Three ways online students can be as social as on-campus students

Online college can feel isolating sometimes.

Without the physical presence of the campus, students and professors, it’s easy to feel like you’re missing out on the college experience. But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can earn an online degree and still enjoy many of the social benefits of being in college.

Here are three ways online students can be as social as on-campus students.

1. Meet up with local students in person, or via Skype or Google Hangouts

There are many ways online students can meet up.

If you attend one of the more popular online schools and live in a relatively large city, there’s a chance some of your fellow students and classmates live in the same city as you. If so, why not meet up and study together? Ask fellow students, and if your school has a student directory available check fellow students’ profiles to see where they live. You never know!

If you can’t find fellow students locally, there’s always Skype (great for individual video chats with other online students) or Google Hangouts.

Google Hangouts allows group video calls for free, even from your phone. According to an article on the Chronicle of Higher Education, many online students are organizing meetings through Google hangouts these days. One student featured in the article even stated that her classmates got together via Google Hangouts every Sunday for a discussion group. It can be an excellent way to connect with other students in real time, get to know each other, and help each other out in the class.

2. Connect with students on Facebook

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr: there are many fantastic social media sites these days to connect with other students.

For online students, Facebook is a wonderful way to connect with fellow students. You can create a group for a specific class, and post questions and comments about assignments and tests. You can also see another side of fellow students, going deeper than just academics. Once the class is over, you can keep in touch very easily on Facebook.

Some professors, instructors and teachers are even creating Facebook groups for their classes. In a Faculty Focus article, University of British Columbia instructor Dr. Nisha Malhotra wrote about the benefits of Facebook groups.

“The participation and discussion rates were higher than ever, and more problem solving, and other requests were made for help with the course,” Malhotra wrote. “This module helped achieve what face-to-face, three-hours a week interaction could not.”

If your class doesn’t already have a Facebook group, set one up. In addition to that, befriend your classmates on Facebook. Sometimes Facebook connections can feel as deep as in-person connections, so it’s a great way to remain social in college.

3. Hang out with other local college students

Who says you can’t hang out with students from other colleges?

If you live in a city or fairly large town, chances are there’s a college located there. One way to stay social as an online student is to befriend local students from other colleges. Go to their college’s football games. Do homework in the same room as them. Go to parties and social events with them. College students, whether online or on-campus, can benefit greatly from that sort of in-person peer support.

Being around fellow students who are seeking a degree just like you are can be a very positive thing. According to a Positively Positive article, “You don’t have to be a genius to figure out that you will most likely become like those you associate with…If you really want to learn Chinese, but hang around people who speak Spanish all day, which language are you more likely to pick up?”

Surround yourself with on-campus college students and you may enjoy a benefit many on-campus students enjoy: in-person reinforcement. It’s a vital part of the college experience and it’s not exclusive to on-campus students.

The overarching theme here is that it’s possible to be social as an online student. You just have to be proactive, seeking out classmates in person and online, and surrounding yourself with on-campus college students. You may be able to have the social and wonderful college experience that you never imagined an online student could have.

By Jon Fortenbury

About the Author

Jon Fortenbury is an Austin-based freelance writer who specializes in writing about higher education. He’s been published all over the place, ranging from the Huffington Post to USA Today, and first got published at age 10. Follow him on Twitter (@jonwrites).

This article is originally published on Schools.com.