7 Reasons Why an Online High School Diploma May be Perfect for you

There are those who would love to finish their high school diploma, but the prospect of being back in a classroom stops them in their tracks. What many people are unaware of is that there is a perfectly legitimate alternative - getting a high school diploma online.

Distance education offers a wide range of advantages over the traditional classroom setting by removing many of the barriers to graduate that are typically faced by those who did not finish high school the first time around.  

Giving potential students a clear picture of their options is vital in ensuring they make a decision that is best for them when it comes to completing their education. That is why we have compiled this list of reasons why getting your high school diploma online may be suitable for you. 

If you would like to know more, then please feel free to contact us, and we will do our best to answer any questions you might have about whether distance education is a viable option for you.

In this article:

#1: No classroom, no problem

#2: Online programs can be accessed 24/7

#3: Online learning is flexible, portable, and mobile-friendly

#4: When you study online, there is no commute

#5: With our online high school diploma program, you can set your own pace

#6: When you study online, you are in control of your learning

#7: Our student dashboard allows you to score micro-wins

Does obtaining your high school diploma online sound like a good fit for you?

Distance education may not be for everyone

The most obvious difference between distance learning and classroom-based learning is when you study online, there is no classroom! 

A big reason individuals may not want to go back and finish their diploma requirements is the mere idea of returning to a traditional high school environment. For many, a classroom setting is not ideal. So, individuals who would have otherwise graduated successfully may not have had the opportunity to do so.  

Studying online removes this barrier from the equation (though there will still be equations, there is no getting away from that - sorry!) by giving you the freedom to set up a study space that works for your needs.  

Maybe you need complete silence to focus or the calming sound of rain playing in the background. Everyone is different, which can be hard to accommodate when there is a whole room full of students with their own individual needs.  

Having full control over your learning environment can be a complete game changer, and we have been told by many of our students that it has transformed the way they view themselves and their ability to learn.  

Speaking of having full control…

In a traditional classroom, you are required to learn during traditional working hours. However, it is not very convenient since some students just do not function at 9am (it is strange that math always seems to be scheduled during the morning…). In today’s online world, there is no reason why it should have to be that way!

One of the best things about our online program is that it is available around the clock. As long as you have access to the internet, you can work on your courses to earn your high school diploma.

When studying online, it does not matter whether you are a morning lark or a night owl: you have the freedom to structure your learning around a routine that puts your needs first. You can study at the kitchen table in the morning before taking your kids to school, or on the couch at night once you return home from work.

You have the freedom to decide if you want to study for five minutes or five hours, breaking it up or powering through. It is up to you! However, we do advise you take regular breaks and pace yourself appropriately. Doing so has proven to enhance student learning and success!  

This leads us nicely to point #3...

As mentioned previously, students in a traditional classroom-based environment are usually kept to a specific location and schedule. With online learning, your hours of learning are not predetermined. You can study where you want, and more importantly, when you want.

Having this flexibility means you can fit your studies around your schedule, so you do not end up feeling like you have to make significant sacrifices in order to further your education.  

This is especially great for those of you that are parents and do not have the option of leaving the kids with a sitter to attend a class, or for those who find that they learn best outside of typical working hours. It is also ideal for those who have a job and limited time to dedicate to pursuing further education.  

Online also means portable. In fact, we built our entire program with the mobile user in mind, so you can work on earning your diploma on the bus, the train, in the breakroom at work, or in bed on a crisp Sunday morning.  

While on the subject of portability, let’s talk about point #4…

If you are currently employed, chances are you have to commute to get to work. Adding an extra trip to get to your classes - one that most likely occurs in the evening - is enough to make anyone feel exhausted. Distance education takes away that extra burden by giving you the luxury of studying from home or any other convenient location.

Perhaps you want to use your downtime waiting for the bus to work on World History or spend that 45-minute train ride into town wrestling with the unsolved problems of the 21st Century. Maybe you work from home and your only commute is to the coffee pot. Why not take the time to brush up on the concept of risk management within our Financial Literacy course with your morning coffee?  

