The process of selecting a university can be frustrating and overwhelming for students especially when assessing the variables, and searching through the extent of attainable information. Before choosing a university to attend, students must first consider an online or traditional university. With the rising costs of education, more students are choosing an online university. “In 2007–08, about 4.3 million undergraduate students, or 20 percent of all undergraduates, took at least one distance education course. About 0.8 million, or 4 percent of all undergraduates, took their entire program through distance education” (National Center for Education Statistics). Both online and traditional education have many similarities. However, the end
Classes, such as lectures and labs, are imperative to attend. Note taking plays a major role in a traditional university setting. Missing classes will result in lack of information needed for assignments and exams. Like an online university, students in a traditional setting must complete assignments by deadline. Failure to complete assignments will result in deduction of points. With both online and traditional education, students must follow a schedule to produce optimal grades to ensure a bright future.

Skill/learning development is crucial with both online and traditional education. The primary reasons for students to attend a university, online or traditional, are to develop, and learn new skills for a future career choice. Online universities are a unique way of learning and developing many new skills. Students will even learn important computer skills throughout their education experience. Students who learn well visually and auditory will do well in the online learning environment. Much reading is involved with online courses, although students may have to incorporate field work to obtain credit, with some degrees. Students may fall behind if they struggle with reading and writing skills. Online education incorporates several different educational resources such as online labs and links to video clips relative to a student’s course studies. If a student is self-motivated and more of an introvert, an online