Is Your College Choice Going Green?

Progressive green colleges

Many people who are considering attending a college or university include the institution’s dedication to the environment in their research. They ask questions about what the campus is doing to make its community a greener, more sustainable place.

Students who want to continue their education at “green” universities look at how well the buildings conserve energy or how efficiently the parking lots are laid out. These criteria are important, but a person truly dedicated to minimizing his impact on the environment should be aware that the best way to do that is through online learning.

Virtual institutions not only offer outstanding, widely-accepted online degrees but also give the considerate student a way join a revolutionary new educational movement that is saving the Earth one campus at a time. At a virtual school:

No bulldozer is going to touch ground in order to build classrooms, dormitories or parking lots for online learning.
No stones are quarried nor trees cut down to build brick and mortar buildings.
No energy is required to heat or cool buildings that do not exist.
Teachers and support staff often work from home saving transportation energy.
Students do not inhabit dormitories nor do they commute to school.
Much less paper is used since many of the books, tests, and papers are online.

Students, of course, have two important questions about an online education:

1. Is an online education as good as one I can get at a brick and mortar school?
2. Will I be able to get a job if I attend a virtual university?

The answer to the first question is a resounding, “Yes!” Many virtual universities are noted for their high academic standards. Instructors at such universities must meet the same rigorous requirements as any at a traditional school and because of the way the classes are arranged they are more available for one on one interaction with their students. Many online universities also offer access 24/7 to their support staff and counselors.

It is more difficult to give an unqualified answer to the second question. Even a traditional school cannot guarantee the student a job after graduation. But online degrees are as well respected as any from a traditional school.

In fact, so many people are now attending virtual universities that employers would not be able to meet their personnel needs if they did not hire applicants with degrees obtained online. It is entirely possible that the employer himself is an online university graduate and knows the value of such an education. He might even appreciate the fact that saving the environment was one of the reasons that the applicant chose a virtual education.