# Distance Grad School **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 24, 2002, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distance-grad-school/120518 "2002-07-24T06:03:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distance-grad-school/120518/1 "2002-07-24T06:03:22Z")
I _think_ I want to get a graduate degree. 90% certain. The problem is that I do not want to live in any of the places where I can get this degree. (well, I wouldn’t mind one of them, but the rest no.) On the positive side, one of the schools offers the entire program via distance learning, assuming I got in, I’d never even need to set foot inside the state - it sounds very, very interesting. Anyone ever done an entire series of courses or degree by distance learning? Would you recommend it? Is there advice you would give me? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distance-grad-school/120518/2 "2002-07-24T17:04:38Z")
It can work, but you need to be very disciplined yourself. There usually are two or four lectures, you are on your own the rest of the time. It helps if you have access to the library of a large university. Broadband can be a very good idea. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distance-grad-school/120518/3 "2002-07-24T18:29:42Z")
What field are you trying to get a degree in? I have a feeling that whether or not it can work really depends on the field. Some fields just don’t lend themselves to independent study, in my opinion. Also, where are these places you don’t want to live? I spent six years in central Illinois, after living my whole life in California, and it was a great experience. Great as in boatloads of fun, not great as in character-building. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distance-grad-school/120518/4 "2002-07-24T19:35:55Z")
When I look back on what I got out of graduate school, a meaningful amount of it comes from my interactions with fellow graduate students. So based on my experience, I wouldn’t try to do it long-distance. I’d also have suffered if I didn’t have professors who were personally interested in my progress and in seeing me through. Could I have formed those bonds long distance? I don’t really think so. However, as Giraffe said, maybe some fields are better tailored to this format. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distance-grad-school/120518/5 "2002-07-24T21:10:53Z")
I was given some very good advice while “shopping” for grad school: assuming that your choices are roughly equivalent academically, you should go where you think you’ll be happiest living. Grad school is _long_ (oy, if you’re getting a PhD, long beyond the limits of human endurance!) and _tough_, and it will totally suck rocks for you if you go somewhere you know you’ll be miserable. (Picture here Podkayne waving goodbye to the City of Pasadena, thereby making one of the smartest decisions of her life.) So, my advice, FWIW, is that you shouldn’t go somehwere where you’re pretty sure you don’t want to live. On the subject of distance learning, I have no comment, other than to say it sounds kinda sketchy to me, but that might just be me being crumudgeonly. But progress on my thesis is slow enough with my advisor in the office next door yelling at me every week. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distance-grad-school/120518/6 "2002-07-25T20:12:15Z")
Thanks for the replies: > [@](#): > > It can work, but you need to be very disciplined yourself. There usually are two or four lectures, you are on your own the rest of the time. > > It helps if you have access to the library of a large university. Broadband can be a very good idea. Actually, I do have access. But I hadn’t thought of that beforehand. > [@](#): > > Also, where are these places you don’t want to live? Various places. There are some people who can live anywhere and adapt to it. I discovered the hard way that I’m not one of them. And so, between climate and demographics, I can rule out various places. Living there would put me in situations that I do not want to deal with. I’ll also, most likely, have to work full time in order to afford school. So, the area would really need to be somewhere I could find work reasonably easily. > [@](#): > > When I look back on what I got out of graduate school, a meaningful amount of it comes from my interactions with fellow > graduate students. I’ll have to consider that. I’ve been used to bulletin boards and newsgroups and forming bonds and relationships across those that I thought it would translate if I tried to do the same with school. (I’m honestly not sure that my face to face interactions with people are better than my online interactions.) > [@](#): > > I was given some very good advice while “shopping” for grad school: assuming that your choices are roughly equivalent academically, you should go where you think you’ll be happiest living. Grad school is long (oy, if you’re getting a PhD, long beyond the limits of human endurance!) and tough, and it will totally suck rocks for you if you go somewhere you know you’ll be miserable. That’s exactly what I’m trying to avoid. I spent my undergrad years in a city/area I detest and I don’t want to live through that again. Hence some of the appeal of distance learning. I love where I am now, and I wouldn’t have to move. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distance-grad-school/120518/7 "2002-07-25T20:33:43Z")
One of my old profs frequently gave the advice: “Never go to grad school at a place you’d want to stay.” Most schools don’t hire their own grads, etc. He recommended West Lafayette, IN as a good place to go to grad school (and leave). (Of course this was while I was in grad school in The Second Most Beautiful City in the USA.) Refusing to go to grad school in a crummy location is just plain stupid. It’s cuting off your own nose for spite, etc. Instead, be _thankful_ that it’s in a lousy place. E.g., others might think the same way you do, giving you a better chance at admission, support, etc. Think long term, not short term. ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distance-grad-school/120518/8 "2002-07-25T20:52:09Z")
Are there any graduate schools that are close-but-not-real-close to where you’re living now? I got my master’s degree from an in-state school that was about 80 miles from where I lived; they offered classes that met once a week, at night. Very convenient, because all I needed to do was commit one entire evening to the class (plus homework, of course) instead of taking off work three or four times per week in the middle of the day. ---
**Author:** ![shunt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@shunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shunt)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distance-grad-school/120518/9 "2002-07-25T21:42:04Z")
While the following is not about graduate school it is some advice that comes from experience with on-line classes, with which I had disastrous results. After repeated refusals to answer e-mail questions I dropped a course and the whole on-line program. There is something to face-to-face conversation, as I’m convinced I could have cornered the T/A or professor and had my questions answered. But e-mail explanations were too vague. The T/As thought they were answering questions but weren’t. Also, they have to be timely about the responses. My first class was easy and I had no problems; the second I dropped. I’d talk to people at the school first to find out how the program works, and whether there is any dissatisfaction. ---
**Author:** ![Essured](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Essured](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Essured)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distance-grad-school/120518/10 "2002-07-25T23:57:41Z")
One of the hamsters just ate a long reply. Basically it depends on the person, **Amarinth.** I have studying both on campus and by distance ed. At this point in my life, distance ed is the best option for me. There are pros and cons to both methods of studying. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any general distance ed questions. Two points to keep in mind : Will you need to complete any on-campus work (labs, etc) ? Has the uni been offering distance ed for a while with success ? Good luck. It’s a great way to study for some people 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jmpride62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@jmpride62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jmpride62)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distance-grad-school/120518/11 "2002-07-26T01:24:56Z")
Something else to consider - how is the program, which offers an entire graduate program via distance learning, perceived by the people who may be hiring you one day. ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/distance-grad-school/120518/12 "2002-07-26T03:13:51Z")
Gotta agree with jmpride62. Personally, I strongly doubt I would ever hire someone with a distance learning degree. It is just isn’t the same as interacting in classes with profs and other students, especially for graduate school.