The best part is, if you get home from a particularly hard day at work and you are completely burnt out and just want to crash in front of the TV – you do not have to stress about missing a class that evening. Studying online means you are able to take a night off without getting marked down and giving you the space to recharge your batteries so you come back feeling refreshed and ready to learn.  

Speaking of burnout, let’s move onto point #5…

Everybody learns differently and, in a classroom, that is not always easy to accommodate. 

You may have recollections of feeling left behind in Algebra or feeling at a complete loss when it came to grammar and sentence structure. Or maybe it was the other way around, and you found yourself frustrated by the pace because you felt you had already mastered what was being taught.

While working on our high school diploma program, you are free to re-read the course material as many times you need or keep pushing ahead until you have completed multiple chapters. You can go as fast or as slow as you feel comfortable with.  

Setting your own pace also means you can put yourself in a position to graduate sooner than expected than if you were to take a classroom-based program. You can dedicate as much time as you want to study so you feel well prepared to pass each quiz and exam and progress smoothly through the program.  

Which leads us to point #6…

Being in control does not just mean deciding when to study and for how long. It also means choosing which part of the curriculum you want to work on, instead of being at the mercy of a fixed course map.

Maybe math at 9am is perfect for you, or maybe you can only stomach it after lunch. It may be the case that the only way you can get through Economics is by breaking it down into 5-minute chunks. Or perhaps you would prefer to focus on Life Science until you have completed the course in its entirety before moving on to Physical Science.  

Conventional classroom settings typically do not allow for this kind of approach to learning and instead may confine you to fixed sessions that may not line up with the way you learn best. When you study for your high school diploma online, you have a level of control that you would not normally have in the classroom.

You can also experiment with different learning techniques, such as the Pomodoro Technique, to find the study approach that works best for you. It is hard to imagine a teacher being fine with you getting up every 25-minutes in the middle of a classroom lesson!  

With our program, you have even more control since we give students the opportunity to challenge up to 15 of our courses. This means that you can avoid spending unnecessary time on the course material you already know and instead focus on the areas that need development.  

“Does that mean that if I already know about the ins and outs of our government and am great with grammar, I don’t have to study those again?” 

If you can demonstrate you already have adequate knowledge of the subject by passing the Challenge Exam, you do not have to spend the time going over it all again. What you already know counts! 

And while are on the topic of what you already know…

Something that is unique to online learning is having an accessible dashboard that continuously tracks your progress. Our students often tell us how seeing their progress in real time is incredibly motivating and really helps them to recognize how much they have accomplished.

Through these micro-wins, our students can reward themselves along the way without having to complete the entire program before feeling a sense of success. This is done to help our students stay on track and feel good about how far they have come, even when it feels like they have a long way to go.

C4L Academy provides a fully accredited, 100% online, adult high school diploma program. When you have completed all graduation requirements, you will be a certified high school graduate.

We understand that even though there are many reasons to work on earning your diploma online, this approach may not be for everyone.

You may consider a traditional classroom-based program if you are someone who requires structure and in-person guidance in order to complete your obligations and tasks.

You may also consider learning in a traditional classroom environment if social interaction plays a major role in your ability to engage with an education program and if you feel the need to be surrounded by your peers in order to make progress.

Finally, even with a program like ours where your progress is easy to keep track of and there is support available, you will still need to be proactive in holding yourself accountable. You will be responsible for managing your time and putting in the work needed in order to succeed. 

Again, please contact us if you have any questions or concerns about whether distance education is a viable option for you.

Whichever option you choose, we wish you the best of luck in obtaining your high school diploma!  

Unsplash image credits (in order of appearance): Mateus Campos Felipe, Francisco Venâncio, Alina Grubnyak, Sarah Chai, Rich Smith, Sabri Tuzcu, Chris Leipelt, Muhammad Rizwan

Sources cited in this article:

1) Can background noise actually help you get work done? - Fast Company
2) Why do we retain information better when we learn it over a long time period? - The Decision Lab
3) Pomodoro Technique - Wikipedia
4) Micro-wins: celebrating progress over success - Ness Labs