colleges require you to be self-motivated and to take ownership of your time management. A professor won’t check to see if you’ve progressed in your assignment; they leave it to you. In this way, online schools act as a kind of “training wheels removal” for the rigors of post-secondary academics.
A Flexible Education Model Leaves Room for Other Things
Your high school senior year is busy. Not only do you need to complete your required courses to graduate, but you have to carve out time to fulfill post-secondary application requirements: personal essays, work experience, extracurricular experience, etc. Additionally, you might have a packed social calendar, frequent club meetings to attend, sports to practice for, and personal obligations to address.
The flexible education model at an online high school leaves wiggle room for these important things. You can take the middle of the day on a Tuesday to complete your university application. You can shift your studies around to accommodate band practice or soccer tryouts. However you need to reshape your final year of high school, an online school allows it.
Online Upgrade Courses Help You Polish Your Transcripts
The best online schools will also offer upgrade courses. Basically, these are “do-over” courses for students who achieved a lower grade than expected their first time around. In an upgrade course, a student retakes the course on a much shorter timeline; once complete, the student’s transcript shows the higher grade of their two attempts. You can take upgrade courses concurrently with your regular course load.
Upgrade courses can be enormously beneficial if you’re trying to enter a competitive college or university. The difference between your two grades can be the deciding factor for a university/college admissions officer. Plus, these repeat attempts allow you to master the material before moving on to post-secondary classes (which often build on top of high school concepts).
Those are just a few reasons to consider crossing the high school finish line at an online school. As always, talk it over with guardians and people you trust to decide whether it’s the right move for you.
